Teacher Resource - Representation And Production

ANALYSING CONTEMPORARY POPULAR CULTURE FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRODUCTION Photography and representation Kelly Dooley !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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HOW TO USE THIS RESOURCE. Reading |

Teacher materials

1. Representation and myth. 2. Representation and the portrait. 3. Sacha Waldman: Photographer (background). 4. Exemplar analysis: Application of Barthes Mythology.

50 Cent and G-Unit by Sacha Waldman (Approx. 2003) 5. Questioning representations of race. 6. Vibe Magazine. 7. Burden of representation. 8. Representation, myth and culture. 9. Exemplar analysis: The Portraits Images 1 – 4 by Sacha Waldman •

Andre 3000 of Outkast by Sacha Waldman. 2000

•

Big Boi of Outkast by Sacha Waldman. 2000

•

Jay-Z by Sacha Waldman. 2003

•

RZA (of The Wu-Tang-Clan) by Sacha Waldman. 2001

Student Materials 8. Interactive assessment for learning (AFL) activity on representation – ONLINE 9. Instructions for interactive resource.

References •

Semiotics for Beginners – Daniel Chandler

•

Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices: Ed. Hall, Stuart

•

We Real Cool: Black men and masculinity. Hooks, Bell.

•

F – Stop Magazine. Tobias, Jo Anne.

•

VIBE Magazine – Media kit 2009.

•

Ten years of VIBE photography.

•

I am gonna get yer sucker. Dir. Wayans, K (1988)

•

Pimp my ride, MTV (2004 – present).

•

Sacha Waldman portfolio (examples of photos) !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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INTRODUCTION This resource focuses on the representation of iconic BME rappers and urban soul singers in portraits that have featured in music monthly VIBE Magazine in order to create a teaching resource. The resource will: •

explore two theories of representation;

•

evaluate and discuss definitions of race and ethnicity and

•

provide a model for investigating representation through process and production.

Targeted at level 2 and 3 students and their teachers, the digital online resource and reading resources will support both in the effective analysis and construction of portraits typical to those featured in VIBE Magazine and other popular music culture print publications. Five images have been analysed using a constructivist approach to representation and meaning making (Hall, S. 1997) and through the assessment of levels of Myth (Barthes, R. 1987). Hooks notions of Black Patriarchal masculinity (myth) (Hooks, B. 2003) were also used to examine the social and cultural effects of myth in the images.

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REPRESENTATION

Barthes, remains influential in the analysis of messages, and semiology will form the basis for analysis. Denotation and connotation are terms often used by teachers of media when considering the messages and values a media text presents in itself, to it it’s audiences. These levels of meaning – often culturally defined (Chandler, D. 21.02.2009) form the basis of many level two creative / media specifications. Media GCSE specifications require students to develop and explore ‘key media concepts’, in both AQA and OCR specifications representation is central. As Chandler points out, the notion of connotation is related to what Barthes refers to as myth. In agreement with Chandler, this is a complex theory to bring into the level 2 classroom as students will often associate the meaning of the word with a meaning that is defined by their cultural experience and attach the their sociohistorical meaning of the word myth. Barthes’ Myth is not related to the traditional ancient stories, instead his Myth (which will inform the analysis of the exemplar analysed materials and the student material) is related to the varying degrees at which dominant ideologies contribute to representations of people, groups and events. (Chandler, D. www.aber.ac.uk/media . n.d.)

MYTH First I will demonstrate Barthes’ Myth theory using Paris Match (Barthes, R. 1987) and later explore Myth in Sacha Waldman’s portrait of 50 Cent and G-Unit (fig 1). a) In the semiological system we start with a signifier, which Chandler states is already formed from a previous culturally defined system. • A Black soldier saluting the French Flag (Tricolour). b) The signified is the meaning we determine from the signifiers associations within our historical and sociological experience. • Militariness and Frenchness. !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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c) The sign presents itself is the result of the signifier and signified and functions as a message that is talked about at taken to be natural. d) Barthes questions the story in the signifier and does not accept the naturalness of its presentation nor place. e) Where has the boy come from? Why is he displaying his patriotism towards the Tricolour/ The French? Assessing mythology can be applied to more contemporary texts and provide students with a model for questioning what they ‘take for granted’ (Chandler, D www). This level of analysis can also reveal how mainstream images contribute to sustaining white lore cycles. Hook explains, white lore cycles as the creation of images about black people that have been created by white people (and often black people), which come to be accepted and re-enacted by the presented (black youth) (Hooks, B. 2003)

