Genre Analysis

D.I.Y. Generic analysis

The following questions are offered as basic guidelines for students analysing their coursework in relation to genre. This is a potential question in Section B of your summer examination. Note that an analysis of a text which is framed exclusively in terms of genre may be of limited usefulness. Generic analysis can also, of course, involve studying the genre more broadly. This is something we simply don't have time to do in class so you will need to spend time outside of class doing this (although you will hopefully have done lots of this when planning your production).

General

1. In what context did you encounter it? (web, film, TV etc) - I encountered the Hip Hop genre because I listen to Hip Hop and RnB music.
2. What influence do you think this context might have had on your interpretation of the text - As I only listen to RnB music and Hip Hop I have had s biased approach to choosing the genre of music which my media product was made around, as opposed to choosing a song which I have no interest in.
3. To what genre did you initially assign the text? - I initially assigned my text to the Hip Hop and RnB genre.
4. What is your experience of this genre? - My experience I have with this is that i listen to this genre of music in my spare time, while revising, on long journeys and for entertainment purposes.
5. What subject matter and basic themes is the text concerned with? - The main theme of my magazine product was white and black, but also with a clean crisp element to it.
6. How typical of the genre is this text in terms of content? - Quite typical as I made my photography subject where similar clothes to those who actually perform in the genre of music and are part of the music industry.
7. What expectations do you have about texts in this genre? - For me this genre is all about how the artists portray themselves through their music. They also like to express their feelings through their music; this could be by rapping and roasting other rappers/artist in the process.
8. Have you found any formal generic labels for this particular text (where)? - One Generic label which I found for this particular text is Hip Hop.
9. What generic labels have others given the same text? - Some of the generic labels which others have given the same text is urban, mainly 'black people music' or a style of Hip Hop.
10. Which conventions of the genre do you recognize in the text? - One convention which I followed in my text is the way that the artist dressed. This is because it is similar to the way that the real artist dresses. This helps to give my text more of a realistic look.
11. To what extent does this text stretch the conventions of its genre? - One way in which I think that my text stretches the conventions of traditional music magazines is that I created a simple classic magazine layout
12. Where and why does the text depart from the conventions of the genre? - I think that I have departed from conventions is that my magazine is not as 'busy' as other typical music magazine are. This means that I have simplified the layout so that the reader can concentrate on the main attractions of the magazine. One of the reasons I did this because I didn't found it attractive or visually appealing to pack a load of information on the cover and also the main pages of the magazine.
13. Which conventions seem more like those of a different genre (and which genre(s))? – I took inspiration from a style magazine rather than actual Hip Hop music magazine. I also placed a British Asian spin on it, in how I have combined RnB and Hip Hop into a curated magazine. The font style I used as well as simple and elegant which you don’t seem to expect from a Hip Hop music magazine.
14. What familiar motifs or images are used? -  To make my product stand out from the rest, the pictures I used were unusual as it was a picture of the artist pulling a face. This for me instantly grabs the attention of readers as it is different to normal artist portraits which have been featured on front covers of magazines.
15. Which of the formal/stylistic techniques employed are typical/untypical of the genre? - The clean/simple/and white layout which I chose to go with is typical of most magazines as it helps present the rest of the magazine professionally. It helps to focus the reader’s attention from the actual magazine (including the layout) to the content itself instead as it is white and not very interesting.
16. What institutional constraints are reflected in the form of the text? – I have no constraints when making this piece of work because I had freedom to make it how I wanted to.
17. What relationship to 'reality' does the text lay claims to? -  As I have used a white background and a simple black text on white layout it provides the media text with a professional look and also the pictures I used and the way that I have placed/used them provides the text with a realistic look to the magazine as a result of this.
18. Whose realities does it reflect? – A young British, black African city dweller.
19. What purposes does the genre serve? - It helps as it reflect current issues "Keep in mind when brothas start flexing the verbal skillz, it always reflects what's going on politically, socially, and economical/y." --Musician Davey D
20. In what ways are these purposes embodied in the text? – The purposes are embodied by the underlined theme excitement and ambition.
21. To what extent did your purposes match these when you engaged with the text? – I think that the way the I have create my magazine is innovative as I have created a new kind of style of music magazine which is good looking, elegant and yet delivers what the audience wants.
22. What ideological assumptions and values seem to be embedded in the text? – I feel like my text is innovative as I think that I have used my alternative perspective as a British Asian to put a spin on the text and therefore I consider it to be artistry in its own right.
23. What pleasures does this genre offer to you personally? -  When I listen to music I like the beat and the way which the artist rap or sing the lyrics.
24. What pleasures does the text appeal to (and how typical of the genre is this)? – One pleasure that the text appeal to is that people who like this type of music can relate to the actual artists and also can be associated with them which can help ones image as a person.
25. Did you feel 'critical or accepting, resisting or validating, casual or concentrated, apathetic or motivated' (and why)?
26. Which elements of the text seemed salient because of your knowledge of the genre? -  For me this was the front cover because it is the main attraction of my media product. It catches people’s attention due to the unusual that I used.
27. What predictions about events did your generic identification of the text lead to (and to what extent did these prove accurate)? – N/A
28. What inferences about people and their motivations did your genre identification give rise to (and how far were these confirmed)? -
29. How and why did your interpretation of the text differ from the interpretation of the same text by other people?  - One reason why my interpretation of my text differs from other people’s interpretations is that I like to think I was creative and innovative with my product, combing two types of magazine into one. I like to think that I put a British Asian spin on the product by using inspiration from a style magazine and a Music Hip Hop magazine. For me this quote "The making of the new and the re arranging of the old" by Bentley in 1997 says it all. This is because for me I think that creativity can be interpreted in different ways, by different people, it is not just an art form.

