Hip Hop Genre Research

For My AS Media coursework I will be basing my magazine on the Hip Hop genre.

 Hip Hop as a music genre has been around since the early seventies and first emerged as a movement in the south Bronx NY, Hip Hop has had increasing influences on popular culture, from movies and T.V shows, to fashion, as a genre, Hip-Hop can be described as a collection of samples, most often from funk, disco soul and jazz, with an emphasis on percussion elements, as well as rhythmic spoken word in the form of rapping/MCing.

Hip Hop gained worldwide recognition throughout the 1980's and led to a more commercial genre, and the creation of the first Hip Hop magazine. (The Hip Hop Hit List)

However, Hip Hop in the 80's was generally socially conscious, and focused on the social problems faced by the African American society in poor areas, as well as politics, racism and capitalism, artists who reflected upon troubles in society, as well as politics include Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Nas Gil Scott-Heron etc. In contrast, Hip Hop music from the 90's onwards has been mostly about gang violence, drug taking, misogyny, and weapons and is personified by artists such as Cypress Hill, Notorious B.I.G 2pac, Snoop Dogg, Dr Dre, N.W.A, Wu-Tang Clan and Mobb Deep among others. This sub-genre of Hip Hop is known as gangsta rap, and is arguably the most commercially successful aspect of Hip Hop. Hip Hop as a genre has continued to grow commercially and socially as an impact upon popular culture, and western society in general. Although criticisms have been made, of the newer forms that Hip Hop is taking, and its commercialism.

 Because of the wide variety of forms that are apparent in Hip Hop as a genre, there are an uncountable amount of artists that are defined as being Hip Hop artists, or have had significant influences in Hip Hop culture. (Gil Scott-Heron) However, the artists that are the most well regarded  musically include: Wu-Tang Clan (this includes the famous solo careers from RZA, GZA ODB, Raekwon the Chef, Gostface killah, U God, Inspectah Deck and Masta Killa) MF DOOM (this includes his collaboration with madlib) Madlib, Death Grips, Big L, Biggie Smalls, 2pac, Cypress Hill, N.W.A, Roots Manuva, nas, A Tribe Called Quest, The Jungle Brothers, De La Soul, Grandmaster Flash, Sugarhill gang, KRS-ONE, immortal technique, Public Enemy, Dr. Dre, Eazy-e, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and Busta Rhymes.

 Hip Hop charts are generally taken with a pinch of salt by Hip Hop fans, Artists such as Drake, Lil' Wayne, Jay-Z, T.I, Wiz Khalifa, Juicy J, Jeezy and Rich Homie Quan are currently in the US billboard Top 10, and the only bare any resemblence to the original genre in the top 10 are Eminem and Jay-Z.

 

Hip Hop as a music genre already has a plethora of music magazines that are focused on it, the most notable mentions are Hip Hop Connection, XXL, Scratch, The Source and Vibe.

Fashion in Hip Hop has changed over the years since its inception, early Hip Hop musicians would often wear colourful African clothes, because of the Genre’s Roots in west African and Jamaican music. Throughout the 1980’s the fashion for Hip Hop was baggy, comfortable clothes, often using bright colours, as well as clothes typically worn by break dancers, this is due to Hip Hops close relationship to Breakdancing as an art form. In the 1990’s the fashion leant more towards baggy shirts, T-shirts, Basketball shirts, expensive jewellery, Tims (Timberland boots) Pagers, sneakers, and tracksuits, towards the end of the 90’s fashion in Hip Hop also became more formal, with the use of suits and trousers, with black loafers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the music video for Scenario by A Tribe Called Quest, it is a great example of pre-gangsta rap Hip Hop, it sticks to the conventions of early Hip Hop music videos, it is less about guns and explosions, and has a happier vibe to it, this is mainly because it was released in 1991 part of the D.A.I.S.Y age of Hip Hop.

 

 

 

This is a music video for the song Spread Eagle Cross The Block by Death Grips, it is a montage of people skating, and is a good example of how Hip Hop music links to skateboarding and breakdancing. The song also has lyrical themes revolving around capitalisation and the commercialism of Hip Hop.
 

Reasearch

·         Skyline with featured artists

·         Large masthead

·         Colour scheme (red, white, black

·         Featured articles on the left above barcode

·         Other features on bottom right of page

·         Lack of plug

·         Lack of pull quotes

·         Large main image

·         No images to accompany feature stories

·         Audience of magazine are hip hop fans and people wanting to read further into the culture and politics associated with the genre of music

·         Feature story titles are all red with white outlines

·         Same font used throughout

·         Mast Head is a phrase commonly used on hip-hop music

·         Smaller main image used, depicts the RZA as religious

·         Skyline features images, and is accompanied by a heading

·         Feature stories have white ‘rubbed out’ background affect

·         Features on both side of main image

·         Portrait barcode rather than landscape

·         List of other featured artist near barcode

·         Colour scheme of red, black and white

·         Masthead covers entire length of page

 

  ·         Large main image of Eminem, depicts hims as rebellious (tattoos, facial expression etc.)