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REPRESENTATION AND THE PORTRAIT

When discussing representation and photography, Hall describes it most basic representational system as, ‘using images on light sensitive paper to communicate photographic meaning about a particular person, event or scene’. (1997)

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Waldman’s image of 50 Cent (fig 1) functions at the level of myth; it has connotative thematic meanings or a story, while simultaneously retaining levels of ambiguity. However, if the reader or viewer is unaware of the context of the image, in this case: •

50 Cent’s (the star) rags to riches story;

•

his prior exploits as a drug-dealer;

•

drug paraphernalia and

•

gangster/thug culture

they may read the image on a denotative /surface level. Hall suggests that this is not wrong and calls this the preferred meaning. (1997) This image of 50 Cent is paradoxical, he has survived a murder attempts, survived life as an outlaw while at the same time is now a top-selling rapper, making money legitimately through telling the tales of his chequered past. Hall argues that the meanings in photographs do not entirely depend on image; rather they operate in conjunction with text/captions. In this case the (fig 1) image does not rely on text to create meaning. Meaning is creating through the relations the viewer has with the context (as described above) or the circuit of culture – which I will explore later that the image is placed within. The title of 50-Cent’s album ‘Get Rich or Die Trying’ provides a story for the image and anchors how audiences may understand this text and representations of the artist. Other issues which contribute to myth: •

The media headlines that have followed him throughout his meteoric rise to stardom have been heavily linked to him (50 Cent) surviving murder attempts.

•

His songs about his previous exploits as a drug dealer and petty crook.

•

The media (TV, radio, cinema and print) have contributed to the selling of his chequered past which has become his unique selling point.

•

Hip hop celebrity has become synonymous with criminality, and in March 2004 edition of The Sourcei magazine (“Hip Hop Behind Bars”) was a special edition which provided an insight into the economy linked to being imprisoned and its’ relationship to record sales. !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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•

The

circuit

of

culture

(Hall,

S.

1997)

that

profits

from

mythological

representations like this are profitable to record companies but less to young black males, as Hooks explains:

“The images and language that is assimilated by [media] producers is one that tells young black males that they are one arrest away from the streets and that the streets will be their home ... the images and language re-enact Myth that the patriarchal man is a predator and that only the strong and violent survive.” (2003) Bell Hooks’ feminist approach to representation focuses on what she calls ‘Patriarchal Masculinity’. She argues that the media makes a subject of the black male body and that black youths learn (through the media) that money is God and outlaws prevail. Also, she argues that the representations of black youths present high levels of myth about black culture and Gangster culture. (Hooks, B. 2003) Like Hall, Hooks analyses the representation of race in the media through professional sport. Bell outlines how once the beaten black body have been transformed into symbols elegance and grace and that the representations of race in hip hop have (as I will explore later) not been as progressive. While Hooks calls for the need for more resistance literature, the portraiture from VIBE magazine ‘allows the unenlightened white world which enjoys to re-invest in perpetuating racist stereotypes.’ Hooks continues to explain that the same group (unenlightened white people) are pleased with seeing the black man who is only of ‘brute strength’ and without intelligence. This pleasing representation of race is characterized in British Heavy-weight hopeful, Frank Bruno and (today) Mohammed Ali. Ali once presented an alternative masculine identity like that of Ian Wright, unique and undeterred to act as the eunuch. (Hooks, B. 2003) The representation of 50 Cent (fig 1) as an immoral being augments Hooks Patriarchal discourse; she explains that “alternative masculinities have been expressed in sport and through music, nevertheless the desire for black men to move away from the work the black man is ‘allowed’ in the system is ever prevalent. Since the plantation no longer exists, the everyday jobs (the system) have replaced the plantation where that dominance can be re-enacted. Hip hop has provided a !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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stage for black males to proclaim to the world that they are ‘keeping it real’, which is argued by Hook to be an old protest of the Black Power Movement but has no ability to influence dominant politics. To summarise, what is read in the myth has already been subjected to external influences. At language object level, the myth conjoins with the meta-language which is what we speak about first and is an influential factor that is contributed to but is unchallenged in stereotypes.

