Subtle Accents

Rap Article Analysis
By Jack Sanders

Large image of well known RapArtist Dizzie Rascal, dressedIn a bright redjacket whichwill immediatelystand out to thereader. He is awell known artistand will appeal tothe target audience,as they will wantto know about what he has to say

The sub heading is giving the reader ashort insight intowhat this article is about

The image of the graffiti and beer bottles showsthe type of target audience Dizzie wants toreach. Young adults & teenagers from a similar background to him, who can relateto his music and lyrics.

The text is in columns and is thesmallest writing on the page. Thisis so the reader is instantlydrawn to the main image andHeading.

Byline Tells the readerWho interviewed DizzieRascal and who thePhotographer was.Large bold title to thearticle in Sans Serif font. Thetitle stands out andsuggests the article is about Dizzie Rascals risefrom street Graffiti to besuccessful. This will standout to the target audience,as he is well known andpeople want to know moreabout him.

Rap Articles Analysis - NME- Dizzie Rascal

GenreThe first article I have chosen to review is featured in NME magazine, which is a well known music magazine. This article is based around Dizzie Rascal, who is one of the most popular, well known, influential Rap artists of the last decade. Having someone as recognisable as Dizzie Rascal featuring in an article makes this particular magazine stand out to the target audience, which is young adults with an age range of between 16-25.

Target AudienceThe main image depicts Dizzie Rascal holding a spray can with a wall of graffiti behind him. The image has a rebellious feel to it, which will appeal to the younger teenage audience. The other images are of a bottle and a vintage radio, which suggest that before he was famous Dizzie Rascal would hang out, listening to music and drinking. This will appeal to the target audience as they will be able to relate with that. TYPOGRAPHY, COLOUR SCHEME, CAMEREA SHOTS & LIGHTINGThe title of the article From Tags to Riches, stands out in a Sans Serif font. It suggests that the article is about Dizzie Rascals rise from doing graffiti on the streets and going onto become successful and wealthy. Dizzie Rascal can be seen wearing rings on his fingers and a jacket that looks quite expensive. He likes to present himself as an urban bad boy, as this fits in with his style of Rap & Hip Hop music. The camera angle used is a medium long shot, which allows the image to sit nicely alongside the main article without distracting too much from the main article heading. The graffiti in the background of the image gives of an urban feel to the article, which links in with peoples perception of Dizzie Rascal and his music. The use of bold bright colours set against a white background allows the picture to stand out even further to the potential reader. Dizzie Rascal is also wearing bright clothing with his red jacket, which will make him stand out straight away. The secondary images used are the bottles and the radio found, at the bottom of the right hand page, which add to the general street image of the article.

Rap Articles Analysis - NME- Dizzie Rascal

The title for the article From Tags to Riches is a play on words as in the popular saying From Rags to Riches, so is already somewhat recognisable to the reader, which is very effective. In a smaller font beneath the title is is a short description about the article, which interests the reader and causes them to want to read on. The actual article is written in even smaller text so it can all fit on the page and will not detract from the main image and heading. The use of black text stands out on the white background which makes it easy to read.

The whole article is written in columns. This is because NME know that our eyes prefer to read something that is directly in front of us, in a narrow field of vision. The use of a drop cap feature on the letter Y as well as it being in a larger, bolder font, draws people to the start of the article. The language used in the article attracts the target audience due to the frequent use of slang, which they will be able t relate to.

PREFERRED & OPPOSITIONAL READINGThe preferred reading of the article is saying that despite having nothing to start with by working hard and having belief in your ability you can achieve great things. This is a very positive message to send out to the target audience who are young people. The oppositional reading is that a well known artist, in this case Dizzie Rascal, promotes illegal activities such as graffiting and drinking alcohol, which is reflected in the images found across the double spread article. This can appear as being cool and an OK thing to do to a young and impressionable target audience.

Rap Articles Analysis
Wiz Khalifa

The main imageis of one of themost recentleading artists Wiz Khalifa. It shows himsmoking weed which is commonplace amongstmany peoplein the Hip HopCulture. Heappears relaxedand the readercan assume thearticle has something to do with his smokingof weed.

Byline Tells the readerwho interviewed Wiz Khalifa and who the photographer was.

Page no foreasy referralfor readers

The maintitle of the article whichhas the initialsof Wiz Khalifa.The letters are joined togetherin an artisticway whichstands out asa snappy title.

The sub heading How High isa play on two meanings. Highas in the effect of the drugand High as in success in themusic industry.

The text is set out in two simple columns, whichwill appeal to the reader asits not too heavy text based.

