By Namibia Mclean

MUSIC MAGAZINE COVERANALYSIS

HIP HOP WEEKLY

MASTHEADThe masthead for the magazine ‘Hip Hop Weekly’ is white but has a black shadow behind to make the masthead almost look 3D. However having the colour white and having the black shadow behind it works because it does make it look as if the masthead is popping out at the consumer therefore becoming attention grabbing. Also the masthead was probably made like this so that it is clear and easy for the consumer to read. Also the fact that the masthead is presented on a dark blue background again makes the masthead readable and stand out so that it would grab the readers attention. The ‘weekly’ of the magazine is presented in blue and white, this choice was perhaps made to coordinate with the rest of the magazine, this being that there are different shades of blue and the colour white is used for most titles and text presented. Also the ‘weekly’ has been put on top of the main body of the masthead maybe this was done to signify that they are unique and original with their ideas because this type of structure is usually on newspapers not magazines.

The main image of the magazine is in front of the magazine but is presented in the space between the ‘Hip’ and the ‘Hop’ so that the magazine would still be recognisable. The masthead was structured this way to convey that it is a professional magazine and they may not be a well known magazine hence why the graphic isn’t over the main text of the masthead.

SELLING LINEThe selling line is the part of the magazine that tries to promote the within it such as competitions or generally the stories inside. In this selling line it tries to promote the main story of the magazine. The selling line says ‘HHW GOES INSIDE THE WORLD OF WAYNE, DRAKE AND NICKI & GOES BEHING THE SCENES OF YOUNG MONEY’S EMPIRE’ which because the font is capitalised it immediately grabs the attention of their specific audience and because of the artists are well known the stories will again grab the attention. Strangely enough the selling line is almost at the bottom of the magazine. This being strange because the selling line is usually at the top of the magazine as this is a feature that would grab the audience’s attention. Although I do believe that the selling line has been put near the bottom so that it would fill up the space on the magazine. I also believe that the selling line has been put at the bottom because the magazine itself is small in comparison to other magazines on the shelves, therefore if the magazine was to be stacked with other competitive magazines, with the selling line at the top then this would mean that the name of the magazine could be hidden and in conclusion the audience would not pick up the magazine.

Nevertheless the magazine selling line is in a red banner, is easy to read and is straight forward with what it’s trying to convey as it immediately grabs your attention.

MAIN IMAGEThe main graphic ha been placed in the centre of the magazine. The reason for this is that the magazine is all about ‘Young Money’ so they would need the to recognise this and by having the graphic centred this shows the importance of thee artists in particular. The artists displayed here are Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Drake who are all Hip Hop artists. The way they have been placed such as the three artists standing beside each other show that their they are in union however the main man in the middle has been put a little higher and is obviously in the middle which could show that even though he is with the group he could be the main artists behind ‘Young Money’ or even the main person that got the group recognised.

Also the main image has been layered on top of the masthead, this was perhaps done to show that the artists in particular is very influential within the music industry hence why he covers the masthead. All three artists have microphones which could show that they are the singers/rappers within their band.

FONTFor the font there have been four different types that have been presented on the magazine which is the normal amount for any music magazine to have. Perhaps they followed the convention of the font as they may not been well known enough to take such measures. All text is capitalised apart from the masthead, this could be done so that the magazine could grab the reader’s attention an to portray the importance of the stories, artists featured etc within the music industry. The four different types of font have been used in different ways, one was used for the teaser and was put in italics to show what else was featured within the music magazine, this was probably put in italics so that the reader doesn’t notice this first. Another font was used for conventions such as the selling line and was used the most. This could show that at the editors would want the audience to read everything with that same writing first.

An additional font was used for the ‘Young Money’ and this was used because this is how the group’s name is usually seen as so the editors manipulated it so that it would coordinate with the rest of the magazine. Lastly there was the font for the masthead, this font was perhaps used because it looks edgy and because they are not joined up it’s clear and easy to read.

COLOUR SCHEMEThe colours schemes for this music magazine are shades of blue and white, red and yellow which was a good choice as it doesn’t make the magazine looked clutter or busy. Also the colours were probably chosen for this particular magazine because they are bold which could symbolise the boldness of the artists and the indie label ‘Young Money’. However even though there are a variety of colours chosen, I don’t believe that there should have been as many colours as even though some colours are toned down and the page doesn’t look cluttered I believe the magazine could have looked more professional if there was only three main colours as it would had still had the bold effect. However again these artists like to stand out from the crowd which can be clearly seen with their music videos and the way they dress so again these variety of colours could reflect on them personally.

OTHER GRAPHICThis graphic shows all the artists that have been signed to the ‘Young Money’ group. This graphic is effective as it reminds the audience of who ‘Young Money’ is and by having all of them displayed on the front cover this enhances the interest of the reader and there’s more chance that the reader would end up buying the magazine. This graphic was perhaps shown on the front magazine to also help the audience to familiarise themselves with the ‘Young Money’ group and to remind the audience that the magazine isn’t only about Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Drake. The graphic itself is situated on the bottom left of the magazine so that it is still visible but was probably placed there so that the audience cou;d focus on the main graphic. The artists themselves are standing in front of a white background which was a good choice so that the audience could focus on the group. Nevertheless the graphic also is displayed in a blue banner so again the audience could focus on the artists within the graphic and so that the colours would not be jarring to the eye.

EXTRA FEATURESHere are some features that I have noticed in the magazine:• Background – The background is a dark shade

of blue; this was probably chosen as the artists and the fonts can be seen clearer and generally conventions stand out better on darker backgrounds.

