A.M: “Music videos are simply a tool for promoting an artist”. With reference to a promotional campaign, how far do you agree with this statement?

Nicki Minaj is a pop, hip hop and R&B music artsit. The american recording artist released the song Super Bass" from the deluxe edition of her debut studio album, Pink Friday in 2010. Minaj is the first female artist included on MTV's Annual Hottest MC List, with The New York Times suggesting that some consider her "the most influential female rapper of all time". Her outlandish and colourful costumes, wigs and clothing have given her recognition as a fashion icon. And her rapping is distinctive for its fast flow, use of alter egos and accents, notably British cockney Some may argue that music videos are just a glorified market tool, whereas others such as Matt Hanson consider music videos to be an art form which does justice to the music.

Music video can be defined in terms of genre of the track and the encoding of the formulaic conventions, for example super bass is hip hop and the music video includes a dance routine. Goodwin discussed the relationship between lyrics and visuals. In relation to Super Bass the relationship is illustrative at times and also amplified. Goodwin explains that artsitsts develop motifs which recur across their work. For Nicki Minaj this includes her bright clothes and props which she uses in many of her music videos. In Nickis music videos it is evident that there is voyeuristic treatment of the female body.

Deconstructing the signifiers constructed in the digipack enables audiences to evaluate the text in terms of representations and ideologies. Signifiers such as her costumes which are usually quite revealing and tight connote promiscuity. For example in the Super Bass music video all of the females denim shorts are unbuttoned and they are small vest tops on. The video shows Minaj playfully taunting a group of men, the use of men in the video represents Nicki as sexually magnetised. The use of the colour pink in all of her products connotes femininity. This connotes that she is proud to be a women. The indexical sign such as bright and heavy make up constructs the myth that she isn't intelligent and that she is trying to appeal to the opposite sex. This reinforces the residual ideology that women are just objects to appeal to men.

The album cover shows Nicki in a powerful and intimidating stance, this connotes her strength and power as a women. The use of white space on the album cover and poster makes you focus directly on Nicki Minaj and nothing else, it stops the images looking busy and cluttered and also draws the audiences eyes straight onto her. Soft lighting is used on all three products to enhance her beauty and looks. This makes her more appealing and reinforces the residual ideology that women are objects who should always attain to be beautiful.

Nicki Minaj is represented in a voyeuristic and festishistic way in her music video to super bass. A prop of a pink liquid is poured over herself and the camera zooms in onto her body. Dyer says that the term star refers to the semi mythological set of meanings constructed around music performers in order to sell the performer to a large and loyal audience. Nicki Minajs star image is portrayed in her products as youthful and sexually magnetised. Her image is what constructs her as youthful. Lighting is used to make her skin glow and look more radiant and beautiful. Thus hiding any imperfections, this then mens that the female audience who aspire to be like her are attempting to attain a beauty which isn't possible in real life. When applying dyers critical framework it is evident that Nicki is represented as ditzy through the use of bright make up and fluttering her fake eyelashes. The location for part of her music video is set like a club scene. There is use of glow in the dark costume. Her non-verbal language connotes that she wants attention and the club setting connotes promiscuity.

The video received generally positive reviews from critics, most of whom complimented the "eye candy" and colorful visuals seen throughout the video. This rehances the idea that the video was created to appeal to men as something pleasing for them to watch. In conclusion I belive that Nick Minajs products are used as a marketing tool, rather than to enhance the music she is creating. Her image is contructed for the purpose to gain attention and she has followed the mainstream look.