I have posted this video up as part of my research to find my favourite videos. This video is one of my favourite because I enjoy the dancing and lyrics; this video is by Chris Brown and features Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes. The genre of this music is rap, and the video is very popular receiving over 63 million views. Lip synching is also another key convention which is used in this video, although there aren't any musical instruments in this video the choreography has been done well with the music especially the beat. Overall I must say that the video conveys well with the music of the song not just the choreography but the surroundings in the video also go along with the music.
Andrew Godwin Theory
1. Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics
Chris Brown is well known for being a triple threat, he is extremely talented at singing, dancing and also acting. His genre is usually rap/hip hop, and if you look at the video without any sound you realise what genre the song is. This is due to what is being seen in the video for example the costume and the style of dancing that is going on. As you can see from the video above he is doing both rapping as well as dancing and because he does them both so well that he attracts a large audience of various ages, hence the reason why the video received 125 million views.
2. There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals
Lyrics:
[Chris Brown]
I don't see how you can hate from outside of the club,
You can't even get in?
HaHaHaHa!
Let's go!
Yellow model chick
Yellow bottle sipping
Yellow Lamborghini
Yellow top missing
Yeah yeah
That sh-t look like a toupee
I get what you get in 10 years, in two days
Ladies love me
I’m on my cool J
If you get what I get what would you say
She wax it all off, Mr Miyagi
And them suicide doors, Hari Kari
(Hook)
Look at me now, look at me now
Oh, I’m getting paper
Look at me now
Oh, look at me now
Yeah, fresh than a muthaf-cker
[Chris Brown]
Lil n-gga bigger than gorilla
Cause I’m killing every n-gga that
Try to be on my sh-t
Better cuff your chick if you with her
I can get her
And she accidentally slip fall on my dick
Ooops, I said on my dick
I aint really mean to say on my d-ck
But since we talking about my dick
All of you haters say hi to it
I’m Done
[Busta Rhymes]
Ayo Breezy
Let me show you how to keep the dice rolling
When your doing that thing over there, homie
Lets go
Cause I feel like I’m running
And I’m feeling like I gotta get away, get away, get away
Better know that I don’t and I won’t ever stop cause
You know I gotta win everyday day, goooo
See they don’t really wanna pop me
Just know that you never flop me
And I know that I can be a little cocky, nooo
You aint never gonna stop me
Every time I come a n-gga gotta set it then I got it going
Then I get it, than I blow, than I shudder every little thing
That he be doing cause it doesnt matter cause I’m gonna dadadadada
Then I’m gonna murder every thing and anything a badaboom a badabing
I gotta do a lot of things, and make it clearer to a couple n-ggas
That I’m always winning and I gotta get it again and again and again
I be doing it to death and now I move a little foul
A n-gga better call a ref, everybody know my style
And everybody know I’m the the best
When I come to doing this and Im banging on my chest
And I bang in the east and I'm banging in the west
And I come to give you more and I never give you less
You will hear it in the street or you can read it in the press
Do you really wanna know whats next? lets go
See the way we on, we be all up in the race and you know
We gotta go, don’t try to keep up with the pace
We struggling and hustling and sending in and getting in
And always gotta take it to another place
Gotta taste it, then I gotta grab it,
And I gotta cut all through this traffic
Just to be at the top of the throne
Better know I gotta have it
(Hook)
Look at me now, look at me now
Oh, I’m getting paper
Look at me now
Oh, look at me now
Yeah, fresh than a muthaf-cker
[Lil Wayne]
Man f-ck these bitch ass n-ggas how yall doin?
