8/4/2019 Otis by Kanye West and Jay-Z

1/4

Dale Luck Otis A2 Media Studies

Tom Cartwright by Kanye West and Jay-Z Coursework

1

Features Observations Examples

Genre Characteristics This is mainly just a

performance video Kanye and

Jay-Z sing the song into the

camera interspersed by shotsof them driving a car they

mutilate at the beginning

Relationship Between Lyrics

and Visuals

The lyrics are essentially all lip

synced by the two rappers,

even the part of the song that

they arent actually singing.

At the beginning when Jay-Z lip

syncs the other guys voice and

then sings into the camera

Sounds so soulful dont you

agree

Every other part of the song

Relationship Between Music

and Visuals

The pacing of the song perfectly

matches the pacing of the

actual video

The slow pacing of the video

during the opening

The car scenes that arent too

fast or slow, and the rapping

parts

Artist close-ups and star image

motifs

The stars are often by

themselves in their shots,

especially when theyre singing,

and theyre the main focus

Jay-Z saluting the flag whilst lip-

syncing

Kanye walking in front of Jay-Z

when hes lip-syncing

Reference to the notion of

looking

The only idea of looking at

things is probably the openingwhere theyre cutting the car

and focusing on the tools

The rest is structured to be like

theyre the ones being focused

on by others

The opening

All the shots of the car and

them lip-syncing are all as if

from a camera, and has the

people focusing their attention

at the camera as well

Intertextual references n/a n/a

Video category(/ies) Illustration

8/4/2019 Otis by Kanye West and Jay-Z

2/4

Dale Luck Otis A2 Media Studies

Tom Cartwright by Kanye West and Jay-Z Coursework

2

Why did you choose the text you are analysing?

Its a nice example of a straight-performance video with a few elements of creativity, and is actually

a pretty good song as well. The video is also a good example of how a performance video can keep

you interested despite a small number of things actually happening.

In what context did you encounter it?

Dale found it whilst reading an article on digital distribution and counter-acting piracy. The album for

Watch The Throne was released online exclusively to iTunes 4 days before the release of its physical

side, and it was also released as a Deluxe Edition with exclusive songs. It was one of the few albums

in recent years to avoid a leak before its release, which increased the number of sales.

What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text?

We think it probably made us appreciate the song and video a lot more, beyond just being

something entertaining, but really there isnt much there to interpret and we dont think it changed

our view of it that much.

Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text?

The illustration genre often has the lyrics being a straight performance or having a narrative element

to them this has both, with the song being sung to the audience directly by Kanye and Jay-Z oncamera, but at the same time showing them driving a car which links to the song where they sing

about doing just that (not in the exact same fashion, but its still basically connected).

To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre?

It stretches the conventions of keeping it simple rather than simply being a performance or

narrative video it takes some creative interpretation with the setting and use of the lyrics, so in that

sense its actually more like amplification than illustration, and yet does enough sole performance to

keep it classed as illustration.

Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre?

It takes a creative view of the lyrics rather than just being a straight interpretation they sing about

more than just their car, and they do a lot more with it in the lyrics than just riding around for fun,

but the video chooses to focus on that and their performance alone.

8/4/2019 Otis by Kanye West and Jay-Z

3/4

Dale Luck Otis A2 Media Studies

Tom Cartwright by Kanye West and Jay-Z Coursework

3

What sort of audience did you feel that the video was aimed at (and how typical was this of the

genre/style of music)?

It was probably aimed at people who were already into either the music of Jay-Z or Kanye West, as it

sort of plays off the idea that theyre already stars, and Jay-Z has certain lines like I guess I got myswagger back which presumes some knowledge of Jay-Zs previous works.

What sort of person does it assume you are?

It assumes youre the kind of person that is into Kanyes previous works his music videos and his

songs are often known for being very creative rather than the usual video of this kind of music that

consists of stuff like being at a party, getting drunk and getting laid.

What assumptions seem to be made about your class, age, gender and ethnicity?

Its safe to assume its aimed more at the male gender, young adults of working class and potentially

middle class. The ethnicity isnt really assumed, as this kind of music tends to be enjoyed by a lot of

different people. A lot more males than females like this kind of music though, and Kanyes work

isnt really something that older people tend to appreciate as much.

What interests does it assume you have?

It probably assumes that youre into their previous work, especially Kanye West it has that flairthats very specific to his kind of music while at the same time mixing in the style of Jay-Z as well. Its

a pretty fantastic collaboration of the two, but if you werent into either of them before you

probably wouldnt be interested if you heard they collaborated.

What relevance does the text actually have for you?

What knowledge does it take for granted?

To what extent do you resemble the ideal reader that the video seeks to position you as?

Neither of us represents the ideal reader, as this kind of music isnt the sort that we listen to

regularly thats not to say it wasnt enjoyable, but Tom prefers to listen to rock music and Dale

prefers to listen to older music and background music.

8/4/2019 Otis by Kanye West and Jay-Z

4/4

Dale Luck Otis A2 Media Studies

Tom Cartwright by Kanye West and Jay-Z Coursework

4

Are there any notable shifts in the videos (and if so, what do they involve)?

Theres a notable shift between the style used during the opening where the voice of Otis Redding

can be heard and... after that part. The beginning consists mainly of slow paced music and the

singing of Otis whilst Jay-Z and Kanye head towards the car to customize it, which is itself in slowmotion and the content is also slow paced (e.g. walking and working), whereas after that the music

picks up and the content gets faster (e.g. the fast moving car and the two of them singing into the

camera) whilst still remaining in slow motion for the vast majority of it.

What responses does the video seem to expect from you?

The video expects you to be entertained by the imagery, which you can see from the fact that

theres no deep meaning to whats being shown its just them singing and having fun driving a car

and shooting fireworks (?), themselves visibly entertained.

How open to negotiation is your response (are you invited, instructed or coerced to respond in

particular ways)?

Just like the other music videos, this one has the sole purpose of keeping you entertained, and

theres very little else there to focus on. Everything in it is there to engage the viewer and keep it

entertaining, from talking to the camera constantly to showing them ecstatically driving the car.

Theres very little else there, and youd be hard tasked to try and get a different response from this

video.

Is there any penalty for not responding in the expected ways?

Just like the Professor Green video, if you arent entertained by this video then youre probably

going to be disappointed or bored by the video, but again its a video that remains visually

stimulating throughout and itd be hard to at least not be interested in what its showing.

To what extent do you find yourself reading against the grain of the text and the genre?

Not at all with such a sole focus on entertainment theres very little to aid you in misinterpreting

whats happening.

How typical do you think this video is of music videos?

Its very common for music videos to be constructed around just keeping you entertained

throughout it