Alex Jarvis
Professor Nana K. Adjei-Brenyah
WRT 205
3/5/2015
Representational Research
In the past decade, women have forced their way into the hip-hop industry. Today there are many popular female artists that dominate the music business. However, there are many ways different these women present themselves to the public.
One form of women in hip-hop is the very underrated artist, Sade. Sade is a Nigerian vocalist who conveys the softer side of hip-hop in her work. Her R&B and jazz undertones in her music show her unique style. In her song, “By Your Side,” Sade sends a valuable message through her song and music video.
This distinctive song sung by Sade invites listeners in with its melodic and soothing tones. Right away the listener is presented with a soft drumbeat and a mellow keyboard tune. Throughout the entire song, there are authentic instrumentals, and no artificial editing through computers and higher technology. A full band, consisting of drums, guitar, bass, keyboard and other small percussion instruments, back up Sade’s vocals. This gives the song a more genuine feel and allows the audience to connect on an emotional level. Along with the instrumentals, Sade’s vocals sound effortless on the track. She has an airy, almost angelic vocal performance. Although she stays in a limited range, her voice is still full of passion and feeling when she presents her lyrics.
Not only does the sound from this track create a connection to the listener, the lyrics do as well. The meaning behind this song is deeper than most hip-hop music in pop culture today. Sade expresses through her song the support and love she offers to the person she is singing to. In her song, she croons, “When you’re on the outside baby and you can`t get in, I will show you you’re so much better than you know. When you’re lost and you’re alone and you can’t get back again, I will find you darling and I will bring you home,” (Sade). The song represents the support that we will give the ones we love, no matter what situation they are in. This song allows its listeners to connect on an emotional level, and make it easily relatable back to situations in their own lives.
“By Your Side,” by Sade not only sends a powerful message through its music and lyrics, but also through its music video. The song itself works well with the music video, and Sade and her artistic team used creative visuals to portray the meaning behind the lyrics. The video starts off in a forest and gradually makes its way to the big city. Throughout the video, the coloring is softer and smoother than realistic coloring. It gives the video a more beautiful reality. Even the forest is mapped out to be a magical looking place.
In the video, Sade is fairy-like, being gentile to all creatures she comes across. This gives her character an angelic aura. Throughout her song she describes how she will always be there for her loved on, like an angel looking over them. Also in the video, Sade takes a flower and a stick and brings them to the city with her. She is taking meaningless objects in the large forest and taking them to the city to give them purpose. Another example of how her video reflects her lyrics in an indirect way. Another key factor in this video is the fact that she is not over-sexualized like many women in the music industry today. This gives Sade more respect as an artist and gives the audience a chance to focus on the presentation and meaning of her lyrics, and not her appearance.
Overall, Sade’s distinctive sound is unique to the music industry today. Her use of a live band and pure vocals make her form of hip-hop music different from the standard idea the public holds on to. Sade uses simplicity in her look and sound to create a masterpiece of music. These ideas are represented in one of her most famous pieces, her song “By Your Side.”
Another form of women in hip-hop is targeted more towards pop culture. Nicki Minaj embodies this new sound in her own way. Nicki’s sound and presentation is very different from Sade’s. In her song, “Anaconda,” Minaj combines hip-hop and rap to create upbeat music to appeal to a more generic audience.
Minaj presents her lyrics in more of a rap form. She uses an aggressive tone to perform her song. The music is completely created on a computer, which is the direction most rap artists are taking when creating a soundtrack for their songs. The music is very fast paced, with repeating beats and sounds. This is a more culturalized way of accenting rap and hip-hop music.
The words chosen for this song are not as profound as Sade’s lyrics. Some of the lyrics are vulgar, however they do still convey meaning. The main focus of this song is on the body of a woman. In past decades, it was not suitable for women to flaunt their body, for if they did they would be seen as dirty and undesirable.
In today’s culture, it is more appropriate for women to accentuate their curvaceous figures. However, there is still an ongoing pressure to be thin for women in society. Minaj states, “He keep telling me it’s real, that he love my sex appeal. Because he don’t like ‘em boney, he want something he can grab,” (Minaj, Nicki). This line shows that men do find curvy women sexy, and that women do not need to be stick skinny to get a man’s attention. “Anaconda,” in a way, empowers women to be comfortable in their bodies, no matter what shape they are.
Along with her lyrics, Nicki Minaj’s music video for “Anaconda,” is very expressive and explicit. The video takes place in many different locations, with Minaj surrounded by various women. Although the lyrics seem to empower women, the video itself does not.