I’m Lil Tunechi, I’m a nuisance, I go stupid, I go dumb like the 3 stooges
I dont eat sushi, I’m the shit, no I’m pollution, no substitution
Got a bitch that play in movies in my jacuzzi, p-ssy juicy
I never gave a f-ck about a hater got money on my radar
Dress like a skater, got a big house, came with a elevator
You n-ggas aint eatin, f-ck it, tell a waiter
Marley said shoot em, and I said ok,If you wanted bullshit then I’m like Olay,I dont care what you say, so don’t even speak
Your girlfriend a freak like Cirque Du Soleil
That’s word to my flag, and my flag red
I’m out of my head, bitch I’m outta my mind from the bottom I climb
You aint hotter at mine, nope, not on my time and I’m not even trying
Whats poppin Slime? nothin five, and if they trippin f-ck em five
I aint got no time to shuck and jive, these n-ggas as sweet as pumpkin pie
Ciroc and sprite on a private flight
Bitch I’m enticing, guiding light, and my pockets white and my diamonds white
And my mommas nice and my daddy’s gay
You faggots scared cause I’m too wild, been here for a while
I was like f-ck trial I puts it down
I’m so young money if you got eyes look at me now, bitch
(Hook)
Look at me now, look at me now
Oh, I’m getting paper
Look at me now
Oh, look at me now
Yeah, fresh than a muthaf-cker
Okay,
Okay,Is that right?
Im fresher than a mothaf-cker
Look at Me Now" is a dirty south-inspired hip hop song that features American rappers Chris Brown, Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes. According to Chad Grischow from IGN, the song features "a thumping bass, spacy synth and horn jam sounds." Electronic background mixes are also present in this song. Over a beat that evokes The Cali Swag District's 2010 single Teach Me How to Dougie, Brown sings that he's still riding high in a yellow Lamborghini, to boot before venturing off into a typically tasteless discussion of his manhood", according to staff members from Idolator. Jon Caramanica from The New York Times also wrote that on the song, Brown "double-time-raps about stealing girlfriends." Akshay Bhansali from MTV News wrote that "Look at Me Now" features "a fast-rapping flurry of awesome self-indulgence courtesy of Busta Rhymes, Lil Wayne and Chris, with an eerie downtempo beat cooked up by chefs Afrojack and Diplo." Afrojack told MTV News that the song was the product of a beat he passed to Diplo.
3). There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals
There is a relationship between both lyrics and visuals, it can usually be a tricker for the visuals and lyrics to be analysed. But what it is really doing is emphasising the quality and mood of the video. But it also increases the emphasis on the performance of the video.
For example if you take a look at this caption below, at this point of the video, when the bass kicks in the camera shakes, as if there is an earthquake going on. This done continuously throughout the whole video to emphasise the quality of the performance. Also when Busta Rhymes is rapping at a fast pace without taking any breaths, the camera again starts to shake as it did before at the beginning of the video.
4). The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work
This video includes many unique close up of Chris Brown throughout most of the video. But the significant close-ups are of him as he is dancing. He dances well in time with the beat this goes well together; and also emphasises the sound of the instruments which are being used aswell. I have taken a few screen shots from the video, and as you can see from them there are a mixture of close-up shots of Chris Brown as he is dancing in time of the beat from the song.
5). There is frequently reference to the notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body.
Throughout the video there aren't many examples of the notion of looking, but the example I found is the image that is below This use of a screen within a screen allows the audience to get up close and personal with the artist. By giving an extreme close up of his face, and therefore his mouth, the audience can clearly see what he is saying, which is important as he is rapping at quite a fast tempo, making sure that the audience can remain engaged while it is Busta Rhymes part of the video.
The image below shows voyeuristic use of the female body. You can see a male and female dancing, with the male grabbing the woman in quite a sexual position, almost representing a sex scene, however the dancers are both fully clothed, allowing for a younger audience to also watch the video. This is something clearly important to Chris Brown as most of his following is a younger audience, so it is important for him to be able to connect to people of various ages. This being achieved through 'secret' sex scenes.
6). There is often intertextual reference (to films, tv programmes, other music videos etc).
As we know Chris Browns all time inspiration was Michael Jackson, and Chris Brown even dedicated one of his videos for him; but in this video there are a few references, that have been influenced from other sources of media in this video.
For example the two screen shots below, one is from Chris Browns video and the other is from Michael Jackson performing on stage in 1995. As you can see both shots are similar from the poses and environment. The environment is similar because of the dark surroundings, the mist and the lighting isn't similar but is having the same effect. The lighting form the Chris Browns Video is backlight where as the lighting from Michael Jacksons stage performance is coming from a spotlight.
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