As Barthes and Hall argue, when exploring

representation it is crucial to identify where the levels of Myth (naturalness) originate. SACHA WALDMAN| PHOTOGRAPHER

Sacha Waldman, who grew up in South Africa, is a self-taught photographer and could be referred to a photographer 2.0 or digital artist. Having always shot in digital format, he is celebrated for his postproduction / photoshopping and meticulously constructed mise en scenes. In an interview for F stop Magazine (Tobias J. n.d.) Sacha Waldman’s inspiration, style and methodologies were explored and can inform your students in the artefact they construct. Waldman’s approaches, (lack of) training and use of tools make it clear that with the availability of digital tools anyone with an interest in photographic manipulation can use the stretch the possibilities with more sophisticated programmes such as Photoshop. Those without the financial means can edit and publish their photographs through the use of tools in online spaces such as Photobucket. The interview noted that while Waldman’s images are highly constructed and come to life after at least a week of post-production, that ‘no amount of post-production can replace solid ideas.'

APPLICATION OF BARTHES MYTHOLOGY

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Fig 1. 50 Cent / G-Unit, by Sacha Waldman SIGNIFIER

A group of young black people keeping look out.

SIGNIFIED

Black American youth and criminality. The language that has already been formed (in the signifier) tells the reader that these group of young black males are in a makeshift observation suite surrounded by ambiguities that form from our cultural understanding of the message:

SIGN /MESSAGE

• The multiple close circuit televisions taped together and manned by two men. • Religious paraphernalia. • The transgressive woman, lent against the dresser scantily dressed, drinking alcohol. !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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We understand that we are being presented with a message about the idle and often unlawful behaviour of young African Americans. Messages and or suggestions of sanctity and forgiveness for the group, signalled through the inclusion of the crucifix propped up on the dresser; The scantily dressed woman pouring a drink in a ‘tumbler’ which we presume to be alcohol and as she does so is offered a potential opportunity for redemption for transgressive exploits through the direction of the shadow cast by the crucifix as well as her proximity to it; further, this brings her closer to Christ. The glimpses of opulence we see in the animal skin rug and penthouse-style glass table is foreshadowed by an old styled TV and the mismatched furniture. As we see the signifiers in the image already has a story which informs the signified; this is further reinforced by placing the image within a high-rise dwelling; when the curtain is held open to allow a member of the group to inspect the downstairs exterior of the building, the audience are given more messages about innercities. When we blend this with the prior knowledge of hip-hop fans we/they assume that this is one America’s infamous ‘projects’ (social housing) of New York City. So the sign presented in the signifier ‘imposes something on us or makes us understand something.’ (R507)*6L! S>! "TU#! -,! V)5,:4*0L! W>! X,>:>YY! The intention in the Myth, ‘freezes, purifies and eternalizes’ and transforms history into nature’ as Barthes analysis of Paris Match shows. Similarly the representation of black youth (hip hop) and MYTH

young people living in projects is ‘frozen, purified and internalized through circuits of culture (Hall, S. 1997) and through white lore cycles that permeate and inform Black patriarchal masculinity (Hooks, B. 2003). !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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Barthes Myth provides a model by which we can assess and deconstruct the ways in which portraits / images in VIBE Magazine operate within the ‘circuit of culture’ (Hall, S. 1997). Myth also provides a possibility for assessment of how the media and its’ producers support certain ideologies and suppress and distort others. (Chandler, D. www.aber.ac.uk/media . n.d.) The closeness and or desensitised nature of students’ media consumption may reveal problems in their analysis of media and messages and values and indeed myth. The cultural associations that students may draw on when they use basic semiology as a framework for analysing media texts (denotation / connotation) can often be unproductive. As Chandler points out, when you are a member of the culture you are critically analysing ‘we take for granted’ many of the dominant ideas which govern it. (Chandler, D. www.aber.ac.uk/media . n.d.) Analysing media texts using Myth as a model provides a framework within which students can engage beyond connotation and consider socio-historical implications and think about signs and messages as mediated representations and not judgements of reality. !

REPRESENTATIONS OF RACE To consider how the images / portraits in VIBE Magazine represent race, my analysis will answer the following questions: •

How can image / photographs, as Hall suggests, ‘be read connotatively in terms of what it is saying about race?’

•

Do the image / photographs re-enact and or distort patriarchal black masculinity?

•

Do the image / photographs from VIBE say something different about race and if yes, what?