Mode of address

1. What sort of audience was your text aimed at (and how typical was this of the genre)? - My text was aimed at 16-24 year olds (male and female) and this is quite typical due to the genre. as they aim for a mature young adult but it can appeal to more people than this. 
2. How does the text address your classmates? - It address my classmates thorough picture and text 
3. What sort of person does it assume they are? -  Someone who prefers RnB and Hip Hop genre
4. What assumptions have you made about their class, age, gender and ethnicity? - They will be male and female between the ages of 16-24
5. What interests does it assume they have? - Interests in RnB and Hip Hop music and also knowledge of rappers and artists. Also interested in their lives.
6. What relevance does the text actually have for you? - How I would imagine a magazine created by me would look.
7. What knowledge does it take for granted? - It takes for granted that the audience have knowledge of the artist, the lyrics which are spoken and the instruments being played.
8. To what extent do you resemble the 'ideal reader' that the text seeks to position you as? - I have an interest in RnB and Hip Hop music and I am knowledgeable about the style of music which is produced, and the types of music which is influential on them.
9. Are there any notable shifts in the text's mode of address (and if so, what do they involve)? - No.
10. What responses does the text seem to expect from your audience? - That the audience has an interest in RnB and Hip Hop music.
11. How open to negotiation is their response (are they invited, instructed or coerced to respond in particular ways)? - It is as if the audience is instructed to respond in a particular way because it is purely a music magazine.
12. Is there any penalty for not responding in the expected ways (think in terms of enjoyment for the audience or consequences for the institution)? - No, because there is no purpose to the music magazine other than entertainment.
13. To what extent did people find themselves 'reading against the grain' of the text and the genre? – I assume that most people think that he is a typical rapper which had the ‘typical’ back story of ‘living rough,’ but that doesn't have to be the case.
14. Which attempts to position your audience in this text do they accept, reject or seek to negotiate (and why)? – I believe that the music magazine is up for negotiation as some conventions could be questionable.
15. How closely aligned is the way in which the text addresses you with the way in which the genre positions you (Kress 1988, 107)? – I feel that the music magazine matches the genre and the type of music that the artist mentioned, and the style of the artist very well. I also feel as though my artist who in pictures on the front cover is styled in such a way that it can be questioned about his musical career.

Relationship to other text

1. What intertextual references are there in the text you have created (and to what other texts)? - There are no intertextual references.  
2. Generically, which other texts does the text you created resemble most closely? - The Fader Magazine and Wired.
3. What key features are shared by these texts? - They are a Hip Hop music magazine/lifestyle magazine.
4. What major differences do you notice between them? - The style of writing which I have incorporated into the magazine and also the layout of the product, as it is more ‘sophisticated.’