TASK 8 - Kendrick Lamar 'God Is Gangsta'

'God Is Gangsta' Is a music video by Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar and was released on 13th January 2016 and currently has a view count of 6 million. 

The sixth track on Lamar’s third album, “u” acts as a complete contrast to its lead single “i,” an anthem of peace, positivity, and prosperity starting with self-love. The music video consists of two songs of Kendrick's which intertwine to create a narrative linking the two songs together, where at 3 minutes 43 seconds, the first song 'u' cuts suddenly straight into the second song 'For Sale?'

The way in which these two songs link and create a narrative is through the well thought out lyrics within the two songs through suggestions of depression, self hate, addiction and isolation on 'u'. Where as the contrasting need of fame, success, arrogance and 'Lucy' (The Devil) on 'For Sale' create a dilemma and struggle for the character that Kendrick is playing in the short film/music video.

        


Narrative -

The way in which the video links to both of the songs lyrics is quite evident as previously stated through the meanings and conventions the video is portraying.

First is the first song 'u' where Kendrick is seen alone in a compact room with alcohol in hand virtually talking to himself about how hard it is becoming to love himself as he screams the hook of the song 'loving you is complicated', screaming at himself, alone in isolation as he struggles to come to grips with his failures, addiction and decisions he has made in his life which he states throughout the song.

For the opening minute of the video, Kendrick is screaming in anger and pain to himself with no one to console him over his grief, he then proceeds to scream the hook of the song where he starts to realise how hard it is to truly love himself for who he is, knowing the things he's done and seen in his life. This links to the theorist view of Andrew Goodwin that there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals, as Kendrick struggles with his thoughts. 

Furthermore, throughout the opening minute and also the entire shot where Kendrick isn't looking directly at the camera, a rippling wave effect is happening visually. What this suggests is the alcohol that Kendrick is consuming is starting to take control and encourage his anger and frustration at himself, losing grip on his conscious.

Throughout the video, Kendrick is visibly talking to himself, confessing the trauma and problems he is dealing with. It is clear that Kendrick is talking from his conscience, and his conscience is telling him exactly what he is, a failure, a disappointment and that people don't need him in their lives. The way in which the first part of the video is shot is a long, whole shot, and the way in which Kendrick acts this, it is clear he his getting aggressive and frustrated with the truths he seems to be telling himself. He has a deep hate for himself for things even out of his control, and he blames himself for that and constantly is telling himself that he is the cause of all things bad in his life.

At the end of the first verse, Kendrick is seen screaming 'loving you is complicated' to the mirror, clearly giving the impression he is talking to a representation of him of which he finds is hard to love, one that is angry, drunk and at a low. Also the end sees editing which is less subtle where the ripples and distortions of the camera is more heavy and the addition of a slow motion shot of Kendrick falling back from drinking too much and the slow, long vocals in the background of the song further give the impression of the state Kendrick is in, he is heavily drunk and is losing his frame of mind.

At 2 minutes 10 seconds, the song transitions onto the bridge of the song, where the lyrics describe Kendrick's struggles with alcohol, where his conscious is stating how disappointing it is seeing the way Kendrick lives his lives, living his life around addiction. The song then shifts into 'For Sale?' which has context and meanings contrasting that of 'u'. 'For Sale?' has a narrative following that of pursuing one's fame through a means of greed, lust and success. The video shows the greed and lust that Kendrick faces in the song through the many, many naked women around him trying to encourage and and persuade him to fall for them and give in to what they like. These girls are used as a metaphor for the devil who is trying to persuade Kendrick to do things he knows he shouldn't pursue. 

Mise en scene - 
The mise en scene used in 'u' is cleverly used in such a way to visually mirror the sound an style of the song. The song sounds heavy, dark and gloomy and the colour scheme used in the video shows this, with the use of black, brown and grey seen throughout the setting of the lone room that Kendrick is in. The use of black clothing also relates to the sound and lyrics of the song, as the song tackles such issues as death, self hate and depression, all things that can be related to such dark and bland colours. Furthermore, the only significant prop used was the alcohol that Kendrick was seen drinking throughout the video. The bottle is used as a means of being less than subtle when it comes to showing how Kendrick is dealing with depression. He is turning to alcohol as a means of battling his vices, and in turn has created an addiction where he relies on alcohol to feel a slight high compared to his constant low. 
Compare this to the mise en scene used in the second half of the song in 'For Sale?' is a juxtaposition to 'u' as firstly the colour palette used is more vibrant and colourful, consisting of yellow, red and orange which fits in nicely visually to link with the more quick, and up beat sound of the song, compared to the sound of 'u'. This shows the contrasting meanings and concepts that the two songs in the video deal with, which thus relates the two by having two juxtaposing songs, it shows the frame of mind and internal struggle Kendrick is dealing with.
The little use of clothing which is used on the women in the song is used as a way to show the lust that Kendrick has for women and his desires, and Kendrick is tasked to try and not be tempted by these desires and lust he feels in order to better himself. This links again to Andrew Goodwin's key features of a music video, that there tends to be frequent references to the notion of looking and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body. 

Editing -
In 'u' the editing is quite scarce, as there is minimal camera cuts being made in the video, apart from the opening 10 seconds where quick cuts from an alcohol bottle and Kendrick screaming, which shows the frustration and fight Kendrick is having with his addiction. The other moment is in the bridge to the next song where a maid is knocking on the door, and quick, sudden cuts are made for every quick knock the maid makes on the door. These sudden cuts to Kendrick being at different places in the room show his confusion and broken state of mind, where he is broken and struggling with his own internal struggles. Other than those examples, the rest of the video consists of one shot takes of Kendrick either screaming while drinking, moving around the table, or when a high angle is used where Kendrick raps directly to camera.
Visual effects are used to show Kendrick's troubles and stresses as throughout the verse, ghosting is used, where a slow motion and elongated visual is seen where it looks like separate other images of Kendrick are in show, just behind in time of the present, giving the impression of blurriness. This is related to the drinking and addiction Kendrick has to the point where his vision is effected, Furthermore, the use of a rippling effect is used on the camera to distort the visual as a way of showing the alcohol taking its tole on Kendrick and his ability to function.

Camera - 

There is a very minimal amount of camera techniques and shots used in variety, but what is apparent is that during 'u', a high angle single shot camera technique was used as a way of having Kendrick directly address the camera and audience as if he is talking to 'us' and confessing his sins and vices he has on his chest. He is looking up to the camera as if he is looking up to 'us' as someone who he can gain comfort and appreciation
from. The use of a high angle shot is used brilliantly in this aspect as it does give an impression that Kendrick is looking up to the audience confessing all he has to offer to us and in doing so, hopes he can be forgiven for all he feels responsible for.