VIBE MAGAZINE VIBE Magazine is an American music monthly magazine founded by music mogul, Quincy Jones. Most notable for his triumphs as a successful record producer, producing the Michael Jackson 1982 hit album Thriller and ‘We are the world’ the !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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1985 hit charity songii. Jones’ intentions for VIBE Magazine were for it to be Hip Hop/ Urban Soul’s version of Rolling Stone. He explains,

“Remember when there was a song, I Wanna Be on The Cover Of Rolling Stone? We’ll be hearing a song soon, I’m sure, called “I Wanna Be on The Cover of VIBE”, (Jones, Q. 2003). FACTS Frequency

12 times a year

Single Copy

$4.99 / £3.50

Circulation growth

December

1995

– June 2007 – 863,283

200,000 AUDIENCE Average age

27.9 Years old

Average income

$43, 337

Female

49.5%

Male

50.5%

Employed

73.9%

Single

68.2%

College

(or

above) 50.7%

education Black African American

71.3%

Caucasian

17.5%

Asian / Other

15.3%

Spanish/Hispanic/Latino

14.6%

Magazine Media Kit 2009 (www.VIBE.com) From initial analysis of the audience profile provided in VIBE Magazines’ media kit (2009)iii, we cans see that: •

the highest percentage of readers are from Black African American heritage;

•

there is an almost 50:50 spilt in the total amount of male and female readers and !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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•

over 50 percent of the readers have a college or higher level of education.

The statistical information on the circulation and readership of VIBE magazine is very revealing in that it questions both Hooks and Halls theories of how audiences may be receive messages. While Hooks ideas imply that Black audiences do not have the capacity to decode and diverge from social practices saturated in mythical representations of black people; the readership figures on one hand support this; the audiences may have become so completely desensitized to images of black myth that they do not question or challenge them.

One interpretation of the audience profile according to Hook, would tell us that the audience are incapable of decoding the Myth in the images – in this case in VIBE Magazine – and that they are neither questioning nor opposing the dominant messages on offer. On the other hand it could be argued that the audience may ‘take for granted’ that the signifier what informs the signs is already subjected to high levels of myth. And, the audience have become desensitized to the representations and the stories behind them. Barthes’ myth, Hall circuit of culture and Hooks patriarchal masculinity (and white lore cycles) together will provide a model for:

•

Identifying the story [signifier, signified, sign]

• Examining

the

distribution

of

the

Myth

[representation of otherness through the circuit of culture]v •

MYTH

iv

Exploring the impact of Myth [Black Patriarchal masculinity and white lore cycles]vi

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BURDEN OF REPRESENTATION

What responsibility does VIBE or Quincy Jones have as contributors to culture? The research conducted and presented in The VIBE magazine media kit (2009) outlined that the majority of the readers agreed that VIBE contributed to their sub-cultural participation (i.e. fashion, media consumption and ‘attitude’). Hooks argues that when Black community leaders reach positions of power they relinquish any Burden of Responsibility in being a voice of advocacy for other Black Males who have not yet made it’ (2003). Quincy Jones may have fallen victim to the burden of representation (Tagg, J. 1993) as the founder of what has been often referred to as the hip hop bible. The burden comes from magazine’s relationship with Hip Hop music and its associated cultures.

REPRESENTATION, MYTH AND CULTURE

Hall argues that that representation has an interdependent relationship to culture; he calls this the ‘circuit of culture’. He explains that representation is placed within a circuit with identity, regulation, consumption and production. (1997) Hooks argues that every black male is faced with a culture that tells them that they will never acquire enough money or power to set them free from white race tyranny in the world of work; and that the mass media teaches values of Patriarchal Masculinity that Money in God and outlaws prevail and as well as gangster culture as myth. (2003)

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THE PORTRAITS

The exemplar portraits for analysis are all related to the Hip Hop genre, have all featured in VIBE Magazine over the last 10 Years and were taken by Sacha Waldman. The images have been chosen as the rappers, who are pictured have individually had a profound effect on the evolution of the hip hop genre and Waldman has been become synonymous for his digitized compositions which explore, question and re-enact levels of Black Myth. 1. Andre 3000 of Outkast by Sacha Waldman. 2000 2. Big Boi of Outkast by Sacha Waldman. 2000 3. Jay-Z by Sacha Waldman. 2003 4. RZA (of The Wu-Tang-Clan) by Sacha Waldman. 2001 5. Ludacris and Scarface by Sacha Waldman. 2001 IMAGES FOR ANALYSIS

CAPTIONS FROM TEN YEARS OF VIBE PHOTOGRAPHY 1. “Outkast teaches us that our definition of revolution has evolved”, wrote Rob Marriott in a VIBE cover story. “It is no longer isolationist. It is not simply male or ghettocentric or East

1.

