Demonstrating Genre Characteristics
The video demonstrates genre characterists. These are the setting of the video, which is in a rough looking neighbourhood which would be considered a ghetto. This setting is typical of many hip hop videos. There is also iconography of baggy clothes, heavy necklaces and cars which is associated with hip hop videos. They're used to signify wealth.
Relationship between lyrics and visuals
There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals as throughout the song Jay Z raps about the problems he experiences e.g being pulled over by the police. We can see him in the video being pulled over. Also, he talks about problems in his community and it is filmed in a community area.
Relationship between music and visuals
The song is fast paced with an aggressive tone. This works with the pace of the music video, as it goes quite fast and there are many handheld shots. Also, there is a gritty feel to the video which works with the song, we can see this by the use of black and white, the contrast and the area the video has been shot in.
Close-ups of the artists face
There are many close-ups of the artist, he is used a lot in the video. Of course, Jay-Z is very recognisable and so it's important to have him appear in his music videos.
The notion of looking
In terms of the voyeuristic treatment of the female body, there are a few shots of women dancing, where we can see their legs, buttocks and breasts. They are seen as 'eye candy' for men and fits with the male gaze idea.
Intertextual References
An intertextual reference in the video could be the streets of Brooklyn which are used in films depicting crime in this area. It's also a place used in other hip-hop music videos.
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