Rap music is a popular genre of music dating back to the 1970's. Just like any other genre of music it has its own set of conventions that set it apart from any other genre and distinguish it. The conventions are:
Camera:
- Close up - Though close ups are used to show some lip syncing, it is mainly used in rap videos to show props and their importance to the video.
- Long and establishing shots - These types of shots are used to show the environment of the video and the mise en scene.
- Low angles - This show the artist/s looking down at the camera creating an image of superiority over the audience.
- Fish eye - Round fish eye shots are a common but old convention used in early 2000's rap videos. It makes the artist look bigger than his/her surroundings creating again an image of superiority.
Mise en Scene:
- Low key lighting - This type of lighting is used to give an image of darkness and roughness.
- Props - Props in rap videos mainly include branded clothes (mainly sports brands), large pieces of jewellery and alcohol/cigarettes/drugs. It gives an illusion of wealth and popularity.
- Locations - Clubs and parties are the normal location of a rap video.
- Dancing girls / attractive girls
Editing:
- Jump cuts - Jump cuts are a way of showing different scenes of action and locations within rap videos.
- Syncronised editing - The cuts in rap videos are done it time to the beat.
- Slo mo - The videos often show clips of slow motion parties.
Examples:
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