Music Video Influences

Lyrical Analysis
"I'm back with voodoo and I'm breaking UK barriers, differently,
viciously. So hit the deck, best protect your neck, cos your life
could go in seconds. They reaching for the weapon, all in the
name of: money, power & respect"
This is a extract from verse 2 of Fab Soare's track Underdog Music.
Immediate from the get go the artist is promoting and selling himself.
Billed as this type of rapper we can recognise his distinct flow and
rhythm to the jazz infused 90's resonating beats. The word
aggressive is appealing to myself as it fits in with the type of video
that we want to make about a aggressive young adolescent who
faces depravity but faces it head on through boxing. The second line
states 'so hit the deck best protect your neck.' This is a direct
reference to Mobb Deeps lyrics from survival of the fittest. This line
can relate to the instinct of survival as you could be targeted or
threatened at any time. Line 3 infers that things such as guns and
knives are commonplace in the cycle of depravity and people would
do anything to gain fame, money and respect.
Our Video Concept
We are using the track entitled Underdog Music by the unsigned
artist Fab Soares. Having analysed the lyrics of the video I found a
distinct link between the subject matter of lyrics to that of artists such
as Nas and Mobb Deep. In his track he reiterates themes regarding
social problems such as drugs and gangs and the hardships of living
in London where money is regarded as a metaphor for power and
success. This is something that appeals to us as we want to integrate
these themes into our video.We are using the concept of the
'Underdog' and the stereotypes behind this ideal. Using the narrative
format Fab Soares track will accompany lyrics that relate to a
protagonist who comes from a deprived area. He has
become embroiled into the world of petty crime including selling
drugs to support his single mother. He wants to break out from this
lifestyle and hopes he can achieve it through his passion of Boxing.
Boxing is a sport which conforms most to young inner city kids who
are involved in the life of crime and often its seen as a saviour for
those who have fallen on hard time. We can use the representations
of and the symbolisms behind the film which relate to a underdog
attitude and resilience against the established favourite.In essence

our video is going to relate to

themes such as hope, handwork
and desire in contrast to the
repressive negativity of crime
and poverty. Essentially our
video is going to challenge the
conventions of hip hop music
video. Instead of a variety of
themes that represent the usual
connotations of power, money,
women and respect our split
narrative will question whether that path to riches is really the right
one.

Video Influences

We are very much influenced

by the recent surge in East
Coast rap music with the
emergence of rappers such as
Joey Badass and Dillion
Coopers videos inspiring us. So
regarding the cinematography
and the use of colour and
ambient urban shots of the
area that they represent this is
what is going to inspire some of the shots that will be seen in the
video. For example for the opening shots to our music video I've
looked at Dillion Coopers video State of Elevation and his other video
Kung Foo and at the beginning the visuals show a montage of shots
of a urban environment that cut quickly synchronising with the pace
of the beat. The visuals are shot in black and white
which emphasises and portrays the area as rough and
gritty which is something which we want to fit into our video and this
can link to the narrative of the video and the domestic situation of the
protagonist.
Joey Badass's video Waves is also a video that we see inspiration
from. At the beginning of the video it shows Badass getting up out of
bed to start his today. This is effective for us as it can show that
everything seems routine and normal for our protagonist until he
picks up the things that he needs to sell his drugs showing that his
life is different to others. Next to it is a shot of boxing gloves showing
the contrast of ideals and responsibilities that our protagonist has.
Additionally there is a shot of him kissing his mother. We could
perhaps twist this image to show money being given to his mother
from his illegal gains.
Influence has also been drawn from other musical genre's for
instance pop artist Lorde's Royals video. The simplistic nature of
some of the shots create a sense of realism and that is something
that we want to reflect in our product. For example the shots denoting
one of the actors in the video plotted against a blank grey
background.

Other important music video influences include the definitive and very
prominent tale of the theme of revenge which is told in the video by
Murs - Walk like a man. He use's simplistic narrative that
compliments his lyrics well to navigate the viewer through a street
narrative that involves the protagonist of the story avenging the death
of his gangster friend. Such symbolism's is something which we can
use and import into our video regarding the themes of gun crime and
we can use the gun as metaphor for success or failure. In Murs video
he also toys with a split narrative regarding the protagonist
implicating himself into a world of crime and prison or whether he can
challenge that anger through music.
Also regarding visual
representation, I've discussed with
my partner that we could include a
variety of shots that represent the
protagonists alternate lifestyles.
This could be seen through a single
shot of the protagonist in a black
background wearing boxing attire I
want to use Tempa T's next hype video for example, a performance
video where there rapper is seen topless in just a black background
that's the type of finish that I want to achieve. This could split to mis
en scene of expensive clothing and drug taking. These are just some
idea's that we could use and that have been drawn from videos such
as Rick Ross's Thug Cry and so fourth.