Musical Genre 'Rhythm and Blues'

Rhythm and Blues, or as it is now more commonly known, R 'n' B, was created by African-Americans in the late 1940s to early 1950s. It was a way of escapism for the African slaves, who found singing about their lifestyle and treatment as some sort of comfort. This is where the term 'blues' stems from, referring to the feelings of those behind the songs. R 'n' B was heavily considered as 'black music' in the early stages of its development and has been marketed towards young, black African-Americans.

Rhythm was then introduced to make the songs more upbeat and less of an emotional strain for the listener. In the 1960s, R 'n' B contributed to the development of 'Rock 'n' Roll' and was used to describe to other music styles such as electric blues, gospel and soul. By the 1970s the term 'R 'n' B' had developed further and became a blanket term for soul and funk music.

As well as 'R 'n' B' a sub-genre has been created called 'Contemporary R 'n' B.' This developed in the 1990s and refers to the modern soul and funk influenced pop music. 'R 'n' B' is a very wide and diverse genre of music that is popular amongst all people and is the highest selling music style out there.

Facts

Stylistic Origins:

Jazz

Blues

Jump Blues

Traditional Pop

Gospel

Cultural Origins: USA, 1940s

Instruments:

Drum Kit

Double Bass

Saxophone

Horns

Piano-organ

Electric Guitar

Vocals/background vocalists

Derivative Forms:

Reggae

Ska

Doo-wop

Rock 'n' Roll

Funk

Hip-Hop

Soul

Electro

Robert palmer on Rhythm and Blues: "A catchall term referring to any music that was made by and for black Americans."

Music Magazines

King Magazine was a monthly men's magazine with a demographic geared towards African-American and Urban audiences. It featured articles about Hip-Hop and R'n' B music, alongside pictures of such stars, who also graced the front covers. The magazine was published by Harris Publications and was a spin off of 'XXL.' Although successful, with more online searches than 'Newsweek' and 'Reader's Digest,' it ceased publication in March, 2009.

The magazine was well known for its photo shoots of models and well known musicians or actresses. Musicians regularly graced the covers, with the most recent being R 'n' B star Christina Milian. The cover sometimes featured successful rappers, most of which female, such as Trina, Keyshia Cole, Rocsi and Melyssa Ford. The magazine was dubbed 'The Black Maxim' and its editor was Jermaine Hall.

The Situation is an online music magazine that covers US and UK Hip-Hop, R 'n' B and Garage news. It contains interviews, videos, reviews, nightclub listings and the latest entertainment news from the music world. The home page features stars such as Jay-Z, Nas, Rihanna, Fabolous and Robin Thicke.

The site contains top 10 charts in Hip-Hop, R ;n; B and Reggae that the audiences can listen to. The stars they're promoting include Lil Wayne, Beyonce, Ashanti, The Game, Sean Paul, Ciara and Snoop Dogg. It also contains extensive reviews of new albums, a lot of which come from the R 'n' B genre.

The fall of King Magazine left a hole in the market for another similar print product. However, the changes in technology and how audiences receive information has changed greatly since the introduction of these magazines. It is now more popular for information to be received via the internet, hence The Situation being an online magazine. This technological convergence is a smart and easy way to appeal to the demographic, as young audiences' are more inclined to search for entertainment gossip online.

Record Company - DefJam Recordings

• US based Hip-Hop label owned by Universal Music Group
• Part of Island Def Jam Music Group
• Has a base in the UK, Def Jam UK through Mercury Music Group
• Founded in 1884 by Rick Rubin
• Rubin later joined forces with Russell Simmons
• First single release was 'It's Yours' by T La Rock and Jazzy Jay
• Releases by LL Cool J and The Beastie Boys sold well and Def Jam landed a distribution deal with Colombia Records
• AA year after this deal a subsidiary label, OBR Records, was created to cater towards R 'n' B artists
• In 1994, PolyGram purchased a 50% stake in Def Jam recordings after it came into financial troubles
• Warren G's, 'Regulate...G Funk Era' was released and went triple platinum, reviving the company
• In 1997 they struck a distribution deal with Roc-A-Fella Records, making Hip-Hop artist Jay-Z its central star
• In 1998, PolyGram sold its shares in the company, which was then merged into Universal Music Group
• UMG became the sole owners of Def Jam Recordings after buying Russell Simmons stake and formed The Island Def Jam Music Group
• Def Jam still worked separately under its new president Kevin Liles and in 1999 it created a spin off label, Def Soul Records
• Def Soul's artists included Dru Hill, Sisqo, Montell Jordan, Case and Christina Millian
• The label also began distributing releases by Murder Inc. Records with artists Ja Rule, Ashanti, Lloyd and Vita
• The following year Def Jam South was created with signed successful rap artists such as, Chingy, Ludacris and Bobby Valentino
• In 2002, Def Soul was absorbed into its Def Jam parent. A year later Murder Inc. was involved in a money laundering investigation, involving illegal profits from the drug trade
• In 2005 Murder Inc. was released from its distribution contract
• Roc-A-Fella Records was sold to the company in 2004, by which time it had launched the career of producer turned rapper Kanye West
• A bidding war for Jay-Z's contract began and new president of The Island Def JAm Music Group, L.A.Reid appointed Jay-Z president and CEO of Def JAm
• Jay-Z launched new and successful acts, such as contemporary R 'n' B singers Rihanna and Ne-Yo. However, he was made to step down in 2007 and continue in the label as a recording artist only

