MEST 4 YR 13: January 2012

X MAS TASK 1

Mz Bratts - Get Dark

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMKYXIvRYRQ

Within this shot , Mz Bratz is wearing short clothing in order to appeal to the male gaze , the audience of the video may be both male and female therefore having males enjoying what she is wearing may make them continue on watching the video. Females may inspire to be like this and watch her as well. This shows Ms Bratz wearing small clothing and spot lights around her which illustrate that the clothing she is wearing has made her the centre of attention. Also there is a long shot within the video which can result into giving a better view of what she is wearing to the audience , which also shows her to look like a video vixen . Also as this isnt a hollywood production , it could be another reason why the female isnt glamourised alot and shown in a darker and edger way.

This image of Mz Bratz shows her in a more dominating way rather than a video vixen , she is covered up and isn't wearing anything that reveals her flesh. She also looks mysterious in her sun glasses and doesn't want people to see how she really is like. There is a prop at the back , fire works, which makes her look like shes dangerous and violent which is an alternative representation of females as males are usually portrayed in this way.

This shot shows Mz Brats back to back with her producer , she is again covered up and isnt wearing any revealing clothing. This shot protrays how there is equallity within males and females within her music video and how females arent shown as the sex objects. Being back to back also protrays another sense of dominace and can appeal to the audience in a sense of both genders are being appealed to . The lighting of the shot also expresses how the female is shown more stronger and darker , for example Mz Bratz is shown to be wearing black and the side of her shot is quiet black , however the male in the shot is shown to be wearing a brighter colour and his side of the shot is lighter , which results to show that ms bratz is shown to be more on the dark side . The male is gaining more light which expresses that males still have dominace and females should fade in at the back ground.

This shot shows the clothing of Mz Brats , even though she has worn clothing in many shots that doesnt depict her of being a video vixen and a sex object , she is looking like one here due to the shorts she is wearing which show her legs and sexualise her more.

This is a mid shot of her outfit to show what she is exactly wearing. Also the shot appeals to the male gaze as the men get a better look at what she is wearing.

This shot represents females in an alternative way as the lighting is darker and her make up is darker. Also her hair doesnt look quiet feminie . She looks rougher which shows an alternative representation of her within the music industrie.

Mz Bratz is covering her face with a hood , this shot expresses how she can still capitivate the attention of the audience by not showing her face. This explains how she isnt a video vixen and shown in the typical view of a sexualised female.

Mz Bratz has no lighting on her face , this expresses again how she isnt being sexualised within the music video as there would be no dark lighting as the main aim of the video

This music video portrays females in an edger fashion , inside of only being a video vixen the singer Ms brat shows how she can be a typical female and sex object however switch up here appearance and be hard as well. Firstly her clothing shows her in many ways. She is shown wearing revealing clothes eg shorts and dresses in order to show her sexier side yet has other sides of her which shows female dominance and independence. She shows she is a strong female and can still look sexy by wearing clothes.

X MAS TASK 2

Moving images

queen latifah - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8cHxydDb7o&ob=av2e

publish in 1993

2. Nicki Minaj Super base - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JipHEz53sU&ob=av2e publish in May 2011
3. Nicki Minaj Your love - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSFyrrhKj1Q&ob=av2e January 2011
4. Lil Kim how many licks - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhCD9qxlczo&ob=av2n 1997
5.Foxy Brown Hot spot- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4wB7yne0gA&ob=av2e 1999

Books

6. MACDONALD, MYRA Representing Women

7. CREED, BARBARA Monstrous-Feminine: Film, Feminism and Psychoanalysis, The

11 .www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/nov/28/nicki-minaj-interview-hermione-hoby?INTCMP=SRCH

12. cant stop , wont stop by Jeff Chang they have a right to speak in the way its coming up. Hip hop is the voice of the generation. Even if you didnt grow up in the bronx in the 1970 its still there for you.

13. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/nov/01/popandrock.urban?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

8. TASKER, YVONNE Working Girls : Gender and Sexuality in Popular Cinema

9. MALIK, SARITA Representing Black Britain: Black And Asian Images On Television

10. GAUNTLETT, DAVID Media, Gender and Identity

Websites

X MAS TASK 3

The pre historic text i will be looking at will be Charlie Balimore and Foxy Brown , these females are from the hip hop industry and show the typical representation of females within society.

Foxy Brown 1999

This video was released in 1999 and shows females being protrayed as slaves and sex objects.. The females are dancing for a group of males and are wearing revealing outfits which symbolise them as sex symbols.

Lil Kim

Lil Kim is dancing with a group of females in a sexual mannor , she is also wearing revealing cltohes which appeal to the male gaze.

Queen Latifah

Within this hip hop music video , there is an alternative view on female hip hop artist within the industrie , the fmale , queen latifah isnt being sexulised and is wearing full clothing. She is dressed quite masucline and isnt really seen as a sex object within this music video. She is also showing equality for females within the industry and showing that you dont have to dress less to be noticed, you can still gain respect and acknowlegment from being yourself and not being sexulised.

