Nicki Minaj is a very dominant artist, who represents power and female leadership in many of her music videos. For the example the song Super Bass is very well presented, when it comes to visual aspects and creativity of both the narrative and illustration of the music video. The lyrics of the song talks about super bass. Meaning the amplification of a sound being exported out to create an enormous effect in sound and appearance. This is shown, as there are big bass speakers behind her singing, which is known as an illustrative performance narrative, by including elements of the lyrics in the performance. She’s talking about guys in the video and every thing she makes reference to about a guy in the video is shown, for example in the lyrics it states gripping a tie and twisting it up, whilst Nicki Minaj did exactly that to a guy. She also mentions kissing a guy on the lips and the video shows a guys lips and also she makes reference to a guy flying and the video switches to a small mini pink Airplane. The airplane connotes freedom as it flies in the sky, just like a bird, which has a similarity in as the bases. As they employ music in which is free to release the sound in any many in which it requires. As for the colour pink is another symbolic essence of the music video. The colour pink connotes many inspirational things, for example it can symbolize calmness, relaxation, acceptance and contentment but also the key feature of the colour pink is the combination of two vibrant distinctive colours, red and white.
The dilemma of the video is based on sexual elements of females and guys. In term o f location, the background in the video is pink which has a relation to the choice of song and the costume and props used, for example the swimming pool, the water is pink as well as the stones. This is a feature of maintaining a generic house style throughout the production.
In terms of mise-en-scene by using costumes, all the dancers wore pink hair extensions as so did the main performer. As well as keeping an edgy modern approach in costume the girls wore jean shorts and white tank vest tops which show freedom in leaving most of your body parts out. Also they ore Doc Martins shoes, this shows freedom in presenting another nature of identity and not being afraid to show it.
In terms of camera work, the open scene of the video begins with a close-up of Minaj as she opens her eyes and begins to blinks. As the artist begins to rap verses of the song, the director included an aspect of mise-en-scene of prop of a Barbie approved props; a pink Ferrari, pink plane and a pink pool and a pink drink pouring out of a glass, are shown contemplating the narrative of the music video. another aspect of the camera work, are extreme close-ups of a male model, showing his lips and stomach. This is a important element in the music video, as it captures the male models as the artists acquaintances. Also an long shot that demonstrates the performance of the music video, this is good because it helps show the female models and the main artist in a longer shot than a close-up or a middle shot.
There are a lot of references to voyeurism, as the female body is presented as a main sexual feature of the video. Also there are some females in swimming costumes whilst giving the boys a lap-dance. As for the main performer, the artist, she establishes this feature by wearing and green and pink leopard a swimming costume that enhances her figure. Apart from voyeurism the music video also incorporates explicit elements of male models that are exposing their bodies. This demonstrates the key idea of the music video, in exploring the freedom in having half-naked male and female models. This is crucial feature to the media production industry, because they have incorporated, in a satisfactory manner, the main aspect of ‘sex sells’.
Anaconda is a song by America recording artist Nicki Minaj
from her upcoming third studio album, the Pink print. Production for the track
was handled by Polow Da Don and Da Internz.
Anaconda peaked at N.2 on the Us Billboard Hot 100 becoming Nicki
highest charting single in the United States to date. A music video for the track was shot in Los
Angeles, California by Colin Tilley and was released on August 19, 2014. The
video features a cameo appearance by fellow rapper and label mate Drake. The
video broke the 24 hour streaming record on VEVO by accumulating 19.6 million
views in its first day of release, beating the 19.3 million 24 hour record
previously held by Miley Cyrus for the music video of her song, Wrecking Ball in 2013. 11 days after the
release of the music video Anaconda was Vevo certified for receiving over 100
million views?
The mise en scene follows
the conventions of rap music with female dancers in very little clothing doing
very sexual dance moves. The video is set in a tropical rainforest where Nicki
is with her heard or followers which are her dancers. There is soft high key lightening
which makes the setting look even more glamorous than it already is. There are
constant costume changes as the video progresses. The shots being used in the
video are Medium shots, Close of Nicki Minaj rapping, longshots to show the
costumes they are wearing, High angels to show off the choreography, Nicki
Minaj is always in the center of the frame as she is the main focus of the
video. The editing is mostly cutting from
scenes to scene. There is use of slow motion when Minaj is twerking. A series
of photo montages of fruit throughout the video.