Def Jam Recordings is an appropriate label for our artist because it caters to the genre of music we have chosen. Although Def JAm is a Hip-Hop label, it also represents R 'n' B artists, such as Rihanna and Ne-Yo. Hip-Hop music is also a subsidiary to the genre of R 'n' B, so it is an obvious choice as a recording label.

It is always representing up and coming artists from the world of R 'n' B like Jeremih and The Dream. Its success over the years has been huge, with platinum selling artists and star names, like Hip-Hop legend, Jay-z. Its success in the future is without question, as stars just keep signing to the label. Our artist would tick all the correct criteria for being a Def Jam artist and would inevitably gain huge success.

New Releases

The Dream: 'Love Vs. Money'

Rick Ross: 'Deeper Than Rap'

Jeremih: 'Birthday Sex'

Chrisette Michele: 'Epiphany'

Music Channel 4Music

4Music

4Music is a music channel on digital television and the only channel in The Box Television Network to be branded under Channel 4. It replaced previous music channel The Hits and

broadcasts 24 hours a day, to cater to a wider audience at any time of the day. It plays a number of music programmes such as:

· Today’s 4Muisc Top 10

· The 4Music Buzz Chart

· 4Music Big Ones

· This Week’s 4Music Top 20

· 4Music Hits

· Hit 40 UK

· The UK Airplay Top 20

· The Month With Miquita

· Orange Unsigned Act

· From The Beginning

· Six Steps

· The Versus Chart

· 4Music Doubles

4Muisc Quote: “We’re here to bring you closer to the music you love- be it through the latest video exclusives, live performances, interviews, documentaries or festival coverage.”

4Music, with the help of Channel 4, also broadcast music-orientated programmes, such as Live from Abbey Road, 4Music presents, The Shockwaves Album Chart, Vodafone TBA and Transmissions with T-Mobile. The presenters who front these programmes are widely recognizable and popular faces amongst C4 viewers like Miquita Oliver, Alexa Chung, George Lamb, Steve Jones and Nick Grimshaw.

Schedule

Monday: Freshly Squeezed

Tuesday: UK Airplay Top 20

Wednesday: Friday Night Project

Thursday: One Night Stand

Friday: Shockwaves Album Chart

Saturday: Hit 40 UK

Sunday: Live Concerts

4Music is a very diverse music channel, which shows a wide range of music including our chosen genre of R ‘n’ B. The latest play list created for the channel is a dance and R ‘n’ B entry, showcasing tunes such as, ‘No Air,’ by Jordin Sparks and ‘When I Grow Up,’ by the Pussycat Dolls.

Like its sister channels, C4 and E4, 4Music is targeted at a young, modern audience, which is obvious by the music and music-programmes shown. The songs that are broadcast are new and found in all the British music charts, so would be known and liked by a modern audience. This fits in with our intended audience, who are young R ‘n’ B lovers between the ages of 16 and 24.

Textual Analysis: Music Videos - Ne-yo

Ne-yo: 'So Sick'

Ne-yo’s video to his song ‘So Sick’ begins with an image of mountains, to symbolise the peaceful and soulful diachronic sound before the lyrics start. The image is split into three sections, with the middle section changing to show his face and a woman’s, of which the song is about. The image is constantly moving at a fast pace with quick flashes of human form and Ne-yo’s name in a bold, white font. This theme continues, as the lyrics start, with a continuous image of the singer and other images that refer to the lyrics e.g. a phone. There is also a close up of the female who stars in the video just before shots of the two of them together fighting. The three that the video is split into is not only the backdrop for snowy mountains but of the singer himself, highlighting his importance in the frame. The costume is in keeping with the location and backdrop, as the pair are in white, which could symbolise happier times together of which Ne-yo is remembering and singing about. Ne-yo is in the majority shot alone in simple locations, such as outside in the snow or in an open plan home. The video is on the whole shot in black and white but when images of the woman character appears, the mid-section becomes colourful with flashing lights, to symbolise happiness and excitement. The flashbacks he has when remembering this woman are of happy and loving times, with them playing in the snow, kissing and her smiling. When the song gets more upbeat and emotional, Ne-yo is seen gesturing along to the words and dancing, which is common within R ‘n’ B videos. Another code and convention of an R ‘n’ B music video is having a sexy image, which this at times portrays. Ne-yo is shot holding and kissing the female counterpart, who is dressed provocatively in a leopard print bustier.

