Music Videos breakdowns (revision)

Kendrick Lamar, SZA- All the Stars
  • Deals with issues of ethnicity
  • Performance and narrative video
  • Narrative is that Kendrick is voyaging through Africa 
  • Performance part is SZA performing traditional African dancing
  • Set with African surroundings (Afro-futurism)
  • Religious imagery when Kendrick sails on the boat over people's arms. Reference to Moses
  • Stars in the shape of the African Continent
  • Traditional tribal dances, however the African men are wearing Converse trainers
  • Close up of young African children
  • Slow moving close ups of people
  • Kendrick walking through a grey forest with dead trees, (symbolises death)
  • When walking through the forest Kendrick wears a green bandanna (green symbolises life)
  • Whilst ethnicity representations are positive it could be said that gender representation isn't
  • Many mid-shots of SZA showing off her star persona
  • Wears sexualised clothing that shows a lot of skin
  • Many still and rotating shots of black women (shows power).
  • Wearing feathers like a bird of paradise
  • Slight rotation of women in gold (represents wealth and power)
  • Kendrick looks up at 4 powerful looking women covered in darkness 


Childish Gambino- This is America

  • Performance video
  • Starts with a zoom shot
  • Gambino wears trousers that link to old confederate uniforms(mise-en-scene)
  • Exaggerated dance movements and facial expressions
  • Reverse tracking shot throughout with him coming towards us but the camera going back
  • Includes many popular dances from viral videos
  • Issues with American gun violence
  • Choir scene draws parallels to the Charlston Church shooting in 2011
  • While the bodies are left there the guns are carefully wrapped in a red cloth
  • This could symbolise how America cares about guns more than people's lives
  • Black children dancing distracts us from all the chaos in the background
  • Rider of Death can be seen in the background
  • Music changes at gunshots to add more impact.
  • Pulls out marijuana which relates to America's legalise weed campaign
  • Kids with phones recording all the violence
  • Ends with him running away from society as if he is trying to escape.

Young, Dumb and Broke- Khalid


  • Contains a strong representation of young people. 
  • Performance and narrative video
  • Narrative is that young people are leaving school.
  • Title goes along with the stereotypes of teenagers being young, dumb and broke. 
  • Kids in the video all seem happy and content with life and don't seem to have a care in the world. 
  • The video breaks a number of different stereotypes commonly associated with school. 
  • Teenagers do not seem to cause much trouble; takes pleasure in having harmless fun.
  • It goes against Hall's theory of representations and how stereotypes are created.
  • Khalid is aware of these stereotypes and subtly tries to subvert them.
  • The stereotypes are based on social equality, in this case adults having conflict with the youth. 
  • A cafeteria server joins the teenagers dancing. 
  • Has the power to prove Gerbner's Cultivation theory in that it has the ability to change audience opinions on young people. 
  • Large number of black kids represented in positive ways.
  • Being shown doing a number of creative things.
  • Close-ups on a few of the teenagers who have been rated things by classmates e.g most creative

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