Music Video Analysis

Artist: Nicki Minaj

Director: Sannaa Hamri

Label: Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Motown

Producer: Kane Beatz, JMIKE

I will be using Andrew Goodwins, 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' Routledge 1992 and Laura Mulvey 'Visual pleasure and narrative cinema'- 1975, to analyse Nicki Minaj's music video of Super Bass.

This song is a typical R&B song and the genres traits run through to the video. This being women being seen as sexual object and men of a higher . Not only this by there are the typical R&B factors that are used, clothing being very tight and revelling for the females and men topless having a very musically body. Flashes of money, cars, planes are added to this video very typical to something you would see in another R&B video. 

 

This music video have no narrative but a conceptual idea with moments of performance. At the start of the video there are links with the visual to the lyrics, 'Got stacks on deck like he savin' up'. This illustrates the lyrics clearly through visual, which makes it clear for the audience to know what she is saying. Stock motion was used for this part, seeing the money pile up with each beat that takes place. Not only does this enhance the audiences awareness of the wealth of the person the song is about but also shows visual connection between the music and the visual. Making this part of the video interesting to look at. 

The colours used are bright and eye catching, strong female resemblance colours are used such as hot pinks and baby blues. This will appeal to the female audience. The mise-en-scene is plain with just interesting ice sculptures such as a ice motorbike and ice speakers. This makes the video look intriguing and something out of the ordinary, therefore making someone want to watch as they want to see what is coming next.

 

The clothing she is wearing is very sexual and portrays her as a sexual object. This links into Laura Mulvey's 'Visual pleasure and narrative cinema' - 1975. The male gaze is used in several shots, where we see the artist wearing very little clothing and extremely high heels. The shot starts from her feet and works upwards towards the rest of her body. You can see a group of males on looking or gazing at her. Using her as a sexual object. This whole music video is aimed at the audience of heterosexual males on looking this 'character'. 

This video uses women in a negative way, just for male pleasing, via the sexual clothing and dancing. There is a dance scene where the women are dancing on top of the men as they sit down on chairs. This resembles something that may be seen in a strip club, and undermines women.

A short slow motion clip of the artist pouring a pink liquid across her breasts is more than likely only used for the sake of male pleasing. But this has a negative effect on women and the artist fans. Young girls may look up to her and she is sending out a message that acting in this provocative way is perfectly acceptable. 

However a scene where the artist throws liquid over a male in some way repowers her, and undermines the male. Putting the artist back in control and power over the males. At 1:20 could be viewed in either way, male domination via the male gaze or looking at the levels used men on the floor and the female artist standing with hands on hips makes her look like the powerful one.

The record label Young Money, is a famous for having many R&B artists and very few of these are female, Nicki Minajbeing one of the few. This may be the reason they have demanded so many close up shots of the artist in this music video. This video is mostly focused on her and what she is doing, may it be dancing, short action scene or lyrical performance.