Adele - Rolling in the Deep (XL Recordings)

Context: Rolling in the Deep (XL Recordings)

This is the first single from English R&B singer-songwriter Adele's second album 21. The song was written and produced by Adele. The song is made to let her emotions out because her boyfriend had cheated on her. This song was released in 2010.

Analysis

This music video is a narrative, as again this video tells a story however it is not as clear as other videos as it is mainly portrayed in metaphors. The song is a story of a break up. This could also been seen as some sort of performance video as Adele is the focus and only main performer in the video. The genre of this song is soul/rhythm and blues. The editing of this music video flows with the very strong beat throughout the song. As the beat changes in the chorus, it gets faster, the editing gets faster with it. this strong beat also controls most of the shots in the video. The mise-en-scene of this video is very dull and a constant contrast between black and white, with quite natural colours as well. Some of the hidden metaphors in the video relate to the lyrics, this song is about a break up, and with Adele sitting in the chair represents defiance throughout the video.  The constant breaking of the cups and plates represents the constant fighting in the relationship, how regular they are. In the video we see a dancer, dancing in powder throwing it in the air, this distorts the image and links to the lyrics by showing that the relationship itself is distorted.  In this video like many others there is a relationship between the lyrics and visuals. Adele is the main focus of the video, and we see many close ups of her.  The visuals are constantly amplifying, illustrating and contradicting the lyrics, however the links between the visuals and lyrics are not blatant and are shown through metaphors.

Logic - 1-800-273-8255 ft. Alessia Cara, Khalid (Def Jam)

Context: 1-800-273-8255 (Def Jam Recordings)

The name of the song is a number. This number is a national suicide prevention lifeline in the USA. The music video is made so that people who feel alone, who are straying to the edge of life that they can receive help and there is a way, they don’t have to commit suicide. The song includes Logic's label mate Alessia Cara. “1-800-273-8255,” is featured on “Everybody,” Logic’s third studio album, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 200 (a first for the rapper) in May and explores a number of serious themes, including racism, politics and Logic’s own biracial identity.

Lyrics Analysis

The song opens from the perspective of a young person calling the NSPL and saying: “I’ve been on the low, I been taking my time, I feel like I’m out of my mind, It feel like my life ain’t mine“. These lyrics expose what much of the youth today experience, and the fact that they have to even call the NSPL in the first place raises concern. The chorus echoes the lyrics “I don’t want to be alive, I just want to die, I just want to die today, let me tell you why“. Similar to the pre-chorus, these lyrics highlight a lot of pain and sadness which a lot of young people are feeling. However, this is a subversion of the classic stereotype that life as a teenager is easy, carefree, and fun all the time. “I’m hurting deep down but can’t show it” – this shows that although a lot of young people are hurting deeply, they feel ashamed to talk about it are to share it with anyone because they are afraid of being judged. “I’ve never had a place to call my own, I never had a home” – this could either be literal, or metaphorical and therefore suggest that the feeling of belonging and fitting in is crucial for youth to be happy within themselves. In verse 2, Alessia Cara compares the feeling of a pressure on one’s chest which is a common symptom of depression, with the “lightness in the air when you’re there chest to chest with your lover“. This illustrates the alleviation of pain that a lot of young people have expressed feeling when they are in the arms of someone they love. She then moves on to say that “when you stare at your reflection finally knowing who it is I know that you’ll thank God you did“, which points out a large struggle for many young people is who accepting who they are. In the outro of the song, Khalid sings from the perspective of the same caller, but this time says “I don’t wanna cry anymore, I wanna feel alive, I don’t even wanna die anymore“. These lyrics are an advertisement for the NSPL, suggesting that one call can make all the difference, and just talking to someone can help change your outlook on life.