Coast or angry or even urban. In fact the revolution is expansive... Even our enemies have a part to play in the great social change that hip hop promised us.”

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IMAGES FOR ANALYSIS

CAPTIONS FROM TEN YEARS OF VIBE PHOTOGRAPHY Waldman’s photographs are so detailed that the texture is almost palpable. The precise visual

information

suggests

computerised

visual graphics but the effects are used with enough restraint that his images still feel real. “The computer is an extension” he says, It’s a 2.

new tool we can use to create something interesting, not just another photograph of a celebrity.” 3. Waldman has been known to stretch the boundaries of reality in his pictures, by this surreal image sprang from the mind of Jay-Z. “That

was

the

concept,”

says

the

photographer. “He wanted to show himself looking in the mirror to show different sides of who he is – like the street guy and the pimp. I love working with people who will take a good 3.

idea and go with it.”

4. [“I fought against that growling picture for a long time’” says Jonathan Mannion, who’s shot album covers for DMX. But he has come to appreciate the image. “You can’t direct that. It’s

the

dog

himself,

revealing

his

true

character. That shot is raw.”] Ditto for Waldman’s noir portrait of RZA, teeth sparkling in the streetlights. 4.

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STUDENT RESOURCE - INSTRUCTIONS The interactive resource is best used after students have been introduced to textual analysis (semiological approaches). CLICK HERE TO OPEN THE RESOURCE START PAGE:

To enter, students must click of the student area

HELP PAGE:

Review key words/terminology with students; use the Paris Match example on this page. Explain the colour coding system; how to get help and navigate around.

TIP:

This resource is useful as an assessment for learning activity: through ‘structured discussion’ and ‘written responses’ to assess students understanding and application of representation.

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EXEMPLAR ANALYSIS

IMAGE ONE

Andre 3000 of Outkast, by Sacha Waldman

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Andre 3000 of Outkast, by Sacha Waldman

IMAGE ONE SIGNIFIER

A. Cadillac: Dynamic • 88

man

OTHERNESS

An American Car. car

•

The

(particularly

internalise

The type of car modified by •

With

the

Cadillac as being part of their

black males (inner cities)vii.

foreground. the Cadillac takes

culture as opposed to the

•

1970s Pimp.

on a new meaning.

outcome of Myth

•

A collectable car. traditional •

Andre

necklace

•

Plastic pearl necklaces.

descent.

•

A

black

male

who

is •

•

Tribal

(through

is

from

African question

tradition

representations of black males

tribal

ambiguity

the bare chest).

in

modified

The plastic pearl necklace and through the inclusion of the the

traditional

3000

the

The person wearing the tribal The audience are encouraged to

necklaces.

effeminate.

necklace

create white pearl necklace and the

about

the traditional

Ugandan

jewellery;

background of the person being the traditional representation of represented. •

rappers is in question. Although

The bare chested man in a the built-up

location

with

Cadillac

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(A)

provides

a

the setting for the re-enactment of

Cadillac in the background ask myth,

!

audience

Brand.

Ugandan/tribal

(Alloy •

The car is a collector’s item.

Wheels).

three necklaces.

modified

•

MASCULINITY black males) will re-enact and

wearing •

A

OF PATRIARCHAL

The Cadillac is an American

•

•

B. A

REPRESENTATIONS

SIGNIFIED

the

representations

of $%!

the audience to question the masculinity masculinity of Andre 3000.

and

race

offered

through the necklace worn do not.

SIGNIFIER C. A

man

shoulder

REPRESENTATIONS

SIGNIFIED with •

OTHERNESS

An audacious character.

•

character

style hair (curled), •

Fashion conscious.

about his sexuality and the

wearing an animal •

Effeminate.

music

trilby

(worn angled).

hat slightly

PATRIARCHAL MASCULINITY

Andre 3000 in a slightly wacky

Confidence.

fur

length •

OF

who he

is

confident

promotes

and

performs. •

The hat wedged to the side sum up a character who is in control of his representation and has contributed to the performance that is provided in the image and paralleled in his music.

•

The image that is presented fulfils the caricature that is

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Andre 3000 and the moderness he brings to the genre. •

In the midst of this he is set against the contradiction of the modified

Cadillac

and

the

downtown urban backdrop. •

The new identity that Andre 3000 emits questions traditional notions of masculinity in the ‘straighten, style hair’ against his

bare

jewellery

chest as

he

and

tribal

makes

a

statement with his (E) hand gestures that covers his heart and the facial expression that is conscious of the consequences of

his

chosen/agreed

representation. •

There is a sense of pride apparent (in the image) that is

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humble and authentic.