X MAS TASK 4

http://www.nordicom.gu.se/common/publ_pdf/42_263-276.pdf

http://pa.oxfordjournals.org/content/61/2/237.abstract
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/oct/05/women-gender
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/02/female-music-industry-insiders-talk-being-in-the-boys-club.html
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/hs/mckinley/2007/03/mtv_portrays_female_as_sex_obj.html
http://blog.muzu.tv/2010/01/20/female-domination-of-the-brit-awards/

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2010/apr/12/nicki-minaj-female-rapper?INTCMP=SRCH

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/nov/28/nicki-minaj-interview-hermione-hoby?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/feb/18/female-mcs-ms-dynamite-lady-chann?INTCMP=SRCH

Nicki Minaj and the rise of the titillating female rapper
"The female body is rarely a site of empowerment except when it is being objectified to define female strength through heterosexist sexiness, which, displayed for male satisfaction, creates little real power for women. Because female rappers' value lies in their ability to perform masculinity as well as be sexually objectified, when a femcee is not performing the role of the sexually available coquette nor the female thug, her power and agency are nonexistent.""

"The opening shot of Minaj's face quickly cuts to her bouncing chest, while the camera pans slowly over Trina's exposed thighs as she struts around the set, proclaiming their five-star status. "

"However, her image and positioning mark her out as different to her male counterparts. On the Rhymesayer's artist page, Psalm One is surrounded by male artists in thoughtful, pensive, or playful poses. She is pictured in a shoulder-baring tube top, with one hand clasped across her throat – an image that positions her as feminine, vulnerable, and coquettish. "

A funky new era: why women MCs are ruling UK clubs again?
"British female rappers have always been a breed apart. While their male counterparts have tended to wear their debt to US hip-hop greats with pride, the likes of Ms Dynamite and Stush have shied away from the sexually explicit shock tactics employed by Americans such as Lil' Kim and Trina. "

"Stush, the chipmunk-voiced chatterbox who first came to prominence in 2002 with the grime classic Dollar Sign, laughs at the thought of copying the Americans. "Over here, if you came out with that talk, you'd just get people going, 'Oh, that girl's a slag, man!' All the guys would switch on you, you'd get no respect.""

"Chann, for example, made her name last year with the funky house/dancehall hybrid Your Eye Too Fast. Over garage producer Sticky's Fugitive Riddim, a bucking bronco of a beat, she delivers a rambunctious verbal whipping so ferocious that you fear for the poor, cowering man's life. "Me ah the Chris Brown! You ah the Rihanna!" she hollers. Chann is just as boisterous in person, her 19-to-the-dozen chatter punctuated only by the occasional uproarious laugh. "Hahahaaaa! Obviously, it wasn't funny as such, but I have to use metaphors!" she guffaws. "I just thought, I'm switching it! And yeah, if I was in that situation and Chris Brown tried to do that to me" – she smacks her fist into her palm – "Nah. I'd go Chris Brown on him."

'We can beatbox just as well as the boys'http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2007/nov/01/popandrock.urban?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

"Being a woman in hip-hop isn't about wearing a little pair of shorts and shaking your arse for guys," she says. "It's about empowering yourself by performing something you believe in."

The first track on the album is called "I'm the Best" and, as opening salvos go, it's a pretty irrefutable claim. On it, she raps: "I'm fighting for the girls that never thought they could win" and: "I am here to reverse the curse that they lived in." Minaj is fully aware that "a lot is riding on this album".

But recently," as she says, "I've switched it up and just tried to show people a whole different bunch of sides to me. I would be lying if I said I don't like to look sexy. But then there are some days when I don't want to look or feel sexy. So it just plays into how women are so multifaceted. Men don't understand that because they wake up and they're the same person unless you're a KenBarb [a Nikki-ism for a gay guy] and you can understand the girls.

X MAS TASK 5

The representation of female hip hop artist have changed over a period of time , how have artist like Nicki Minaj shown an alternative representation in this specfic music industrie?

Introduction

· Introduce the question and explain what you will be doing within the essay

“The representation of female hip hop artist have changed over a period of time , how have artist like Nicki Minaj shown an alternative representation in this specific music industries?”

· Firstly my crucial investigation will be focusing on the different ways females are represented within the hip hop music industry. I will introduce how male artist portray the females then go on to how females portray themselves within the industries

· Show different videos which portray females in the typical and alternative way and then contrast the two

Examples

50 cent pimp

Sisqo thong

Heavy D – big buts

Queen Latifah- had enough

queen latfiah - U.N.I.T.Y
Lil kim how many licks
Nicki Minaj - baddest bitch
nicki minaj - super base
nicki minaj your love
Missy elliot

Link these songs to each other by lyrics and scenes .
"“Who you calling bitch?”, this questions the way females are treated in society and shows a complete alternative representation of females within the music industry. However , in 2010 , Nicki Minaj released a song called “Romans Revenge”, where she states “ I’m a bad bitch” , this shows an alternative representation of females within the hip hop industry and shows how Nicki Minaj has changed it since the early 90s."