In the video Minaj and her dancers are very explicit. They are wearing minimal clothing and an abundance of gold jewelry, a style that some would view as “ghetto”. They are also preforming suggestive movements that illustrate a sexualized meaning for the video. This creates a negative connotation of women and the actions and moves they must perform to capture a man’s attention.
Also, in one scene in the video, Nicki Minaj and her dancers are working out in the gym. In this scene Minaj is describing a man she had pervious encounters with. She and the rest of the female dancers were exercising in scandalous clothing. This scene almost suggests that in order to keep this man she is describing, women have to stay in prime physical condition.
Another idea brought up in the video was the image of drugs and liquor. This is another symbol of captivating a man through partying and illegal substances. Minaj’s “Anaconda” music video targets a lot of physical aspects of women. This song illustrates some of the over sexualized expectations society has of women, and how women succumb to this pressure. Nicki Minaj uses her social capital to portray this to society in her hip-hop music.
Studying women in hip-hop culture is an interesting a unique topic. Women have not played a major role in this specific music industry for long, but they have still made their mark on society. There are many different styles to hip-hop. One could look at Sade’s R&B influenced hip-hop, or Nicki Minaj’s rap inspired hip-hop. Both styles create a musical piece that represents women’s breakthrough into the hip-hop industry.
When doing my research, I chose two pieces of representational research. These forms of information are the closest connections to the artists themselves. I would like to have been able to get an interview with a female artist in the industry. Getting a first hand perception of breaking through into the hip-hop world and trying to stay relevant would have been a very unique piece of information.
Overall the research I had conducted on these artists was helpful. I was able to understand their different styles and sounds of their music. This enabled me to accurately identify the differences in the works, and define the meaning behind the pieces. However, to become a more effective researcher, adding interviews with the artists and prerecorded responses would have provided a better foundation and more knowledge on the subject and the artist’s background.
When interpreting these songs and videos, it is difficult to address the feelings the music leaves you with and put them into words. This was the most challenging aspect when conducting my research.
Overall conducting research for this project was interesting and informative. It had lead me to new styles of music and new artists that I had not yet discovered. Also, interpreting the research forced me to think about music in a new and creative way.
Works Cited
“Sade – By Your Side.” YouTube. YouTube, 2000. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.
“Nicki Minaj – Anaconda.” YouTube. YouTube, 2014. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.
“Sade.” Sade US RSS. Sony Music, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
Professor Nana K. Adjei-Brenyah
WRT 205
3/5/2015
Representational Research
In the past decade, women have forced their way into the hip-hop industry. Today there are many popular female artists that dominate the music business. However, there are many ways different these women present themselves to the public.
One form of women in hip-hop is the very underrated artist, Sade. Sade is a Nigerian vocalist who conveys the softer side of hip-hop in her work. Her R&B and jazz undertones in her music show her unique style. In her song, “By Your Side,” Sade sends a valuable message through her song and music video.
This distinctive song sung by Sade invites listeners in with its melodic and soothing tones. Right away the listener is presented with a soft drumbeat and a mellow keyboard tune. Throughout the entire song, there are authentic instrumentals, and no artificial editing through computers and higher technology. A full band, consisting of drums, guitar, bass, keyboard and other small percussion instruments, back up Sade’s vocals. This gives the song a more genuine feel and allows the audience to connect on an emotional level. Along with the instrumentals, Sade’s vocals sound effortless on the track. She has an airy, almost angelic vocal performance. Although she stays in a limited range, her voice is still full of passion and feeling when she presents her lyrics.
Not only does the sound from this track create a connection to the listener, the lyrics do as well. The meaning behind this song is deeper than most hip-hop music in pop culture today. Sade expresses through her song the support and love she offers to the person she is singing to. In her song, she croons, “When you’re on the outside baby and you can`t get in, I will show you you’re so much better than you know. When you’re lost and you’re alone and you can’t get back again, I will find you darling and I will bring you home,” (Sade). The song represents the support that we will give the ones we love, no matter what situation they are in. This song allows its listeners to connect on an emotional level, and make it easily relatable back to situations in their own lives.
“By Your Side,” by Sade not only sends a powerful message through its music and lyrics, but also through its music video. The song itself works well with the music video, and Sade and her artistic team used creative visuals to portray the meaning behind the lyrics. The video starts off in a forest and gradually makes its way to the big city. Throughout the video, the coloring is softer and smoother than realistic coloring. It gives the video a more beautiful reality. Even the forest is mapped out to be a magical looking place.
