Thursday 10 October 2013

Critical Investigation

Working title

Grime time: Do artist such as Chipmunk & Wiley suggest urban music has reached the mainstream?

Angle

What Impact are Grime Artist now having on the music world which allows them to break into the mainstream. Will Grime artist continue to break into the mainstream or does the label mainstream stay with the artists over a short period time. 

Hypothesis

Are major record labels now looking for original artists who are able to write their own music, will they find this through Grime artists. Will their be more Grime artists soon breaking into the mainstream such as Krept and Konan, However once these artists have reached a certain level will they not be able to build upon that such as, K Koke who was dropped by one of the biggest labels in the world (Roc Nation). Is this due to the pressure of the shoes the artist have been given to fill in such little time. 

Linked production piece

My Linked production piece will be Wiley Feat Chipmunk - Reload. The reason i have chosen this is because these two artist were the first Grime Artist to take Grime into the mainstream. Also this song represents the change Grime artist take when they are arrive in the mainstream, such as the change of lifestyle and their sound. 

MIGRAIN

  • How is the audience positioned in relation to the narrative?
I believe that the audience will be able to relate to both Chipmunk And Wiley. This is because most grime audience are not only listen to grime music but they are also making their own Grime music, therefore I believe that this would then encourage them to think they are able to successful. Furthermore the target audience are able to relate to the artists as, most Grime artist come from council estates which would also be where majority of where their fan base comes from. 

  • What is the role of such features as music genre, sound, mise-en-scene, etc within the narrative? 
The music genre of the production i have chosen is Grime and Hip hop. This connotes the difference when Grime artist step up to the mainstream, this would then relate to the sound as Grime artist are needed to change their sound when breaking into the mainstream in order to fit in and attract a expand their fan base. The mise-en-scene also relate change of Grime artists breaking into the mainstream as, the clothing they are wearing is designer and they are set to be in a club. This then connotes the change of lifestyle the artist have once moving into the mainstream. 

  • Who owns and controls the institution concerned and does this matter?
The unique situation of a Grime artist is they are able to control what they produced. For example what genre of music they produce, what mise-en-scene will be contained in the video and what lyrics they want to write in order to send a message out on a topic they feel strong about at the time. However the production i have chosen is owned by Scribz, Who are a record label who have also signed British artists such as Misha B. 

SHEP

  • My topic will be focusing on whether British Urban music has made it into the mainstream. My main focus will be on Wiley and Chipmunk as they were the first artist to take Grime music into the mainstream. 
  • My topic will also contain whether Grime music is now becoming more popular and whether the mainstream are now looking for original artist who produce and write their own material, and how they have control over their own music. 
  • Furthermore i was also be discussing the heights a Urban artist can hit when in the mainstream, for example are they able to adopt to the mainstream genre of being more Hip Hop, also can they deliver what is wanted regularly. 
  • My essay will also contain the Urban artists which have leaped into the mainstream and the artists who are becoming more into the mainstream, for example the change of their sound. one artist this would relate to is Krept and Konan. 
  • Moreover my topic will also discuss whether British Artist are able to display their skills in the US as, that is where all artist aim to get once getting into the mainstream. 
Issues/Debates

Representation and stereotyping

The representation and stereotyping would contain that all Grime Artists would be black males who are from a council estate. Furthermore Grime artist would also be stereotyped to be selling drugs and being involved with violence and gangs. This then creates a moral panic within the media as they believe that someone like this can not be a role model to young people as, they would encourage them to do wrong. However another representation which is shown in the music video is the change of the lives of the artist once they have moved into the mainstream. The change being that they are now able to afford everything they want and are living in one big party. You see this through the mise-en-scene and the music video. 

Moral Panics

The whole Urban music on a whole brings a moral panic towards the public as, they see Grime music to be rough people who are in gangs and cause trouble after dark. They also believe that they belong to council estates which they then automatically believe they are not doing anything else with their life. However artist like WIley and Chipmunk represent these young audience as they are there to prove that they are using music to make themselves a life and open doors for younger artists to come through. Furthermore where they come from music is what everyone has in common and with makes them relate to one another. 

Ownership and control

The one difference between Grime artists and the made mainstream artists are that, the Grime artists are able to own and control their own music. Grime artists make their own beat and supply lyrics which are meaningful to them at that certain time, whereas the Mainstream artist and given the lyrics to learn and provide them on a ready made beat. Therefore as Grime artist make their own music, videos and upload them mainly  themselves on their own channels they are then in full control. However when artist move up to the mainstream they are not able to provide the material which would allow them to be present for a long period of time such as, K Koke. 

