A2 Music Video
Track Details
Song Title - Lost Since Birth (Hopes Up)
Artists Basil(Eazy), Mohaned(Mo), Yahya(Y-KO)
Duration: 3 Minutes 53 Seconds
Throughout the process of our A2 course we came across several difficulties whilst recording our first choice video. Due to the myself and the group decided to go ahead and record our alternative video which is called "Lost Since Birth'(Hopes up). Similarly to the first choice video this song and video also show the dark lifestyles of british youths, mostly the youth who are affiliated with gangs and crime. The way the video is edited emphasises this point, for instants, the sepia effect portrays a sense of surreality allowing the audience to be engaged with the hard life.
Meaning Behind The Song - This song explains how the media stereotype certain ethnic and social groups. In this case Black teenagers and Muslims as a general
Editing -
Evaluation of similar video - This video talks about similar issues
The song “hip-hop is dead is a politically and socially charged rap number with its artist, Nas airing his grievance towards the evolution of present day Hip Hop. From the lyrics to the video, there are symbolic themes and overt messages transposed onto the medium of communication. The music video accompanying the song is set in a deserted warehouse and in a noticeably lower-class neighborhood. The symbolic gestures and placements are set in motion right from the get go with the video settling on a tube TV showing the title of the song “hip hop is dead”. The video is shot at night casting a dark and gloomy shadow over the video as a whole. This helps to emphasize the negativity associated with the message. With Hip-Hop being dead, a loss of some sorts is being experienced, thus the dark setting and tone befits the message of the song. Stacked up against one another on the ground, the destitute position of the television promptly connotes a subliminal message to its viewer. The notion that an evolution has taken place is made obvious in the beginning of the video with this TV set. It also helps to lay a conceptual foundation for the viewer/consumer by setting the stage for what will be conveyed by the message of the song. Using a scrap tube TV screen to communicate the idea that Hip-Hop is dead is a means of depicting that the past has been deserted and rendered archaic or obsolete. The run-down warehouse in which most of the video is filmed is also an allusion to this. Therefore, Hip-Hop is dead because mechanisms, channels and agents used in the past are no longer acceptable in society. To him, it is obvious that Hip-Hop is not a volatile culture that can change or evolve without warning. Even though he does not necessarily give an explicit definition of Hip-Hop, it is done through the symbols used in the video and his lyrics.
The scene following this focuses on the artist himself who is dressed dissimilar to the fashion of the time. His baggy jeans, sneakers, sweater and hat are all reminiscent of the fashion of Hip- Hop’s early days. He could easily be placed in a run-DMC or public enemy video and fit in perfectly. There is no flashy jewellery, as is the norm with Hip-Hop artists presently, even though he wears a pinkie ring. This can be seen as an ode to the past, what it represents and also a clear message of the type of hip hop he chooses to support.
A group of young boys all dressed in hoodies, sweats or jeans are shown convened at a corner of the warehouse. A flash of car lights initiates an immediate disbandment of the meeting but not before one group member exchanges what seems to be earphones with an outsider. This scene is especially significant as quite a number of black youths are gang members. The flashing lights turn out to belong to a police car with two white cops in it. They immediately start a chase. The scene through the eyes of a consumer is that of a gang discussing issues and selling their products to a customer. However, Nas seems to paint a different picture though with the same context. Simply put, the social status of the black person makes him/her more susceptible to institutional run-ins. This is also not helped by the great number of law-enforcement officials who already have a pre-conceived notion as depicted in the video. The ‘alleged perpetrator’ is apprehended only for the earphones to be revealed. Nas is thus trying to attack a social system that always presumes the crime before its committed in black society. This critical stance and blatant backlash is also uncharacteristic of modern rap music and sides more with the older generation.
An obviously secret location is unveiled in the next scene with two bodyguards clad in black, manning the entrance. On entry, a full scope of the room is given with afro-headed females as DJs’. The afro wig played a significant role as a marker of black authenticity and culture. As the texture of black hair was different from that of the dominant culture, grown out kinky looking black hair, dubbed the ‘Afro’ was a form of resistance against white culture. At a time when the pressure to go mainstream and use relaxers on their hair was heavy, most black resistance groups like the “Black Panther” in the 1980’s and 1990’s were mobilizing a social and political interest in black culture, part of which was Hip-Hop. In using these women, Nas echoes the past form of Hip-Hop, which portrayed the community’s lack of conformity to the mainstream/dominant social standards.