In the video, Sade is fairy-like, being gentile to all creatures she comes across. This gives her character an angelic aura. Throughout her song she describes how she will always be there for her loved on, like an angel looking over them. Also in the video, Sade takes a flower and a stick and brings them to the city with her. She is taking meaningless objects in the large forest and taking them to the city to give them purpose. Another example of how her video reflects her lyrics in an indirect way. Another key factor in this video is the fact that she is not over-sexualized like many women in the music industry today. This gives Sade more respect as an artist and gives the audience a chance to focus on the presentation and meaning of her lyrics, and not her appearance.
Overall, Sade’s distinctive sound is unique to the music industry today. Her use of a live band and pure vocals make her form of hip-hop music different from the standard idea the public holds on to. Sade uses simplicity in her look and sound to create a masterpiece of music. These ideas are represented in one of her most famous pieces, her song “By Your Side.”
Another form of women in hip-hop is targeted more towards pop culture. Nicki Minaj embodies this new sound in her own way. Nicki’s sound and presentation is very different from Sade’s. In her song, “Anaconda,” Minaj combines hip-hop and rap to create upbeat music to appeal to a more generic audience.
Minaj presents her lyrics in more of a rap form. She uses an aggressive tone to perform her song. The music is completely created on a computer, which is the direction most rap artists are taking when creating a soundtrack for their songs. The music is very fast paced, with repeating beats and sounds. This is a more culturalized way of accenting rap and hip-hop music.
The words chosen for this song are not as profound as Sade’s lyrics. Some of the lyrics are vulgar, however they do still convey meaning. The main focus of this song is on the body of a woman. In past decades, it was not suitable for women to flaunt their body, for if they did they would be seen as dirty and undesirable.
In today’s culture, it is more appropriate for women to accentuate their curvaceous figures. However, there is still an ongoing pressure to be thin for women in society. Minaj states, “He keep telling me it’s real, that he love my sex appeal. Because he don’t like ‘em boney, he want something he can grab,” (Minaj, Nicki). This line shows that men do find curvy women sexy, and that women do not need to be stick skinny to get a man’s attention. “Anaconda,” in a way, empowers women to be comfortable in their bodies, no matter what shape they are.
Along with her lyrics, Nicki Minaj’s music video for “Anaconda,” is very expressive and explicit. The video takes place in many different locations, with Minaj surrounded by various women. Although the lyrics seem to empower women, the video itself does not.
In the video Minaj and her dancers are very explicit. They are wearing minimal clothing and an abundance of gold jewelry, a style that some would view as “ghetto”. They are also preforming suggestive movements that illustrate a sexualized meaning for the video. This creates a negative connotation of women and the actions and moves they must perform to capture a man’s attention.
Also, in one scene in the video, Nicki Minaj and her dancers are working out in the gym. In this scene Minaj is describing a man she had pervious encounters with. She and the rest of the female dancers were exercising in scandalous clothing. This scene almost suggests that in order to keep this man she is describing, women have to stay in prime physical condition.
Another idea brought up in the video was the image of drugs and liquor. This is another symbol of captivating a man through partying and illegal substances. Minaj’s “Anaconda” music video targets a lot of physical aspects of women. This song illustrates some of the over sexualized expectations society has of women, and how women succumb to this pressure. Nicki Minaj uses her social capital to portray this to society in her hip-hop music.
Studying women in hip-hop culture is an interesting a unique topic. Women have not played a major role in this specific music industry for long, but they have still made their mark on society. There are many different styles to hip-hop. One could look at Sade’s R&B influenced hip-hop, or Nicki Minaj’s rap inspired hip-hop. Both styles create a musical piece that represents women’s breakthrough into the hip-hop industry.
When doing my research, I chose two pieces of representational research. These forms of information are the closest connections to the artists themselves. I would like to have been able to get an interview with a female artist in the industry. Getting a first hand perception of breaking through into the hip-hop world and trying to stay relevant would have been a very unique piece of information.
Overall the research I had conducted on these artists was helpful. I was able to understand their different styles and sounds of their music. This enabled me to accurately identify the differences in the works, and define the meaning behind the pieces. However, to become a more effective researcher, adding interviews with the artists and prerecorded responses would have provided a better foundation and more knowledge on the subject and the artist’s background.
When interpreting these songs and videos, it is difficult to address the feelings the music leaves you with and put them into words. This was the most challenging aspect when conducting my research.
Overall conducting research for this project was interesting and informative. It had lead me to new styles of music and new artists that I had not yet discovered. Also, interpreting the research forced me to think about music in a new and creative way.
Works Cited
“Sade – By Your Side.” YouTube. YouTube, 2000. Web. 04 Mar. 2015.
“Nicki Minaj – Anaconda.” YouTube. YouTube, 2014. Web. 01 Mar. 2015.
“Sade.” Sade US RSS. Sony Music, n.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