Theories

· mulvey - Phallocentrism and patriarchy , male gaze

· Mulvey – fetish and voyeurism , sexual objectification

· By females wearing revealing clothing , they can appeal to the males and arose them , which will result into helping them feel more dominated within society , according to Mulvey.

· Mulvey argues “this is unconscious, idea is that a male power and dominance over a female is his penis, and his dominance is threatened by a woman if she does not arouse this”.

· The theory of chum sky and Herman can link back to this scene, even doe Nicki Minaj is showing that she has dominance and power; she is still outnumbered by the males within the music video to show a balance within the music industries.

· Packard Vance expresses the theory of “The Hidden Persuaders”(1957) , “ expose the way ordinary people were being manipulated into buying consumer goods without being conscious of the persuasive techniques in questions.
- Using juxtapose within the essay in order to show lyrical representations as well

Conclusion to state how the representations of females has changed over the years due to various amount of artist that are being introduced to the industry. From the pre historical times like Queen latifah , there was alot of female empowerment especially for black females , (where the majority of them are black). Queen latifah gained the power and rapped about it . This may of been the reason why she wanted to represent black female power and the reason why she did it. However over the years , the representation of females are degarded as they are refering to themselves and others as " bitch , hoe " , this shows that the power has turned into a mockery and also not taken and appreciated as before.

X MAS TASK 6 ( INTRODUCTION AND FIRST 2 PARAGRAPHS

Critical investigation

“The representation of female hip hop artist have changed over a period of time , have artist like Nicki Minaj shown an alternative representation in this specific music industry?”

The hip hop industry has been around since the 1970’s portraying different messages to society. Hip Hop was mainly dominated by male artist like Grandmaster Flash and the furious 5, however , artist like Queen latifah entered the hip hop industry and changed the perception of females. She opened the door for many females to do this which then lead to alternating the representation of females within hip hop continuously.

By 1989 , Queen Latifah one of the first hip hop rappers to come out into the industries , however was represented quiet masculine and her lyrics didn’t illustrate any sexual content. She wanted to empower females within the industry, for example her song which was called “U.N.I.T.Y” , was about disrespecting females , domestic violence , and remarks against females in the hip hop industry. One of the lyrics state “Who you calling bitch?”, this questions the way females are treated in society and shows a complete alternative representation of females within the music industry. However , in 2010 , Nicki Minaj released a song called “Romans Revenge”, where she states “ I’m a bad bitch” , this shows an alternative representation of females within the hip hop industry and shows how Nicki Minaj has changed it since the early 90s. Nicki Minaj also used explicit content within her songs and called other females hoes , “F**k i look like hoe ?”. This lyric shows that Within the music video of “U.N.I.T.Y” , Queen latifah is represented in an empowering way as she isn’t dressed in a sexualised method. “You aint a bitch or a hoe”, this lyric is showing females not to expect stereo typed labels and reject them . However artist like Nicki Minaj has embraced these labels as she frequently uses them in her songs, for example “ Baddest Bitch”.The opening scene shows her fist in the air catching her keys , however expresses how she is trying to reach the key to power. She is seen wearing bandanas like males around her head , leather jackets and riding motor bikes with little make up on. There is also a scene where a male touches Queen Latifah bum and in the lyrics she states “i punched him dead in his eye” , which expresses how Queen Latifah wasn’t trying to appeal to the males audience and was catering towards the females . Also it shows her not being as sexualised as the other hip hop artist like Lil Kim. As this lyric is said , within the music video , she is seen having sex with the male in jail. Lil Kim is trying to give a sense of Verbal gratification to her listeners as well as pleasure to the male gaze according to Mulvey. The alternative view may have changed of females in order to create controversy and increase views which will create more profit for the artist as the music industry has become quiet competitive.

Lim Kim has shown alternative representations as she is extremely explicit vocally and physically. Her music videos and lyrics show alternative representations of females in a extreme way , in her music video “ How many licks” she is appealing for the voyeuristic view and appealing for the male view mainly. Within the opening scene , Lil Kim is looking up to the camera , and as directors produce videos in order to appeal to males , she is looking up to males within the music video. This expresses how there is no respect and female equally compared to rappers like Queen Latifah. Lil Kim is also shown to be catering for males, “this ones for my n***** in jail”, this shows that she is trying to appeal to the males voyeuristic views. “Magazines, like how i look in the magazines , get your Vaseline” , this lyric examples how she is trying to objectified herself in order to make herself appealable to the males in society.This is an alternative view contrasted against Queen Latifah , who is talking about putting males in jail who do domestic violence “you put your hands again on me ill put your ass in handcuffs”. Queen Latifah is expressing how females shouldn’t take rubbish from males however Lil Kim is expressing how she wants to give them sexual gratifications whilst males are in jail. This again shows an altervative representation of females within the hip hop industry.

MEST 4 YR 13

Monday 16 January 2012

X Mas task 4

Thursday 12 January 2012

X Mas task 2 bibliography

Tuesday 3 January 2012

X MAS Task 5 essay plan

X Mas Task 3

Monday 2 January 2012

X-MAS TASK 1