MYTH A. The language that has already been formed from the placement of the black male in the images whose ‘look’ itself has intertextual references to ‘Pimp’ imagery. The Cadillac notifies and informs the reader that the black male is related to negative representations of race, associating them with immoral activity. The Cadillac alone has the language to inform the final message, the sign is not on this level/am everyday meaning so distorts the cultural relationship the messages and values that the viewer will identify in the text. B. The representation of the black male is so highly politicized that Andre 3000 on the surface attempt to provide a different representation for hip-hop, race and masculinity. The other trappings and stories embedded in the signifier continue to inform the signified. Within the context of the signifier the necklace themselves have a story. The traditional necklaces made by Ugandan women and sold in the West can provide two readings: (1) Andre 3000 wears the necklaces as a form of contribution to the resistance literature movement that Hook discusses or: (2) That he wears the necklaces to simply challenge notions of what constitutes masculinity. C. The combination of the embellished signifiers create an image full of ambiguities. They are provided as a means of encouraging the audience to question the messages and expectations of hip-hop. The photographer has placed the ambiguities (the Cadillac, tribal necklaces) in the image to provide a space for the reader to challenge the representations, highlight the unnaturalness (in the form/context) in order for the viewer to question ‘hip-hop’ and the hip-hop circuits of !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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culture. The intentions pay dividends to the artist’s personae and in this case it is this an aspect of ‘Outkast’s’ unique selling point; which is to redefine the standard for the genre. Andre 3000 does this through a combination of traditionalism (Cadillac, urban setting) and modernism (reference to crossgender and tribal culture). Needless to say the hairstyle, hat and car can be linked to the iconography we would associate with Pimp / Gangster culture.

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IMAGE TWO

Big Boi of Outkast by Sacha Waldman

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Boi of Outkast by Sacha Waldman | A reaction shot of image one ~ Andre 3000

IMAGE TWO

REPRESENTATIONS

OF

SIGNIFIER

SIGNIFIED

A.

•

An American car.

(Andre •

A collector’s item.

representation of ‘otherness’ is formalises a message as belonging to

A modified car.

stark.

•

As

before

3000). •

•

OTHERNESS

type

•

Cadillac: Dynamic 88 •

The

of

parked in an isolated

modified

car,

street.

modified

by

(young, particularly black) males. •

1970’s

pimp

imagery.

•

PATRIARCHAL MASCULINITY

With Big Boi ns the image the The

Cadillac

still

remains

and

the streets.

The car is no longer a collectors item but has reinvented itself as a car in a ‘near; deserted downtown inner city back street. This may have come about as there is a new assumption inferred that the car belongs to Big Boi as he is pictured closer to it (than Andre 3000 was).

B.

•

A man wearing a fur coat, • long

gold

rope

chain,

Ostentation,

The fur coat is recognised with This image confirms with common /

hip-hop culture

contemporary culture as a sign of generic representations of Rap / hipwealth. The rope chain is a long hop. The status symbols, Cadillac associated icon from the hip-hop with the modifications – customised

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white t-shirt.

•

wealth

•

confidence.

genre and further subjectifies and for the hip-hopper, the animal skin redistributes the hip-hop image. The coat and the gold necklace - similar visual

imagery

provided

in

the to Andre 3000’s hat (which is more

clothing worn helps to enforce an ambiguous) and the Zebra skin rug in easily recognisable member of a the makeshift lookout (in fig 1). specific sub-culture (in this case hiphop).

In this image Hooks’ ideas about how the media present black males and

The ‘Otherness’ that Hall discusses is they learn how to internalize the not apparent in this image on its representations of black men - that initial examination and they have money is God for example - is become

desensitized

in

this certainly present in this image.

representation of a man in a fur coat with a waist length necklace on. The hand gestures made to camera and the hat Big Boi wears puts in place a relationship between the two members of the group. The image of Andre 3000 attempts to offer a taste of what hip-hop has evolved into and where it has come from, while Big Boi !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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acts as a placebo for the experiment, a

constant,

a

comparable

and

unchallenged representation of a hiphop sub-culture. MYTH •

The naturalness of Big Boi’s Stagger Lee image (the prototype Badman /Gangsta, (Brown, C. 2003.) is of course decodeable. The story behind the signifiers in particular the fur coat and gold necklace and their symbolism to working / under-classes. This relates to the need to release ones’ ‘self’ from the jobs and world. White supremacist Patriarchy permits young black men to pursue. The fur coat and necklace represent that he has in fact made it out of the cycle of deprivation and has moved beyond the ‘plantation life’ that the world of work emulates.

