TW: Goodwin analysis - Action Bronson

Action Bronson (ft. Chance the Rapper)– Baby Blue (Lil Chri$, 2015).

 

Andrew Goodwin, Dancing in the Distraction Factory (1992) carried out research into mainstream music videos and identified typical conventions.  Applying his critical framework to music videos such as ‘Baby Blue’ by Action Bronson, directed by Lil Chri$, and released in 2015 - determines to what extent the text is conventional.

Goodwin asserted that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics – this video can be categorised as hip-hop, there are therefore conventional characteristics present. A prime example is in performance, where Action Bronson breaks the fourth wall on numerous occasions – a convention of rap music, as rappers often rap directly to the camera. Secondly – iconography in the video is conventional, such as the use of props to portray the artist as voyeuristic and ostentatious. This is conventional as jewellery is iconographic of hip-hop music. However – the use of narrative is unconventional as most hip-hop songs are concentrated on performance.

Goodwin also discussed the relationship between lyrics and visuals. It is evident that the visuals are amplifying of the visuals. An optimum example is when the artist raps – ‘I’m not exactly flawless, but I’m gorgeous’, as a female bodybuilder pulls him towards her across a table – an exemplification of this lyric. Some sections are even illustrative, such as Chance The Rapper’s lyric –‘I hope every soda you drink already shaken up’ being illustrated by a girl enduring a soda exploding in her face. However – the predominantly amplifying nature of the relationship is proven by the line – ‘and now somebody else is eating all the pudding’ occurring at the same time the artist rubs his belly, implying he has already had a lot of ‘the pudding.’

Despite the relationship between music and visuals being largely disjunctive, there are instances of an amplifying relationship in particular sections. For example – the banging of a drum coincided with a zoom into a close-up of Doc Gooden. Moreover – there is a sound effect when the man touches the bodybuilding woman on the nose in the restaurant – this amplifying relationship reveals the cheeky nature of this action.

Goodwin also referred to a typical music video convention being notion of looking – this is prevalent in the opening sequence of this video, whereby the artist plays a number of the characters in the opening scene, where slight distortion of his face – such as a plastic nose; still ensures the viewer sees Action Bronson a maximum amount of times.

Despite Goodwin’s claim that music videos tend to have lots of close-ups, this video contains mostly medium shots in order to reveal props, non-verbal communication through hand gestures, and costume – a prime example being the baby blue suit which Action Bronson wears in a few scenes. However – during Chance the Rapper’s verse; the use of close-ups allow him to break the fourth wall and affect the para-social intimacy. Close ups are therefore an important part of the video – fulfilling another music video convention.

Goodwin also made reference to fetishistic and voyeuristic music videos. While Action Bronson is largely portrayed as voyeuristic as he motivates the narrative, and is presented as a loveable character – the music video is, on the whole, fetishisti. This is proven by the male gaze on the Albanian women on stage, and the use of a motivated cut after the bodybuilding woman pulls him over the table for preventing a restaurant from being robbed – as it implies sexual activity.

This music video clears conforms to the convention of including intertextual references, this is clear in the opening sequence – where the characters discuss the Mayweather vs Pacquiao boxing fight, and the references made to talent contests through his satirical inclusion of an ‘Albanian talent contest.’

Overall, despite the satisfaction of some music video conventions – I would argue that the video is largely unconventional, due to the creative approach adopted in terms of narrative – whereby there is slightly more narrative, and the performance sections are not figures of advertisement and breaking the fourth wall – they are used to allow time to pass in the narrative; a prime example being between the restaurant scene with the bodybuilding woman to him marrying her after an interlude of performance.