Textual Analysis: CD Covers

Usher: Here I Stand

Black and white background with name of artsist and album in red font

• Artist in the forefront of the frame showing dominance and importance
• Medium close-up to highlight facial expressions, costume and gesture
• Casual, street costume complete with sunglasses to add mystery and enforce celebrity status
• Image of a vintage sports car in background to show power, wealth and style
• Usher is symbolic of the title of the album as he is standing before the prop of a car, referring to the album being about him as a more mature artist; connoting the transition from young R 'n' B star complete with gimmicks and dance moves.

Keri Hilson: In a Perfect World

Keri Hilson's album, 'In a Perfect World,' again features a sexy and striking image of the artist. Keri is pictured in a big, vintage style chair that reflects her style and takes up the majority of the frame connoting power and importance. She is dressed in a short, provocative costume along with leopard print tights, showing a wild, animalistic side. The title of the album indicates that the world is imperfect and

her music can change that. Instead of the sky and sea being blue they are purple and pink with the sun breaking through to create a colourful, abstract and beautiful image. The name of the artist and album are in a large and bright font capturing the audiences' attention. The font is made up of lights indicating that Keri Hilson is a true star and deserves attention and celebrity status.

Chris Brown: Exclusive

The forever edition of Chris Brown's album 'Exclusive' shows the star posing as if he's a Hollywood action hero, surrounded

by carnage and city buildings. The realistic surroundings are in black and white, with Chris Brown and the albums title are in colour, drawing attention towards them both. He is dressed in red and black, which connote danger, passion and most importantly power. His suit jacket is flung over his shoulder to create a more casual look and the representation of being a superhero. The font is young and street, which is geared towards the target audience. The 'X' in 'Exclusive' is in a larger font to connote that Chris Brown has the X Factor and this album represents the star he has become.

Rihanna: Good Girl Gone Bad

The cover for 'Good Girl one Bad'

by Rihanna again features a striking image of the artist, who is shot in the centre of the frame. The cover is also in black and white, creating an image of old Hollywood glamour, which is ironic considering the title of the album. Rihanna is in a figure hugging dress and seen posing provocatively towards the camera. In R 'n ' B image and celebrity status sells the album and this is all about Rihanna! Her name covers the width of the cover and is in a large, masculine and colourful point to attract immediate attention. At the time this album was released Rihanna was already a household name and her name alone will sell records.

Mariah Carey: E=MC2

The latest album by starlet Ma

riah Carey depicts a typically sexy image of the star, reinforcing her fame and diva like status.

The background is black and represents a school

chalk board with the scientific equation of E=MC2 in a large font as the name of the album.

Mariah's name is again the focus of the album and covers the whole width of it in a large, bold and pink font. The colour represents Mariah's femininity, girlie nature and who the target audience of her album is. Having a dark, plain background makes the font stand out even more, just like Mariah does in the music industry. As well as the other album covers in the R 'n' B genre, E=MC2 is simple and contains an image of the artist and their name as the focus and main selling point.

Ne-Yo: Perfect Gentleman

This is the cover for Ne-Yo's album 'Year of the Gentleman.' The artist is depicted in the frame as a gentleman-like figure through costume and props, such as his trilby hat. He is dressed in a smart and expensive looking pin-striped suit to connote wealth, power and his classic style. His trademark hat is placed over his eyes to create an air of mystery and a clear view of his infamous prop. His name is in a large and bold font, as it's his album and his name, not entirely the image, will sell it. The surroundings are simple and quite rustic, which again reinforce an old school gentlemanly image and Ne-Yo's musical stylings.

Audience Profile

Image

Name: Catherine Fitzmaurice
Age: 17
Genre: R 'n' B
Favourite Artist: Chipmunk/Beyonce
Music Magazine: Prefers reading online: TheSituation.co.uk
Favourite Channel: 4Music
Favourite video: Rihanna, 'Unfaithful.'
This is the type of person we will be aiming our video and print products at and by listening to their likes and dislikes, produce a successful final product people want to see.

Target Demographic

Age: 16-24

Gender: Female

Genre: R 'n' B

Music Channel: 4Music

A video that appeals to and reflects the lives led by this demographic, led by a narrative structure formed upon relationships and image.