•

The myth that informs this level of reading is crucial to the impact that this opposing representation may have on the presented group. In this representation and even through it, it is heavily informed by myth and is progressive and opposing of the dominant messages and values that prevail about black popular cultures.

•

Andre 3000 and Big Boi from the same band ‘Outkast’ are in fact facing each other. Big Boi’s gesture is a reaction to Andre 3000 and vice versa. The shock, acceptance and pride they present in their images have a direct relationship to their musical ideologies (to challenge, to be unique). The recognition of the different ethnic and cultural contributions that inform their music is present in their clothes, hair and jewellery. They recognise aspects of their identities and factors that have contributed to them.

•

We see two different sides of hip-hop, traditional / old school and modern or post – modern and Waldman’s manipulation of the !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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photograph’s construction and post-production attempts to subtly convey this.

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IMAGE THREE

Jay-Z by Sacha Waldman

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Jay-Z by Sacha Waldman

IMAGE THREE SIGNIFIER

SIGNIFIED

A

Gangsta

Bandanna

wrapped

REPRESENTATIONS

OF

OTHERNESS

PATRIARCHAL MASCULINITY

and

Pimp The bandanna has a link to the Again as before the audience are

culture theme.

famous Los Angeles Gangs, the Crips familiar with the image and recognise (Blues) and Blood (red) who wear the meaning of the bandanna.

around a Jay-Z’s face and

bandannas.

around his head.

The bandanna becomes / or already

The most famous ‘thug’ - rapper has become part of a culture/ theme known for wearing a bandanna head of lawlessness. Jay-Z in the image tie was Tupac Shakur.

distributes this; the two opposing representations

displayed

in

the

image (mirror images) in themselves are not wholly progressive: the street guy and the pimp.

B.

Two images associated The distribution of the representation The mirror images do not oppose

The mirror with Jay Z looking at a reflection of himself.

with hip-hop / Rap and reinforces the identity that Jay Z has existing mainstream representations or Jay Z the musician. created and that is fed by the media of hip hop. Street and Pimp.

and contributed to.

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In the two images Jay Z is pictured two non-progressive representations. wearing different outfits. His face is The back drop for the images further concealed in the reflection and the reinforce the opportunities for inner audience is shown in this image a city black youths to experience and recognisable representation of hip- internalise the images as natural. hop culture. The oversized jeans, baseball cap and jacket all help to redistribute the sub-cultural identity of hip hop. As he Jay-Z at himself in a dark shirt and trousers he mirrors his hand gestures

(both

in

his

pockets)

however this time the bandanna is tied around his head and his hat, a red felt trilby, is on his head. Again

The suggestions of villainy and that outlaws prevail are glamorised in the covering of his face. This suggests that Jay-Z’s exploits that contravene the rules of the ‘system’ have been successful for him and in turn have the potential to do the same for the reader / viewer of the image.

this is an occasion whereby the reader / viewer need to contextualise the images within the stories that they re-enact.

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MYTH A. The untold stories in the signified do not account for the context in which gang culture thrives nor does it take into account the background of the person who is pictured, has not actually been a member of a gang or a pimp. The re-enacted and now familiar ‘street’ and ‘Gangsta’ representations are stereotypes created through the media and not only inform white lore cycle but also contribute to inaccurate representations of the represented. B. What is ‘taken for granted’ in this image is the negative associations of lawlessness. The societical issues / factors that contribute to the myth are ignored in the sign. The messages and values embedded in the image glamorise pimp / street allure. The image ignores the social impacts of street culture and pimping. The crime, prostitution and destruction caused to the quality of family life. At the same time the image is a celebration. The audience have an awareness of who Jay Z is and his status. The image may operate as a form of resistance material. Jay Z has come from New York projects, and has done ‘good’. In this image he may be attempting to show his past and encourage the audience to recognise where he has come from and appreciate where he has arrived to in his career. In order for the image to be read for levels of myth is important again for the reader to have an awareness of the story. The messages and values reading of the signifier / signified do not encompass or appreciate the story and have the ability to reenact white lore cycles. However when the image is analyzed within its’ context (VIBE magazine) the image does oppose dominant ideology through a reliance on the audience knowledge of Jay Z’s background. Celebrating, challenging and supportive of the !"#$$%&'"(")&*+,-+'".//0""""("12345678"92:92;271316<7"""""(:382""<)"=>"

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progress and development of the underclasses, the image has the potential to inspire and inform.