Media Effects
The copycat theory a way that younger generation would be
influenced from idols on tv. Girls would idolise her as she presents
herself as the ‘Female Boss’ who is able to do many things that include
dancing. The way she talks and dances and has dominance over people has gotten
a lot of girls to be influenced by her and start listening to her music.
Moral panic
There is some sort of moral panic that has was raised
from Nicki Minaj's videos. This is because she is changing many young girls by
showing them her lifestyle. She tries to justify sex and not 'love em or cuff
em.' This refers to not have any emotional attachment after engaging sexual.
This causes young girls to be justified and to think that engaging with sexual
intercourse without 'love em or cuff em.' Many parents have raised awareness.
There was also an article on the guardian about how she is teaching young girls
an alternative lifestyle.
Gender and ethnicity
This is a very hard genre that recognises females. This
genre is usually for male rappers but Nicki Minaj was able to show an
alternative to this by being one of the most successful female rappers. She is
able to rap as well show some sense of dominance in her videos which make her
have more power over the men in her videos. She does show some sort of gender
possession in her videos as she shows that she is dominant over the males in
the videos such as 'super bass' where she pulls one the performers ties in a
manner that shows dominance and power over him in her music video.
Audience Theories
The users and gratification includes an audience that
seeks entertainment and escapism; this is because they want to be amused and
watch something interesting as well as watch something that includes things or
a lifestyle they desire. Many people wish to be rich and recognised like Nicki
Minaj is. It is everyone’s wish to be in fancy cars, to have men running
after them and to be making big sums of money. Not many people are in a
position in which they could live the fancy lifestyle so the audience are most
likely to feel some sense of escapism from reality by watching her videos.
Also, in today's society not many females are seen as dominant over males like
she is in her music videos. This could reassure her audience as she shows an
alternative lifestyle in her music videos.
Marxist and Hegemony
One could argue that in her music videos, Nicki Minaj
presents an alternative lifestyle and by ding this she changes the cultural
norms. After doing some research on different cultures, I found out that there is
no culture that accepts Nicki Minaj lifestyle. Religions, in the other hand,
don't accept this. Nicki Minaj was able to introduce different norms for young
girls as she is seen as role model from young girls. Nicki Minaj does challenge
religion, cultures and popular norms by offering an alternative lifestyle. In
most cultures, women shouldn't be too outgoing and in most cultures women do
not posses the dominance over males. By showing dominance over males and by
showing confidence in showing her body she challenges most of religions and
cultures and causes moral panic.
Minaj briefly signed with Brooklyn group Full Force, in which she rapped in a quartet called The Hoodstars composed of Lou$tar (son of "Bowlegged Lou"), Scaff Beezy and 7even Up.[23][24] In 2004 the group recorded the entrance song for WWE Diva Victoria, "Don't Mess With", which was featured on the compilation album ThemeAddict: WWE The Music, Vol.6. Minaj left Full Force, dissatisfied with their lack of success,[citation needed] uploaded songs on her Myspace profile and sent several of her songs to people in the music industry; at the time, she was managed by Debra Antney. Fendi, CEO of Brooklyn label Dirty Money Entertainment (who also discovered rapper Gravy), signed Minaj to his label. Originally adopting the stage name "Nicki Maraj", she changed it to Nicki Minaj: "My real name is Maraj. Fendi flipped it when he met me because I had such a nasty flow! I eat bitches!"[25] On Fendi's label Minaj appeared on the street DVD, The Come Up Volume 11, featuring underground rappers from New York.[citation needed]
Minaj released her first mixtape, Playtime is Over, on Dirty Money Records on July 5, 2007[26] and her second, Sucka Free, on April 12, 2008.[27] That year, she was named Female Artist of the Year at the 2008 Underground Music Awards.[28] In 2009 Minaj was involved in a conflict with ego trip's Miss Rap Supreme winner Rece Steele, who was annoyed when Minaj interrupted her interview and put a sign behind Steele's head;[29] Minaj hung up on interviewers from Spate magazine when they asked about the incident.[30] She released her third mixtape,Beam Me Up Scotty, on April 18, 2009[31] and it received favorable coverage on BET and MTV.[32][33] One of its tracks, "I Get Crazy", reached number 20 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart and number 37 on the magazine's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[34]
After Minaj was discovered by fellow rapper Lil Wayne,[35] in August 2009 it was reported that she signed a recording contract with his Young Money Entertainment.[36] That November, she appeared with Gucci Mane and Trina on the remix of "5 Star Bitch" by Yo Gotti.[37] Minaj also appeared on "BedRock" and "Roger That"[38] on the compilation album,We Are Young Money (2009).[39] The singles peaked at numbers 2 and 56, respectively, on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100;[40] their parent album reached number nine on the U.S.Billboard 200, and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[40][41] Minaj was featured on Mariah Carey's "Up Out My Face", which reached number 100 on the Billboard Hot 100.[42] At Jay-Z's suggestion, that February Robin Thicke featured Minaj on "Shakin' It 4 Daddy" and included her in several live performances (including The Late Show With David Letterman).[43]
Monday, 3 November 2014
Internet
links
http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/news/162/sexism-racism-endemic-in-music-videos-new-briefing
Women consistently portrayed as sex objects.Music videos consistently portray
very traditional gender roles with men as the‘characters’ with power and dominance,
and women as passive recipients of their ‘gaze’. Frame by frame there is a much
greater focus by the camera on women’s body parts, especially those associated
with sex, and many of the film conventions of pornography are used. Young women
campaigning for change in the music industry highlight that sexism and racism
are a problem across all genres of music
video, including dance, metal and pop, not only those associated with black
artists.
