Main Task: Evaluation question 2: How does your music magazine represent particular social groups?

01:45 |

My magazine was designed to represent an urban audience of the ages 16 to 21. From my earlier audience research, the people that gave me feedback seemed to be dedicated to many different cultural music. In particular, Hip-Hop. Thus my front cover features a man with a very serious posture, an attribute associated with many hip hop artists. With only one person used in my front cover it becomes more recognisable to a consumer who is looking to purchase a hip-hop magazine. I stated earlier in my target consumer profile, that ethnicity is not really issue, thus my social representation has no particular race associated with it.

Fig 1 Example of 50 cent with a pose that conveys seriousness

The social group has no real sub cultural identity but I would refer to mine as ‘deep thinking’ because of the type of rap artists that would feature in my magazine. For example, artists such as Common and Nas would feature more frequently on my magazine than artists such as Flo-rida. Artists such as Common would feature on my magazine more because these particular artists are known for there kind of hip-hop which entices people and leaves them thinking about issues in society

Fig 2 examples of the kind of artists that would feature heavily in my magazine

Lupe Fiasco

Common

The artist in my magazine front cover is dressed in a very modern British urban style. The use of a chequered shirt is something which is associated with the young inner-city urban audience just like that of the west coast rap scene in the early 90s. With this, its hint out to the audience that this

could either be a house, grime, hip-hop or maybe even a afrobeat music magazine.

Fig 3 the chequered shirt used in my magazine front cover

However the use of a microphone clenched in the artists fist quickly narrows it down. The microphone clenched in the fist is something heavily associated with the hip-hop scene; from underground rap battles to Grammy performances.

Fig 4 The microphone used in my magazine front cover

I placed a chain on the artist on my front cover because just like the microphone, it’s an item associated with the hip-hop scene. Also this kind of chain is very popular with many hip-hop artists. So its helps make the magazine much more recognisable as a modern hip hop magazine. The model in my picture is black. The reason I placed a black model on my front cover is because evidence shows that many people attributed and renowned with helping to form hip-hop and to help make hip-hop what is today, were people of black origin.

Fig 5 the chain used by model in my magazine.

Fig 6 Kanye West sporting a similar chain to the one my model is wearing; Shows the popularity of the kind of chain because many revere Kanye west as modern day fashion icon.

Fig 7 DJ Kool Herc, a Jamaican born DJ, accredited for making Hip-hop what it is today.

The model is sporting a ‘High Top’ hairstyle which represents a revived rap subculture from the 90s. However with the trim being very fresh, it’s very stereotypical in the view that many rappers always have fresh trims. The use of a high top connotes a sense of immaturity and youthfulness on the models behalf