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IMAGE FOUR

RZA (of The Wu-Tang-Clan) by Sacha Waldman

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RZA (of The Wu-Tang-Clan) by Sacha Waldman

IMAGE FOUR

SIGNIFIER

SIGNIFIED

A.

•

Black man (RZA) wearing • gold

and

diamond

windowed veneers.

•

REPRESENTATIONS

OF

OTHERNESS

Wealth

PATRIARCHAL MASCULINITY

The gold and diamond encrusted The

systems

which

exist

in

windowed veneers redistribute image dominant culture do not enjoy the

Gangsta

/

Hip-hop culture.

iconographic

elements

that

is image represented by the gold and

regularly associated with hip-hop. The

emphasis

on

RZA’s

diamond teeth.

teeth The image like that of Jay Z in full

standardises and authenticates RZA ambiguity and is created to both as being members of the hip-hop challenge and sustain internalised fraternity.

ideas about hip-hop and black

The teeth are powerful and have

culture.

resonance without RZA; through the ways

in

which

Sacha

Waldman

sensitively manipulates the lighting in the images (in his pupils and the

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streetlight).

B. Nike hat

•

A sporty person.

The tyranny of brands and their

•

A brand conscious

relationship with celebrities is a

person.

long-standing practice.

•

An American brand.

•

Symbolism

of

capitalism.

Stars

regularly

associate

themselves with, and are paid large sums of money, to advertise brands. The fashion associated with hiphop has long been sport; Run DMC and B Boy culture is evidence of this. Adidas two stripe and Gazelles which continue to be directly linked to celebrities. Adidas and Nike alike continue to run large scale and expensive advertising campaigns which rely on celebrities for their success.

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RZA and the Nike hat reinforce the hip-hop identity and redistribute this

to

the

fans

and

provide

denotative detail for those less aware of the stories. In addition, the Nike hat (with the gold teeth) regulate the representation and heighten its’ authenticity. MYTH The ambivalence in this image is made clear by the dark streets in the background, which reflect the nature in which white lore cycles perpetuate such images. The brashness, not the motivation, and ambition of RZA (the rapper) is on show. The recognition and respect for the rappers success story is ignored. Instead the teeth and hat place him and his identity into a capitalist society engineered to enforce and present negative ideologies about hip hop and the audiences they represent.

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The analysis of the photographs from VIBE magazine will give students opportunities to engage with and question myth. The construction of the representations all rely on the audiences’ knowledge of the subjects (people) and the musical genre they are affiliated to. Waldman attempts to challenge stereotypical representation through the inclusion of markers that we recognise (the Cadillac, the bandanna and the gold teeth), however the treatment of the images suggest that their intentions are more complex. The images are unafraid of their openness and their ability to enjoy and express what is perceived as threatening and negative. The questions remain about the impact such images can have on black males and other youth audiences of hip-hop and other forms of contemporary music / culture. The model offered for the analysis of representation aims to provide an outline for how students can address the factors that are over looked in identification of signifiers. Students may want to adopt Waldman’s style and techniques to the production and construction of their own images.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS Hall, S. Ed., 1997. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices. Sage Publications Ltd. Hooks, B., 2003. We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity. Routledge Tagg, J., 1993. Burden of Representation: Essays on Photographies and Histories. University of Minnesota Press. Brown, C., 2003. Stagolee Shot Billy University Press Jones, Q et al., 2003. VX: Ten Years of "VIBE" Photography. Harry N. Abrams, Inc NEWSPAPERS AND MAGAZINES March 2004, “Hip Hop Behind Bars” special edition, The Source Magazine. WEB Chandeler,

D.

[n.d.]

Semiotics

for

Beginners.

[Internet]

Available

at:

http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem01.html (Accessed on 21/02/2009 ) Tobias, J. [n.d.] Interview with Sacha Waldman. F-Stop Magazine. [Internet] Available at: http://www.thefstopmag.com/?p=196 (Accessed on 19/02/2009) www.sachawaldman.com | Sacha Waldman / photography portfolio

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