Black women are commonly portrayed as
hypersexual and with a focus and fascinated gaze on their bottoms, invoking
ideas of black women as wild and animalistic. The music industry seems to find
it profitable to promote both female and male black artists in a highly
sexualised way, whatever their genre of music – racialized tropes are deemed
marketable.They are more likely to endorse the ‘sexual double standard’ which
sees men who have many sexual partners as admirable and women who do so as
‘sluts’. In one study, viewers who watched sexualised videos and who were then
asked to comment on an ‘acquaintance rape’ scenario were more likely to make
excuses for the perpetrator - See more at:
http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/news/162/sexism-racism-endemic-in-music-videos-new-briefing#sthash.b6zreBOJ.dpuf
These female
artists are selling the message that women are nothing more than accessories.
Women are only of value as sexual objects. My daughters and your daughters are
taught to conform to this narrow sexualised, unhealthy norm. The message is
incessant. Our boys grow up believing girls are really only here to be a boy’s
“new thang”. Girls accept that if they’re to be valuable to someone, they’d
better be “sexy”.These messages are harmful. In 2007 the American Psychological
Society issued a report on the sexualisation of girls. They found “virtually
every media form studied provided ample evidence of the sexualisation of
women”.
The idea that pop videos have a massive influence on
people’s thoughts and prejudices is underwritten by the most discredited theory
of the modern cultural era – the theory of “media effects”. This is the notion
that we are what we see, that a violent film can make us violent, a racist
newspaper can make us racist, and a sexist pop video can make us hate women.
Media effects theory has existed for as long as mass culture has. In the 1950s,
concerned commentators railed against comics, through which, in the words of
one comic-basher, children “absorb… beatings, shootings, stranglings, and other
acts of violence”, potentially making them violent too. In the 1980s it was the
“video nasty” – the ready availability of horror films from one’s local video
store – which got moralists in a tizz, with some even claiming these movies
posed a “threat to the social order”. And now it’s the turn of raunchy pop
videos, which stand accused of spreading prejudice and even creating a
“conducive context for violence against women” – that is, threatening the
social order.
This focuses on the most anti-feminist video of all times.
This was given to tip drill by Nelly. This is literally one of the most
offensive videos to women around. The video takes place at a party that seems
to be crowded with women treated slightly better than sex slaves. If you love
the idea of watching scantily clad women being degraded for about seven
minutes, this is the one for you.
It was banned from playing on A LOT of channels (probably
because of charming scenes like sliding a credit card down a woman like she's
an ATM at the bank...) The awkwardness of this video actually gets comical at
one point and then it’s just really sad again. The song itself is pretty
offensive as the term “tip drill” refers to a woman who’s got a great body but
“less desirable” face. Classy choice, Nelly.
