99 problems music video analysis

1. The music video demonstrates genre characteristics.

The song "99 problems" is hip hop and features many characteristics you would expect to see in a hip hop music video. Firstly the video is set in the streets of a neighbourhood that looks run down, this is an iconic background for hip hop as it was these kind of settings that the singers grew up in. The music video features mainly black people and some white people, for example the police officers, are there to show how the black community where suppressed by white people. The clothes worn in the video are very hip hop styled, men wearing large jewellery such as gold or silver chains and rings are characteristics expected and common in hip hop videos. Sports clothing and baseball caps are worn with brand logos this is common in hip hop as it shows there wealth and how they had nothing and now they are rich.

     2. relationship between lyrics and visuals

So I, pull over to the side of the road, I heard
"Son do you know why I'm stopping you for?"  During these lyrics sung in the song the music video shows jay Z driving a car and being pulled over by the police.

    3. There is a relationship between the music and visuals

The song has a heavy beat which is fast to medium paced, due to this the video cuts often and occasionally cuts in time with the beat. The video is also in black and white which links to the song being about racial suppression between white and black people, its also dark as hip hop is generally about "what's real" in a neighbourhood  and is quite gloomy.

   4. Demands of the record label

The record label will want close ups of jay Z in order to publicise him and sell his look, throughout the video jay Z features in close ups and mid shots. He wears sports designer clothing and base ball caps to cement his image in the hip hop genre and is shown in neighbourhood streets, this is to show his roots and for his marketed audience to look up to him and relate.

   5. Notion of looking and voyeuristic treatment towards females body

during the music video there are many women wearing little clothing as to be sexualised and act as "eye candy" for the male audiences, this is done by using close ups of body parts in the video.