I am analysing the 'in da club' music video by american rapper 50 cent. The single peaked at number one on the Billboard top 100 which was a success as it was the his first single. The video was directed by record producer Dr. Dre and Mike Elizondo. This song belongs to the hip hop music genre. Similarly to most music videos from the hip hop music genre this video displays extravagant gestures of wealth such as expensive cars and jewelry, the artist rapping to the camera, scantily clad women, men's superiority over women and a 'thug' like exterior with the main artist. There is a very strong relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, the lyrics are heavily based on the music video he raps about how 'you can find me in the club' and a majority of the music video is based in the club.
As with most music videos from the 'Rap' genre solo instruments are not illustrated in the music video however the artist is seen rapping whilst directly addressing the audience. The song is quite upbeat and fast paced with the video matching this with scenes briskly alternating between the artist working out in the gym, parting in the club and rapping in the studio
The artist is seen in various camera angles and camera shots including close up shots, as he is a new artist it is important for the record company to sell his image as well as the song he artist is given a 'thug like' and 'invincible' image in the video we see the artist being examined by scientists, when they open him up we see wires showing he is stronger and superior to the regular man he's like nothing no one has ever seen before
this is the first video from the artist but this video does relate to other videos the artists has produced since then, the videos follow a pattern in all his videos he's shown surrounded by women who are portrayed as inferior to him, misogyny is also a common theme in his video's, he is also seen wearing expensive clothing such as fur and expensive jewelry/driving an expensive car.
All the women employees in the lab scenes of this music video although not all scantily clad all have inferior jobs such as 'nurses', 'bar maids' and 'water girls' in all of these roles the women has to cater to the 'man's' (50 cent) need's in some way. You get the idea that the women in the club are put on sexual display as when they are dancing slow motion editing is used, slowing down the scene emphasizes their dance moves therefore emphasizing their bodies, this is a typical feature in Rap music videos. It could be argued that the artist is on sexual display as in some scenes he is shirtless and oiled up, the light him highlighting his muscular and toned body, as this was 50 cent's first music video, image was tremendously important because he needs to market and endorse himself and his music. There are references in this video, in the beginning of the video we can see 'Eminem's - Without Me' music video - playing on televisions in the background, another common feature of Rap music videos is for the main artist to endorse fellow artists from the same record company and this is what's happening in this music video. The music video is mainly narrative and performance based. Overall the 50 Cent - in da club video is more or less a typical 'rap' music video
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