Mise en Scene

As a rap music video, there is usually a greater emphasis on the artist themselves, however in this case, the main focus is on the narrative which shows a young boy struggling to be himself as a homosexual teen. The pressure and bullying, captured in the use of low-key lighting throughout the depressing lyrics, proved too much for the young person, making him have thoughts about killing himself. However, this lighting shifts towards the end as the lyrics change, giving a more positive image as this shows the future wedding of the homosexual man. The costume towards the end of this video completely contrasts with the costumes used at the start as the costume shifts from darker coloured clothes to an all-white scene with everyone dressed in white shirts and trousers, which connotes a sense of freedom and purity, symbolising to the audience that there is always someone that can help instead of committing suicide. This is shown through the costume choices and the effect of coming out of the darkness and becoming socially accepted, which is seen by the people around the male couple, which is evident towards the end of the video. The use of the props is very significant in this video as we see the young boy considering suicide as we are given a montage of him with a gun in his hand directing it at the mirror and towards his head, highlighting a very dark moment in his life/this video. The use of the gun in this way depicts the depth of uncontrollable hurt in a harrowing atmosphere, which causes the audience to feel empathy, connecting with them in an emotional manner, a popular way of addressing the audience. 

Cinematography

The cinematography in this video strays away from the usual rap/hip-hop videos as the camera is mainly focused on the character in the narrative rather than the actual artists themselves. This is shown through the use of close up and mid shots throughout this narrative. Montages are used significantly to show the ongoing struggles of the protagonist throughout the video. The main shots are close ups to show the distraught and upset in his facial expression, which makes the audience feel sympathy during the video. Slow motion camera effects are also used especially when the character is running, which could be implied that he is trying to run away from his life.

Editing

The editing in this video follows a slower pace, compared to fast pace editing that is visualised in other rap/hip-hop music videos. The editing has been cut down a very significant amount as this video is almost like a short film. The music is combined with the moments in each scene, which is also seen in other music videos as everything is in order.

Big Sean - Bounce Back (Def Jam)

Context: Bounce Back (Def Jam Recordings)

Bounce back is a song written and rapped by Big Sean. His song 'Bounce Back' was released on November 8th 2016. It features additional vocals from label mate Kanye West and American singer Jeremih. The song originally had the cover "Take No L's". The single received a nomination for Best Rap Performance at the 60th Grammy Awards. He mainly focuses his song for an inspiration to come back bigger and stronger after facing a loss or is it going to tear you down.

Analysis

Throughout the music video we see a few shots several times and as we see them they get brighter as we go further on in the video. Big Sean can be seen to be thanking God for everything and he also includes religious imagery such as the statue of Jesus Christ. Big Sean wants us to realise how we are programmed to fear using the darkness and light in the same images. In the picture below on the left, Big Sean and the directors use light and darkness to show meaning and how we fear the dark. The woman at the start can be seen as a statue then in the 2nd picture she opens her eyes and we know she is a real person, she is awakened. In the last picture she has butterflies near her head which shows she is enlightened and could suggest freedom. The use of the butterflies could suggest that they are free and that when they are in the first two stages they are trapped they have no freedom, they are sleeping then the butterfly is awakened then they have freedom. Sexual images are used to attract the male gaze. The shots switch to sexual images when Big Sean mentions 'ass'.

XL RECORDING RESEARCH

XL RECORDINGS RESEARCH

XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It is run and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. The label releases albums worldwide and operates across a range of genres. In early 2008, Russell transformed the rear garage of the label's Ladbroke Grove headquarters into a small, in-house recording and mixing studio called XL Studio. It served as a makeshift studio space for the label's various artists and his own projects 

Def Jam Recordings Research

Def Jam Recordings Research

Founded in 1984, Def Jam Recordings has represented the cutting-edge in hip-hop music for almost 30 years. Def Jam began as a maverick independent label inspired by downtown New York City’s vibrant street culture and the emerging sound of hip-hop, pioneered by iconic stars like LL Cool J, Slick Rick, The Beastie Boys and Public Enemy. Over the following two decades, Def Jam established its dominance with superstar acts like Jay-Z, DMX, Ja Rule, Method Man & Redman, Ludacris, Rihanna, Jeezy, and the inimitable Kanye West. Now in its fourth decade, Def Jam’s music and lifestyle has grown into a global brand and have emerging stars like West, Justin Bieber, Alessia Cara, Logic, Pusha T, Jadakiss, Vince Staples, Jeremih, Big Sean, YG, 2 Chainz, Dave East, and Jhene Aiko, among others. Today, owned by Chairman and CEO Paul Rosenberg, Def Jam has reaffirmed its passion for and commitment to hip-hop culture, and has expanded its global brand reach to become the most-followed major label on all major social media platforms.