The hype over Nicki Minaj‘s “Anaconda” has been a long
process. It started when the cover, which featured a controversial image of
Minaj’s behind, leaked on the Internet to much dismay; it continued to play out
after the track’s audio release as the lyrics were heralded as feminist gold,
and it all came to a much-needed climax in the form of the music video
featuring Minaj, some backup dancers, and Minaj’s ass. Nicki Minaj is not a woman who easily slides into the roles
assigned to women in her industry or elsewhere. She’s not polished, she’s not
concerned with her reputation, and she’s certainly not fighting for equality
among mainstream second-wave feminists. She’s something else, and she’s
something equally worth giving credence to: a boundary-breaker, a nasty bitch,
a self-proclaimed queen, a self-determined and self-made artist. She’s one of
the boys, and she does it with the intent to subvert what it means. She sings
about sexy women, about fucking around with different men. She raps about
racing ahead in the game, imagines up her own strings of accolades, and rolls
with a rap family notorious for dirty rhymes, foul mouths, and disregard for
authority and hegemony.
This music video is by Big Sean and Nicki Minaj. This music video focuses on females shaking their asses next to Big Sean. This video goes to show the least of respect men have for women in music videos. This video on emphasises on how women are viewed as sexual objects just there to please the 'male gaze.' This video reinforces the popular stereotype of women not being there just to please the 'male gaze' although there is an alternative ideology that goes on. Nicki Minaj is able to take control of the scene and become dominant although she is there performing her dance moves on Big Sean
In the documentary ‘My time now’ which is based on Nicki
Minaj, she claims that the main thing that she likes about twitter is that she
is able to feel closer to her fans and this is an advantage to her. Sean Finnesey who is a music writer says that
the thing about Nicki Minaj is that she is unique and that she is a star. He
also claims that she is the most popular female rapper in the last 10-15
years. Jeff Panzer says ‘She knows what she wants and
she gets what she wants.’ Sean Finnesey says that she gained fame by being in
other peoples songs which made her recognised.
Nicki Minaj also talks about how she is disappointed that there isn’t any
female rapper that has built an empire beyond their rapper careers and she
claims that due to this she wants to be the first female to achieve that. In this documentary Nicki also mentions how
people claim that she lips sings and that disappoints her and upsets her as she
puts all herself in her music. Nicki
also talks about the loss that she suffered from, her grandmothers’ death.
Nicki Minaj has revealed two tracks on her album are
inspired by Irish musician Enya, and she hopes she can be as much of an
inspiration for women as the 'Orinoco Flow' singer was for her. The 31-year-old
rapper was a huge fan of the Irish musician as a youngster, and hopes she can
influence as many women with her music as the 'Orinoco Flow' singer did. She
said "One of my biggest is Enya.”There are two records early in the album
where the airiness and the whimsicalness remind me of Enya, and I sort of
crafted it thinking about her and the way her music makes me feel." Her
upcoming studio album 'The Pinkprint' will be released in December, and the
'Anaconda' hitmaker is hoping the LP and her outlook on life will a good
example to her fans on how to live their life. She explained: "I always
feel it's important for me to show females that they can be in charge of their
own situation, "I came into the game creating my own brand. I was doing
things very early on that set me apart from people who just took orders and
allowed their brand to be created for them."
There seems to be different layers of perception when a
human being is audio-viewing a music video. Interacting layers of perception
may be instinctive, inter-subjective and individual, which in turn activate
social aspects such as family, peer group, region, country, language etc. When
these different layers interact with unique personal memories and instinctive
behavior the analysis of music video becomes complicated. Situation variables
occur frequently and they are often the content, suggests that many young
people are unable to view a music video if they dislike the artist or the
music. To give a simplified explanation, music video pictures can be a
interpreted as a merging of three traditions of moving images: singing
performance, visual story-telling, and the non-narration of modern art.
Nicki Minaj got "cheeky" with GQ magazine about
her "Anaconda" video. "I don't know what there is to really talk
about," she said, referring to the controversy that the bootylicious music
video caused. "I'm being serious. I just see the video as being a normal
video," the Queens, N.Y.-born rapper insisted, adding how there's no
hidden meaning involved in the video's booty-poppin', banana-eating, lap
dance-giving antics. "I think the video is about what girls do,"
Minaj continued. "Girls love being with other girls, and when you go back
to us being younger, we would have slumber parties and we'd be dancing with our
friends." As far as the banana cameo in the video, the 31-year-old emcee
said it was a sign of female empowerment. "It's just cheeky, like a funny
story. I'm chopping up the banana," she said in the November issue of the
mag that hits newsstands Oct. 28. "Did you realize that? At first I'm
being sexual with the banana, and then it's like, 'Ha-ha, no.'
