Hip Hop/Rap music video analysis: 99 Problems- Jay Z

The first most noticeable thing about this video is the grey colour scheme. This fits right into the hip hop/rap genre and instantly suggests this song is going to have some sort of deep meaning/message about it. It is also good to note that a lot of Jay Z's songs have the same sort of feel to them, with some form of nostalgia or some story to tell from the past. This could be a use of intertextuality as it is a common theme throughout a lot of Jay Z's music. This fits into the Goodwin theory that nearly all music videos contain intertextuality.

There are quite frequent references to the slum life that a lot of people had to go through as a child, something which Jay Z also frequently references throughout all of his music. A shot of a man holding a gun and a child wearing a balaclava are the first signs of this sort of "ghetto" lifestyle which many endured. The setting of the majority of the video is also a reference to this as most of it is rundown buildings and squalid looking houses.

One of the typical conventions of a music video is ever present in this one. This is where there are lots of close ups of the main artist in order to emphasise who the attention should be on and to create more awareness of who the artist is for people who have never listened to their music before.

Throughout the video there is also evidence of the racial tension which existed in these ghetto type areas. This is particularly noticeable during the policeman scene.

There are also lots of moments in this video where women are sexualised purely for the male viewers. The "male gaze" theory is clearly in use here. This is a very common convention for this genre of music so it is unsurprising that it features here.