Jay-Z - 99 Problems
The setting for 99 Problems is Brooklyn, New York. This has connotations of a ghetto environment and displays some of these stereotypes within the video.
A shot of Brooklyn Bridge, making the setting clear.
There is a Black & White filter on the music video which highlights the contrast between the black and white people. This refers to wider social issues which are being addressed through the media text. This introduces a new depth of meaning to the lyrics, whilst being emphasised by the accompanied music video and accentuating the social problems of racism within the song. Certain iconography, like the recurring motifs within the video, portray the stereotypes being discussed in the lyrics such as gang signs, certain clothing and chains, cars and women in bikinis, being objectified for their bodies and sexuality.
A shot of the women being objectified in the video.
These are just some of the generic conventions used to promote the 'Gangster', 'Thug' life that is being represented in "99 Problems". A majority of shots that can be seen in the music video are close ups or mid-shots of Jay-Z himself. The effects of this shows Jay-Z as a important person in the video and that the lyrics are from his own perspective, almost like he is telling a story through his music. The shots of him are positioned so he can be seen through a low angle to connote his power and authority. It can also be interpreted that, because Brooklyn is in the background of some of the shots of him, he theoretically owns the borough of Brooklyn, New York.
An example of Jay-Z being seen in a close up/ low angle.
An interesting shot is one of the various shots of the dog. The vicious, barking dog in the cage has latent meaning of danger and a rough environment because of the stereotype attached to that breed of dog.
A shot of the vicious dog in the cage.
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier represents a dangerous neighbourhood, giving a visual representation of some of the things to be expected in Brooklyn. This ties in to the fast paced editing because the dog is shown multiple times for a split second at a time. Like the majority of the video, the fast cuts keep with the beat and don't distract from everything happening in the video. Over-the-top transitions would distract from the serious side of the video and create a cartoon-like feel to the media text. The fast cuts also connote the fast pace of life in Brooklyn, with everything going on and the '99 Problems' of Jay-Z's life.
The narrative of the media text has non-linear sequencing to display a variety of negative clips like the funeral and an armed robbery. These clips connote a sense of despair and a dystopian-esque world which is dangerous to live in. Due to the lyrics, the video displays a number of the '99 Problems' that Jay-Z is rapping about. The video is reflective of the lyrics in parts. Towards the middle the music video shows a scene of Jay-Z being stopped by the police in which the lyrics are "Son, do you know what I'm stopping you for? Because I'm young and I'm black and my hat's real low." This is lip-synced by Jay-Z and displays some representations of ethnicity. Suggesting that he was pulled over by the police simply because he is black, Jay-Z is saying just because he looks suspicious and fits the criteria, aesthetically, of the type of person who may cause trouble, doesn't justify why he is stereotyped. "Because I'm young and I'm black" suggests that his youth and ethnicity are both things that portray as dangerous to the police, and this is wrong.
A screenshot of Jay-Z being pulled over by the police.
These stereotypes also fit the criteria of a Rap artist and sublimely fit the genre of Rap as a whole. Chains, cars and women are featured in the video and that is the generic conventions of a Rap/ Hip-Hop video, seen in videos by Lil' Wayne, 2 Chainz and Kanye West. These things are expected in the video because of the genre and stereotypes that are associated with the genre, over decades, and the progression in Street culture. Tying into the audience, certain people are drawn in by this type of video and the icon that is Jay-Z. His initial fans / followers will be a large basis of the audience figures and people who can relate to the problems and socio-economic difficulties which are visible in the video and audible in the song itself. (Uses and Gratifications Theory). Rap and Hip-Hop genres are such a milestone in the music industry that there isn't a specific demographic for the style. Prince Harry has admitted to being a huge fan of Snoop Dogg and other rappers. "I grew up listening to him" says the Prince, showing that the genre of music doesn't have a definite audience that it speaks to, contrary to popular belief. With millions of hits on YouTube and Vevo, it is very easy to access this music video, both the original and the Director's Cut. Easy access creates a larger fan base and a huge following for the video, resulting in more popularity. Due to the controversial elements in the video like the women in bikini's (which was considered controversial in the early 2000's, compared to now with artist like Miley Cyrus constantly being nearly nude) the Two Step Flow would have followed and created a larger conscious audience for the video, whether it be negative or positive.
Produced under the record labels Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella (co-founded by Jay-Z himself) this would have been a breakthrough for the then-independent record labels. Purposely promoting controversy and almost a revolution of Rap and Hip-Hop music, the role of these record labels was to try and make Jay-Z as big as possible, considering he has been labelled as one of the most "successful people of all time" and one of the "world's bestselling artists of all time". This may explain why Jay-Z seems so care free in the video, it could be suggested that he has "99 Problems"; the media, negative stereotypes etc but he still doesn't care and will continue to do what he does. Almost as a retaliation to society and how he is perceived through derogatory opinions. Album sales are some of the highest figures in the world and Jay-Z's fan base is still growing, however in the time of this video he was already an established artist and was just promoting this message and fable-like music video. TV appearances, CD's and more publicity helped grow a fan base for this song and resulted in the millions of hits it has today.
By analysing this video, it gives me an extensive knowledge of the conventions of music videos, and genre specific music videos. Doing textual analysis' of all different genre videos gives me a wider range of ideas which I can incorporate into my own music video and doesn't limit the potential of my ideas. I can now distinguish the differences between genres and creates a music video with the right conventions.
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