Media technology and the digital revolution – changing technologies in the 21st century


The change in technology has a large role to play in whether Grime artists are able to stay successful and keep their fan base. The E media platform is the most beneficial platform for an artist to use in order to promote themselves. This would be Youtube, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. One benefit they would claim form this would be the user generated content they would receive from their fans, in order to find out if what they are doing is working or not. Furthermore in order to a Grime Artist to get promoted they would need to regularly bring music out which is appealing towards the audience  as, this then allows the audience to tell their friends via social media, which would then attract the attention from the right people. 

 Media effects

 Theories

Contemporary Media Landscape

The topic i am studying is whether British urban artist have found themselves moving more into the mainstream rankings rather then creating their own music and posting it online. This is mainly due to an artist being recognized and then being signed. Furthermore once this artist collaborates with another they then allow the upcoming artist to becoming recognized. I believe this fits in the media as, this allows the media to see a different prospective of these artists and where they come from. This would then relate back to the moral panic which is provided by news reports which provide us with this moral panic that we believe as, we have not yet seen a positive outcome from someone who is from there. Furthermore by Grime artists becoming more mainstream this then allows them to become more recognized and therefore enabling the audience to listen to their story. Furthermore Grime music has a wide range audience therefore i believe that by taking Grime music into the mainstream this will allow more people to get involved and be able to come across talent. 

Genre theories/ ethnicity

The gender my topic will be focusing on would be mainly males. This is due to the fact that males are more into Grime music as, they enjoy making the music themselves and traditionally Grime artists have mainly be male. However recently their have been female Urban artists which have come out such as, Misha B who was a contestant on the x factor. Therefore i believe the more female artists their are this would then allow British Urban music to create a female fan base as well as a male one. Moreover i believe this would mainly be done through Grime music being taking into the mainstream as this would catch the attention of many people who would then start to take Grime music seriously, and want to develop it. The ethnicity that my essay would be targtted at would not contain of one ethnicity.the reason for this is Grime music have originated from North and South of London, around these areas their are a mixture of ethnicity which then allows them all the relate to one another through Grime music as it would speak about their own lives. Furthermore the stereotype ethnicity audience would be a black male as, due to the moral panic which is created the representation of Black males is that they live on council estates and are part of gangs. 

Audience theories

The audience my topic will be targeted at would be teenagers/young adults. The reason for this would be that they are the main target audience as they would know of and listen to Grime music. My audience would contain people from council estates. The reason for this is that the artist themselves were from council estates therefor this then gives the younger audience a role model to believe they can achieve better in life as they are able to relate to the artist. Furthermore my audience would contain highly of youngsters who are making their own music the reason for this is, the audience for Grime music mainly contains of people who enjoy making music and are inspired by the Grime artists. 

 Colonialism and Post-colonialism

 Alvarado race and ethnicity theory in 1987 suggests there are four type's of representation for members of the black community. 
  • Humorous comedians - such as Lenny Henry and Kevin hart 
  • Exotics - such as Beyonce 
  • The dangerous - being who is portrayed in news and documentaries reports of black inner-city gangs and Gun crimes  
  • The pitied - such as comic relief where we see African being pitied. 
This theory would be in relation to my topic as, Alvarados race and ethnicity theory of "The Dangerous" would be directed towards audiences such as black males from council estates. This would also relate to the hypodermic needle theory which is the media injecting information into the audiences head. One example of this was the 2011 riots. When the riots had taken place the media were putting the blame towards council estate teenagers, also stereotyping them as black males. Therefore this relates to my topic as the main artist I will be looking are Chipmunk and Wiley who are both originated from council estates, therefore the media then labelling them in the same category. Furthermore the audience then automatically create a moral panic of them. 

 Moreover another theory which would relate to my topic would be Fanon's theory in 1952 of "Putting on a white mask". This theory was originated back in the 1950 when black males and females would wear a white mask. This would then be done as it would be the only time the blacks would be able to be treated equal to the whites. Otherwise the whites would also be more dominant to the blacks. This would then relate to my topic as both artists I will be looking at are both black males. therefore they then represents the fact that black males being able to be given the same rights as not only the whites but, every race and ethnicity. 

 Research plan (media texts, academic texts and websites)

Media texts
My Main focus text will be WIley Ft Chipmunk - Reload 

Other media texts
  • K Koke Ft rita Ora - Lay Down Your Weapons 
  • Chipmunk Ft - Meek Mills - Pizza Boy 
  • Krept and Konan - Too Young 
  • Krept and Konan My story 
  • Yungen - Off the record     
TV documentaries

Academic texts/books 
  • Don't Call Me Urban The Time Of Grime (28th October 2010)

"Don't Call Me Urban!" is the definitive contemporary documentary record exploring one of the biggest social issues in the UK - drug use, the wayward behavior of deprived black (and white) youth - it is the only book to give an unbiased account of a significant and vibrant genre of music in the UK and abroad" 

 Internet Links

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