TOYIN GIWA

INTERTEXTUALITY
Intersexuality in music videos is the influence that media texts have
on each other. This can sometimes result in direct cross-references
such as music mash ups, or indirect cross references for example
the way gossip news items regulate the way we view a star's
performance.
From some information that i have gone through i came across a
sociologist name Julia Kristeva, whose work also addressed
intertextultiy. Her definition of intertextultiy is The shaping of texts
meaning by other texts which and text is the absorption and
transformation of another. The use of intertextual references can e
justified by Kristevas theory that any text is the absorption and
transformation of another. From this i soon realised that this makes
certain texts such as films and fashion become iconic, to which the
audience can easily remember and recognise the style costumes.
Intertextuality references in
music video can come from a
range of sources, though the
three most frequent are perhaps
films, fashion and art
photography. An example of Pop
intertextuality could be
Madonna. Madonna has brought
out various albums in the past,
this is one in particular is most
recent as part of her comeback.
Her image has been changed to
the more dance route of pop
reimaging herself to her target
audience. The use of pink and
purple on all the products gives
a feminine impression; the
album covers background also gives the impression as though shes
in the middle of dance floor, creating a connotation of how the
music is upbeat. Again, the idea of a dance album is reinforced in
her name where portraying the O is through a dance light. The
colour schemes are the same throughout these products also.

TOYIN GIWA

Another example that is I have chosen is a

Rap Intertextuality of Kanye West. Kanye
West is a very popular rapper from America;
his album covers are unique as they use
graphics in an artistic way giving the
impression of humour within his lyrics and
work. I managed to look into this and in one
of Kanye Wests interviews he mentioned
that he purposely does this to create a
bigger contrast between each song making
them more individual. The cartoons can be
seen as childish yet there is obvious talent
in creating his CD covers. One of his album
covers is of a bear wearing glasses which
Kanye West used to be known for wearing in
his videos and on tour, it is a clear feature
and characteristic which helps the audience
to recognise him and his products. It also
reflects his personality and shows how he
is unique much like how Lady Gaga is
representing herself differently to catch
attention due to the wide range of already
existing artists.

TOYIN GIWA

I was also able to find one more example of intertextuality in one of

Shakiras music videos She-Wolf. Shakiras music video came out in
2009, where she performed a lean dance move. This can be seen as
a use of intertextuality in the music industry, as this dance move is
very similar to the anti-gravity lean which was performed by
Michael Jackson in his 1987 single 'Smooth Criminal'. From some
behind the scenes videos on YouTube, I realised that the antigravity in Smooth Criminal was achieved through the use of a
hitching mechanism in the floor of the music video's set that would
latch on to Michael Jackson's shoes attaching him to the floor and
therefore allowing him to perform this famous dance move. Shakira
herself had stated in an interview on an American television
programme 'Good Morning America', that the purpose of her
preforming this dance move that was made famous by Michael
Jackson in 1987 was so that she

could pay tribute to him, in her

music video.

TOYIN GIWA