Research Presentation:

Hip Hop

Conventions Of Genre And Form• Incidents of crime, poverty,

expression and violence are shown, contrasting with the powerful values also presented in culture, family and kinship.

• Props such as weaponry (guns, knives e.t.c), displays of wealth such as the prevalence of designer clothing, cars, excessive jewellery and the use of recreational drugs are prominent in music videos.

• Settings such as urban, poverty stricken, inner-city areas are possibly the most conventional of all settings. However, Hip Hop maintains that the unconventional and original should be implemented in order to sustain creativity. Thus, abstract, unconventional settings, use of props and narrative will often be used to subvert audience expectation or compliment the lyrical content.

A focus on the aspects of Afro-American culture is a major convention of Hip Hop, and is evident in most conventional Hip Hop music videos. Often, Afro-American artists or actors will feature.

The Technical Elements of Hip Hop Music Videos

• Hip Hop music videos utilise the lyrical topics, content and style of the artist to influence various aspects of mise-en-scene and camerawork. For instance, if religion is mentioned in the lyrics, the video would maybe cut to a long shot of a church or an extreme close up of a crucifix.

• Often, the production will influence the editing, with slower-paced instrumentals promoting slow-paced editing and vice versa for instrumentals with higher BPM (Beats per minute). Intricate drum patterns will also incite clever editing techniques, such as rapid high-hats being accompanied with rapid cuts to the beat.

• Low-key lighting is conventionally used to create the dark, urban atmosphere associated with inner-city settings in rap music. It is used to contribute to the themes of poverty, crime and connotes danger.

• High-key lighting accompanies the braggadocious, material, vanity-centric side of Hip Hop music, often to promote the tones of success, flash, accumulation of wealth and healthier lifestyle in excess.

• The contrast between designer labels and rugged, cheap clothing is prevalent in conventional Hip Hop music videos, to connote the origins of the artist and how far they have come.

The Target Audience Of Hip Hop• The primary demographic of Hip Hop consists mostly of

working class, African American males ranging from the ages of 11-36. It does of course extend to a range of African and Caribbean cultures and descendants of these cultures, but to a lesser extent than those of direct African American heritage. However, it’s success in the mainstream industry has widened the demographic significantly to suburban Caucasian adolescents and young adults in education, specifically from ages 11-25. The ABC1s of the target audience are particularly important because of the music and culture’s focus on class and it’s association with politics, social status, money and power. For example, a social grade C1 or C2 African American would be appealed more by the messages and conventions of Hip Hop than a social grade A, regardless of age , gender, or to an extent, ethnicity.

• The psychographics of Hip Hop’s target audience include activities like predominantly American, and in particular, African American sports. For example, basketball, American football and baseball are all largely popular sports for the youthful African American community. Interests such as music production, rapping/singing, dancing and urban artwork are largely typical also. However, a huge aspect of Hip Hop is it’s focus on contemporary fashion, African American fashion, pop culture, black history and black politics, and often it’s target audience embodies this in their lifestyle and in the culture’s ever changing trends.

How To Appeal To The Target Audience The prevalence of Hip Hop orientated mise-en-scene is crucial. African

American fashion inspired costume such as work boots, high-top trainers, statement making clothing, skinny or baggy jeans, oversized T-shirts and excessive jewellery, along with urban settings (dilapidated buildings, graffiti laden walls, unusual areas) are all conventional devices that are sure to appeal to the target audience. An emphasis on low-key lighting helps highlight the urban struggle and darker aspects of Hip Hop, appealing to the lower-class by relating to their situation. By contrast, the use of high-key lighting accentuates the accumulation of wealth and success through music and expression, appealing to the wishes and hopes of the lower-class. Props such as cars, weapons, music production equipment and images of significant figures in black history are all key in reaching the wishes of the target audience of Hip Hop.