If you are to observe the mainstream or commercial rap music videos today, you will notice that they are actually focusing on the rapper’s accumulated wealth and property such as houses, cars, jewelry, and women. This is the trend today, otherwise known as the “booty video” which portrays the video’s overwhelming representation of women’s steriors, particularly those of black, Latina, and racially ambiguous women. This highlights culturally specific preference by men of color for a curvy body type.
To tell from where and since when this booty video trend started will raise too much debate, so we’ll just tackle two underlying assumptions wherein this “booty video” formula is based.
First, the music videos aim to display extreme wealth which symbolizes status and authority. The lyrics and visual imagery are all about the linguistic and sexual bravado of rappers who are majority black males. This represents how rappers present their ability to out throw one another, ego-stoking, to access the hottest women and to acquire the most money. Lastly, to dominate in the rap game, in return means more album sales and public exposure.
Second, the booty video concept depends on how a particular femininity is represented that will lead how the masculine identities of rappers and video directors are identified. This concept raises the question of whether the overwhelming display of women’s bodies is a requisite component in developing self-promotion and their genre of music.
In general, music videos are one of the primary sources on how urban sensibility is maintained but this is also one site to evaluate, criticize and to scrutinize the individuals behind the production, marketing, and consumption of rap music (music video directors, casting directors, video girls, record label executives, assistants, music industry research analysts, and record producers).
This is how music videos are composed combination of concepts surrounding black masculinity, gender performance, and women’s labor. Some are focused on creative process in music video production and artist marketing and also on how images mages are created, including a discussion of the links among audience reception, creative control, and artistic freedom.
