My target audience

Genre: Hip Hop/Rap

My genre seems very specific and “niche”. Millions of people worldwide listen to rap music and many learn to appreciate it regardless of their taste in music. For example, Eminem, Jay-Z and Kanye West are all popular, modern examples of artists who manage to direct their music at more than just the conventional audience and as a result they are extremely popular. There are those people who chose rap as their primary genre of preferred music, It is mainly these people I am aiming at so I must look at the way they present themselves in society and this will allow me to design my ancillary products correctly by researching examples of real world products and also make my video look a part of the project as well.

Examples of Rap/Hip-Hop Artists

Example Jay-ZKanye West Eminem

Lil Wayne Rizzle KicksTinie TempahFlo Rida

Why is rap so popular?Upon studying all the artists on the previous page, we can see that (despite a few changes of clothing from artist to artist) they all appeal to an audience far wider than that of what would we would call their conventional audience. This is because rap/hip-hop varies from song to song and can often includes singers from another genre or multiple artists from the same genre, therefore at least doubling its target audience. Compare this to another genre, rock for example, and we see there are virtually no examples in todays music industry where pop music artists meets rock artists. In some cases artists can both sing and rap meaning some songs without other artists come under multiple genres. (‘Example’ does this.)

Mise en SceneThroughout rap videos I have researched, there is a quite diverse range of visual elements. In the pictures of the artists for example, we see that they have what we would assume they would normally wear, tracksuits, trainers and baseball caps. However, they are also pictured in smarter wear like suits and more 21st century casual, everyday clothing. This proves that the genre is often diverse and we also find that each artist adopts a unique style which they then use throughout their songs and we can therefore associate them with certain things. Eminem, probably the most controversial rap artist tends to be the most conventional in terms of clothing but he is controversial because in a lot of his songs he expresses his life and other peoples lives mostly mocking them, so in many of his videos, we see that situations aren't taken seriously and in some it looks like a very personal, meaningful storyline. Additionally, he will get more people liking his songs because he couples up with worldwide superstars like Rihanna who often ends up topping music charts. Oppositely to this, we have other rap artists who will wear far more average clothes so in itself this will appeal to more people without the need for other artists to appear. Also depending on the artist we see that what happens in the video and what is involved also varies. Large budget artist videos involve, exotic, rare cars, lots of women and multiple locations and branding opportunities arise. Very appealing to the eye if you can afford to fund it. These are often the videos/songs that make the most money because people see the artist and products they are associated with and instantly want both because they're popular.

Common brands in rap/hip-hop video

Which type of rap artist should I pick?

Considering previous slides, logic dictates I go for the type of rap artist who is more averagely dressed and has maybe only one or two collaborations with other artist rather than blockbuster amounts of money going into a single video. However I like the idea more of someone like Eminem rather than Example to shoot music video with because I don’t necessarily have to copy its conventions, I could do what Eminem himself does and mock situations and takes things seriously one minute, and be controversial the next. This is because it seems more appealing to my audience and I could also easily involve such things as product branding. Over the few weeks I have had to think of ideas I have decided that this would be the best option. Despite virtually no budget I believe I can replicate an artists video like Eminem or Jay-Z.

I will now conduct research into the right song choice.