 ·         Large skyline, with featured artists, and the question “Is 1998 Raps last classic year?”

·         Logo with “sticker effect” on top right of page, claiming that the issue is “the real rap issue”

·         Pull quotes used from main feature story

·         Features on both side of main image

·         Different parts of text emphasised by using different colours and font sizes

·         Colour scheme of red, black and white

·         No barcode featured on front page

·         Use of rhetorical questions on front page

 

Evaluation

Evaluation

For the preliminary task assigned to us, we had to design a front cover for our own college magazine, throughout the previous weeks I have researched and studied the different forms and conventions of real magazines, and some other college magazines that achieved an A grade. I then wrote about conventions used in magazines, and made sure to include as many conventions as possible from the specified media texts (magazines), I developed the use of feature stories, and a barcode, as well as a Mast head and colour scheme. I developed these conventions to give the magazine front cover a professional appeal, and to make it appear real. I also used suitable fonts, and a large main image, to grab the audience’s attention.

My Media product represents a variety of social groups, the main social group catered for are the students currently enrolled at Wyke College, this is because the main image is that of a student rather than a teacher, and that the majority of feature stories cater to students, however, students aren’t the only social group given thought to. Other social groups advertised to are the parents of students, and teachers. Who may be interested in feature stories, involving a tour of the campus, grade results, success stories from Wyke College, and Q & A sessions with teachers. The most represented social group in my magazine are the students currently enrolled at wyke.

The target audience for my magazine are primarily students, although other social groups have stories they may be interested in, the majority of feature stories are targeted towards students, I attracted the student audience by using a student as the main image, and catering the majority of content towards them.

I have had to learn a wide variety of technological equipment and software since starting the assignment,  the biggest learning curve for me was learning to use and implement Photoshop effectively, I also used technology such as a scanner to scan examples of magazines that follow the same conventions, as well as using the internet to research the conventions of magazines, and collect research material of previous college magazines, to see the general do’s and don’ts of magazine front covers. I have also begun using www.Blogger.com to upload my AS media coursework onto the World Wide Web.

After completing the perfume task, I feel I have developed a better understanding of conventions, and what their purposes are, I have also improved my image editing skills using Photoshop. For me, the biggest improvement has been conventions analysis, I am now used to analysing conventions and explaining their role in the media text. This is due to the multiple conventions analysis documents I have produced and uploaded to my media blog, as well as the magazine research of real world articles. I have a more extensive vocabulary and now recognise double pages spreads, contents pages, and front covers, as well as the connotations associated with them. Another thing I have learned is how to use blogger, having never used a blogging site before, I was relatively inexperienced with the concept of blogging, but I now find it easy to traverse the various menus, and customisations available on the website, as well as uploading, editing or deleting documents on blogger.

I would change my approach to the college magazine drastically if given the chance to do it again, I would do the work before the deadline, and be well organised in what has to be handed in and when. I would also spend more time doing my work, and doing it to the best of my ability, rather than doing the bare minimum required of me. I would do these things because I would most likely achieve a better grade, as well as having less stress, and no need for a learner agreement. I also believe it will hold me in good stead for when I’m at university and have to work independently, whilst taking care of myself and working.

Reader Profile Research

Reader profile research is important because it gives the editors and writers at a magazines establishment an insight into their readership, magazine staff will want to know a variety of different variables of their readership to find out what it is their readership are interested in, so that they can tailor the content of their magazine to suit the target audience, as well as using plugs that will be of interest to the reader. variables can be anything, from music taste to fashion sense to age to sexuality, and even the political leanings of the readers.

For example, if a magazines readership are mostly young teenage girls in the ages from 11-14, then the use of colours in the magazine may me more “girly”. (pink, purple, yellow, a stereotype of “girl” colours) They will also use plugs that are of interest to young girls, and feature music that that readership group typically listen too.

Reader Profiles help the magazine staff decide on what their content should be focused on, who will want to have advertisements in the magazine, who should have featured interviews, plugs used to grab the audiences attention, use of colour schemes, fonts used, use of “jargon”. (this especially applies if the magazine content is that of a niche hobby/market)

Reader profile research is often taken annually so that the members of staff working for the magazine can identify changes in the readership, and address these changes. This helps magazines to keep a consistent readership and a following among certain social groups. It also helps with regards for advertising and content management.

Mood Board

 

 

 

Contents LIIAR Analysis

 

Initial Ideas

 

Digital Mockup Front Cover

Framing examples