Rap Articles Analysis
Wiz Khalifa

Genre

The second article I have chosen to review is from the magazine Vibe, a very popular and well known rap magazine. The main image is of one of the most recent leading hip-hop/ rap artists in the mainstream 'Wiz Khalifa'. He is a young Afro-Caribbean male, which allows many readers to relate to him as soon as they see his image.

Target Audience

The article discusses his growing success in the music industry and his regular use of Marijuana or 'weed, which has lead him to be in trouble with the police. Weed is common practice amongst many people in the hip-hop culture, both artists and listeners. It is symbolic of the chilled out, easy lifestyle of a rapper often heavily portrayed in the media. Wiz Khalifa will want to appeal to the target audience of young readers from a similar background to him. The smirk on Wiz Khalifa's face contributes to a chilled out relaxed image. The smoke has been shot to appear very heavy and overpowering, taking over nearly half of his face. Due to its overpowering presence it can be taken into account by the reader that this article will be about Wiz Khalifa, his weed and chilled back character.

TYPOGRAPHY, COLOUR SCHEME, CAMEREA SHOTS & LIGHTINGThe colours used are very effective in making the article stand out more. Using half the double page spread in black and the other half in white creates a bold feel to the pages, as black and white stand out against each other very well because they are so opposite. Also Wiz Khalifa released a song known as 'black and yellow', so the use of black and yellow for his cap and the main headline 'WK' may subconsciously allow readers or fans to trigger thoughts of his music and make them become drawn to the magazine.

Rap Articles My point of view !
Wiz Khalifa

The title of the article is the initials of the artist situated to the left hand side of the double spread 'WK' of course standing for Wiz Khalifa. By joining the two letters artistically together it allows it to stand out boldly and become a short and snappy title. The subheading 'How High' situated just beneath the main heading, is a lot smaller and in a plain black font. However it does have an indexical meaning behind it. It is a play on two meanings, how high as in the effect of the drug that he is smoking or how high as in the heights of his success in the music industry. This would suggest to the potential reader that these are two topics that will be discussed in the article. Just beneath that is a small section of gold/ yellow writing, which talks about his weed lifestyle before becoming a well know rapper. This section includes the words 'PUFF, PUFF' which are also indexical. These onomatopoeic words not only link to the article, but they also add texture to the title by playing on the readers imagination of the sound of smoke actually being blown and 'puffed' from Wiz Khalifa's lips.

Only a third of the right hand page is text based, implying that VIBE readers don't particularly like to read heavy text based articles. Rap music isn't a genre typically linked with high levels of education, so it is correct to assume that readers wont want to read a lot, just enough so they know the latest gossip,songs and artists. Readers will see there is little to read and this may have a large influence on them when they are deciding weather or not to purchase the magazine. The editors have cleverly drawn peoples attention to the start of the article by using the letter 'B'. This letter is in a bolder, bigger font and in the colour yellow for it to stand out. This method of being creative by linking the colour of the 'K' the 'B' and his cap together, poses to link the article together.

Rap Articles Analysis
Wiz Khalifa

PREFERRED & OPPOSITIONAL READING

The preferred reading of this magazine article is that the rap lifestyle is very relaxed and chilled. It would suggest that even though the smoking of weed is illegal, it is somehow OK and you can still have success in life when doing this. It almost plays the significance of smoking weed and its consequences down and paints a pictures of a relaxed lifestyle.

The oppositional reading is that rap is a genre of music that promotes the use of illegal substances such as Marijuana. This is a very negative message to send to a youthful target audience, as they look up to someone like Wiz Khalifa, and the things he does may affect the lives of a very impressionable audience.

A Comparison

A Comparison

The main image on both magazines depict the artists both committing illegal actions. The first article shows Wiz Khalifa smoking Marijuana and the second shows Dizzie Rascal spray painting graffiti onto a wall. This shows that rap can be associated with rebellion and illegal activities, which appeal to a youthful target audience often looking for a genre of music that they can relate to. Rap is often popular with younger target audiences because they discuss topics like the struggles of early life and their lust for success, which teenagers can often relate too. Both articles are both cleverly set out with the text in columns making it easier and faster for the potential reader to read. There is little text on both of the articles, as both magazines realise that their target audience will not want to read heavily text based articles.

The colour of the Dizzie Rascal article is much brighter than the article about Wiz Khalifa and appears to have a more positive message in the title From Tags to Riches, giving the reader the impression he was worked his way out of a tough background and become successful. The title of the Wiz Khalifa article How High, has a similar theme talking around his success being high, but it also has another meaning, which is being high from the weed. The use of darker colours and background in the Wiz Khalifa article give it more of a dark feeling and show a more problematic lifestyle for the artist, with him being shown as smoking weed now in his current position. The Dizzie Rascal article has him looking back on his old life, having bettered himself by working hard, which ties in with the title of the article.