Eminem Rap God- Music video Analysis

This music video contains a very abstract nature in the sense it is very stylised and differs greatly from most video of the genre. A clear trend however within rap music is the performance of the artist as often the songs contain meaning which is best projected through the artist themselves to help tie them to the message of the song marketing themselves in addition to the song. I love this song due to its originality and the way in which the director portrays the star linking to the song. The video was created in 2013 and directed by Rich Lee.

Relationship between lyrics

There is a strong correlation between the video and the lyrics in this piece. The entire style of the video is to replicate Eminem as almost like a robot or computer which links directly to the theme of the song and his exceptional ability to rap at a high frequency of words per minute. The video really projects this through using frequent glitch effects and cuts which create a very electronic look to the video and helps to enhance the beat of the song almost bringing it to life. There is a high frequency of cuts within the video helping link to the high intensity and tempo of the track as we struggle to keep up. There is also no complex storyline within the video as this would be too tricky to understand with the lyrics and music in the background being so distracting. The centre of attention is always the star and there is frequent occasions in which lyrics are related too directly for example the screen with George Bush appears when the lyrics reference him helping us follow the song a little clearer, although I still struggle to do this!

Directors Style

This is a very stylised video throughout and transitions between various scenes and settings throughout in no particular pattern or set timing, the whole video takes a very random style. The video also involved heavy graphics and the use of a green screen in which the director adds a very posterised effect to the footage before it transitions to a very muted scene with no effects added. This I feel helps to show the different personalities of the star showing a very absurd personality and contrasting it to what would seem a more calm side which once again helps to market him by creating ambiguity throughout the video driving the audience to be interested in his character and thus the music he creates and why he does so. The star creates a range of music styles ranging from very slow and meaningful pieces to the more eccentric and fast style videos showcasing his rapping ability and I think Lee has really tried to show this through the different settings throughout the video. Colour once again is a huge factor of the video and helps to emphasise the contrast between the more colourful and vibrant high tempo sections to the video with the calming whites and greys to other elements where the song is calmer and more slow paced. This contrast is also shows through camera movement as the slower parts of the song are shot very robotic and smooth linking to the song where as faster elements are cut together with jitters and stutters creating a more malfunctioning element which also reveals more about his character. A long take push in on his face cut together with the jitter of the posturized TV screen also shows the star as having a very complex mind and being that he is plugged in to the abstract array of screens also provides an abstract nature surrounding his personality and as the song speeds up in tempo this is also complimented by fast cuts between each scene which helps to provide energy to us as a viewer which would then direct us to purchasing the song. Almost like his mind is an explosion of colour within a world that is seemingly muted and dull. A central composition is used throughout to present the star as the main focus. 

To conclude I feel this video is created as an insight into the maze of a mind that is Eminem's. Being a big fan I am aware of all the hardships referenced within his other work and I feel maybe not directly referenced within this video however I feel the star portrayal could be seen as very complex within the video once studying his other work. The video is a gateway to create desire for viewers to really figure out the mystery of Eminem and will do this through listening to his music leading to increased revenue and interest from viewers due to the ambiguity and lack of clarity portrayed in this piece.