The scene following commences with an aged man sitting with resignation in an old, disheveled couch, miming the chorus ‘hip-hop is dead’. The incorporation of an older generation in this music video alludes to the wide spectrum of consumers when it comes to the culture and its effect on individuals. It can be argued that the old man’s assertion of hip-hop’s death creates a resolute conclusion, which cannot be argued or disagreed with. Older individuals are viewed in society as knowledgeable and experienced thus their opinions and worldviews are conclusively credible in comparison to the younger generation. Using the older man and woman in the video serves to cement the credibility of the message being put across whilst whittling away any doubt from differing opinions that Hip-Hop is dead. The next scene shows Nas in the same clothes save a bomber jacket and a beanie that is worn halfway on his head. These two additions are staples of ‘old-school’ Hip-Hop reminiscent of ghetto fabulous aesthetics. Once again, the artist relegates from modern Hip-Hop through these signs and signifiers. To him, the acceptable culture of Hip-Hop is that which was practiced in the past.
The camera follows a figure emerging from darkness towards a deserted building in the next scene. A bulky man serving as security at the entrance lets him through after an exchange of glances. The door opens to reveal a recording studio filled with archaic materials. From the mixer, microphones, speakers and headsets to the attires of the room’s occupants, it is evident that the scene is set in the 1990’s. The security at the door and the behavior of the occupants makes it obvious that their existence is meant to be secret. This can be likened to the initial stages of hip hop as a culture when it was an underground substitute for mainstream music and culture. Its source also made it difficult to be accepted in mainstream culture for a long time. The minority position of black youths in society made hip hop almost abhorrent and absurd to the larger society and its members. The discrimination and antagonism experienced by black youths made it difficult to enjoy Hip-Hop culture and publicly express their involvement in it. Underground groups, meetings and recording were often what most members resorted to in order to acquaint themselves with their culture. Capturing this scene and the creative process through which the song is made helps viewers understand the roots of this culture. It sends a nostalgic feeling as well as a reminder of the symbolic weight Hip-Hop music carries. The importance of hip hop music is shown in this scene as not only because of its source but also due to the process involved in its creation, the struggles endured and the risks taken. Nas’s scene succinctly embodies this message. Viewers are made to recollect the history of Hip-Hop through this simplistic scene. It is obvious that Nas is attacking the issue from the root, that being, the music production. Because there has been a shift from underground to mainstream music, to him, Hip-Hop has lost some of its ‘flavor’ or authenticity. Without this, the title cannot be applied with what is churned out of the studios of conglomerate record labels. The scene also helps viewers understand that the new form of music production is a false front from mainstream culture as to the validity of Hip-Hop.
He solidifies this claim with the scene that follows. There is a demonstration with him standing at a platform talking to a crowd of people in what seems to be an underground tunnel. There are banners of his initial N hung from the ceiling and almost everyone has on a t-shirt with the same initial. With their fists pumping in the air, the crowd is hyped and excited as Nas raps to them. This a very symbolic scene as their fists pumping dates back to the late 1980’s and 1990’s when emerging Hip-Hop groups were reiterating political messages from social circles. Groups like Public Enemy were known for their thought-provoking lyrics and politically charged messages. To Nas, it seems this type of Hip-Hop embodies real Hip Hop.
The video ends with the police a symbol of white culture coming to break out the gathering and recording studio. Most of the crowd runs away and Nas is no exception. He is seen running to a black van that presumably takes him to safety. The fact that police enforcement is present at the scene shows its uncharacteristic and deviant nature. Hip-Hop has always been an avenue for rebellion, resistance and freedom of expression through creativity. Nas advocates for this type of culture and music. Through this song and video, he expressively maintains the notion that the previous approach to rap music has been disregarded by making new music, void of the true essence of Hip-Hop.
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