• Price/Barcode – This being situated on the bottom right of the page which is the normal place for the magazine and barcode to be. The magazine shows the price clearly so that the audience are not fooled.

• Small logos – These logos help to demonstrate what the titles mean such as the logo in between the young money title is a well known New York sign which could be the group was established. The microphone emphasises the behind the mic title and goes along with the colour scheme of the magazine.

HIP HOP CONNECTION

MASTHEADThe masthead for the magazine ‘Hip Hop ‘ is conveyed as being yellow and bold . A reason why the masthead is yellow and bold could be to attract the reader’s attention a yellow itself is one of the most boldest colours there is so this would make the magazine standout from other music magazine if it were to be placed on a shop shelf. The masthead is situated at the top of the magazine cover however takes up a lot of space of the magazine for the purpose that again the magazine would be noticeable when stacked with other magazines and so that the consumers of the magazine already would be able to recognise the magazine. Interesting enough within the main font f the masthead , the connection is placed on the ‘p’ of the ‘Hop’ and gives the effect of an engraving. I think this is effective because this isn’t the usual look for a magazine so this could also signify that they are trying to stand out from their competition and that they are not afraid to try out new things. The masthead also looks as if there is a shadow behind it which is obviously portrayed with the colour black. This was perhaps done to give the magazine a 3D look and to make the name of the magazine clearer for the audience to see.

SELLING LINEThe selling line of this magazine is ‘EXCLUSIVE FULL FRANTIC DEBUT CD’ which describes the CD placed on the bottom left of the magazine. The selling line font is white but has been placed in front of a black banner which makes the writing seem clearer and easier to read. It is normal for the main selling line to be put at the top of the magazine cover so this could depict that the magazine does follow the usual proceedings as if it was to be too different then it may end up not looking like a magazine at all. The selling line is the part of the magazine that basically promotes what it is inside or what freebies there are in that specific issue which in this case the selling would be promoting the freebie, this being the CD. Having a black banner at the top of the magazine is effective because now whatever colour (other than black) is placed on it, it automatically stands out and also the black goes with the colour scheme of the magazine.

MAIN IMAGEThe main image is of the band public enemy and interesting enough this is the only image displayed on the front cover therefore the magazine probably did this so that the audience could focus on who the band public enemy are entirely. The band are a Hip Hop/R&B band so it’s good that they linked the band with the same genre as it doesn’t confuse the reader. The main graphic, this being the two men within the graphic are placed right in the middle of the frame however the graphic actually takes up the whole cover of the magazine which is unusual but again this looks like a magazine that wants to be different than other magazines. One of the men seen in the graphic has been layered on top of the ‘H’ for ‘Hop’ but not so that the H is not recognisable, this was perhaps done because the magazine may not be famous enough for most of the masthead to be covered hence why only a little part of the masthead is covered by the man’s cap. Also the camera shot used for this graphic could be seen as a midshot because the frame only shows from their stomach upwards.

This show was used to show the expression of their faces which we can see no smiles at all which illustrates look as if they are ‘gangsters’ therefore show an attitude of not caring or that no other artists can mess with them. The shot also shows some body posture which would tie in with their ‘gangster’ look. The angle of gaze of these celebrities is looking towards the audience.

FONTThere are five different types of font on this magazine which isn’t considered as the usual amount for any magazine cover to have however it doesn’t make the magazine look cluttered or messy as all the fonts are either white, yellow or black which is the main colour scheme of the magazine. All font on this magazine cover has been capitalised which due to research and comparing to other magazines this capitalisation of words is normal on magazines that are dedicated to genres like these as it makes all the font stand out from the graphics and the backgrounds. One of the fonts is used for the masthead, however analysis isn’t needed as this has been done. Another of the fonts shown on the magazine cover is for ’88 TO ‘08: THE WORLD’S ORIGINAL RAP MAGAZINE’ which as we can tell is the slogan and has been placed underneath the masthead but also on the left hand side.

The font here is bold and black and of a small size so the font was probably made small and black so that the size wouldn’t matter and so that it would still be readable and noticeable on the magazine cover. Additionally on the magazine cover there is another font displayed which has been the most common used on the magazine and it’s for the coverlines, selling lines etc. This font was probably used the most as it is the one that grabs the reader’s attention more and could be generally what the editors usually use on all their ‘Hip Hop Connection’ magazines. The colours that this font is yellow and white which are bold colours in general. Another font is used for the title ‘public enemy’ which could be a font that the band use for all magazine interviews they do or the editors could have chosen this magazine as it is suppose to be one of the main titles seen first on the magazine. Lastly another font shown on the magazine is for the ‘No free CD ? Contact your newsagent’ which is small and look as if the audience wouldn’t need to read it because of how small it is,

COLOUR SCHEMEThe main colours for the colour scheme are black, white and yellow. These colour were probably chosen because they are all very bold colour and when placed together the do seem to tune each other down but have the effect to still remain quite bold. The colours on this magazine could also signify danger as in they could have cleverly made it seem as if the magazine was dangerous compared to others shown on the same shelf and this could leave the audience wanting to know more about the magazine and the content that it has. Again going back to the magazine colours being bold another clear reason that they picked this choice of colours is again so that their magazine will stand out so that the audience would end up buying their magazine instead of competitor magazines.

EXTRA PARTSHere are some extra things I noticed about this magazine:

• Puff words- These are words that boost the status which in this case would be the word ‘free’ and ‘exclusive’ which would grab the reader’s interest as they would be interested in the gift and they would want to know what is exclusive.

• Name of artists - These show that are maybe included within the magazine. Stating the names would broaden their audience as some of the audience may not like the band displayed within the middle of the page but they may like the artists that are shown below therefore would be increase their interest.