Analysis of the music video 'Sunset' by Kid Ink.

I picked this video because I really liked some of the shots used in it. The sunset is one of the main aspects of our media video and I felt that this one really captured it. Some of the shots are quite complex due to the overlapping but the shadow imagery looks really good.

Genre characteristics.

The genre characteristics consist of the fact that the rapper is shown frequently throughout the whole video. Mainly in this genre of music the main singer is the capture of the video and they usually act along with it. The urban setting is also a common characteristic, especially the 'American look' with palm trees and views over the city. The incentive of a nice car being used is also commonly seen with rap videos as it is a sign of success and money. The vary of lighting is a main characteristic and the 'shadowing' effect is also a key aspect of rap videos because of how it makes the single rapper stand out from the backdrop.


Imagery.

The song is called 'Sunset' and the artist is frequently rapping about 'waiting till the sun goes down' whilst there are shots of him watching the sunset. The setting of a beach is shown to add to the relax mood of the lyrics and is also seen as the perfect spot for watching the sunset. The image of the rapper shown driving in an expensive car through the sunset links too the lyric 'just picture me Hollywood living' and at the same time an image of a huge house is shown when he mentions 'living in a palace'. A common image of Hollywood is seeing a wealthy man surrounded by females and this is shown in the music video but at the same time Kid Ink is pictured by himself in solitary.

Message.

There are many close-ups of the artist throughout the video to highlight that he is actually rapping about himself and what he wants from life. The main message behind the video is success and making a name for himself. He doesn't want anyone to stop him from reaching his goals. He wants to live a calm life without anyone trying to mess that up for him. One of Kid Ink's signature accessories are his gold chains which he wears in most of his videos that is also a sign of richness. The artist also has many meaningful tattoos that show his journey through life which can be seen in this video.

Intertextual reference.

The main intertextual reference is the image of the 'American Dream' living a life of luxury. This lifestyle was promised to many people from the 1920's onwards in America and when people sought to follow it the reality was that it actually was not real and they had to work to get what they wanted to achieve. Another intertextual reference is making it in Hollywood which is what many stars have tried to do, unfortunately for most of the celebrities who did actually make it their life ended in disaster instead which the artist references too in 'take a shot, bite the bullet.'

The narrative.

The music video is mostly narrative-based as the lyrics follow the line of action throughout the whole thing. The artist is rapping about Hollywood, sunset, money, freedom and that is all shown through the settings and the type of people that are shown like what they are wearing e.t.c. When the artist talks about 'riding through the sunset' he is actually shown doing that, when he talks about nothing else matters he is shown on the beach which is a setting of calmness. He says 'we are inches from the gold mine' as he is shown clutching his gold chain. The narrative reflects the video and they are almost completely in-sync.