Double Page Spread
I think that the image is really good. It makes Jay-Z look tough and it makes you think that he is well respected which is a big thing in the rap industry. It takes a lot to gain respect and this shows like he has a lot of power. The fact that he is wearing sun glasses shows that he may be hiding his true identity, that maybe there are a lot of untold stories that he is hiding. Also, the sun glasses show him in a good way by showing that he is quite trendy. He is pulling a very serious face which maybe indicates to me article about hard times in his life or his life story.
The way that this double page spread has been layed out, it gives the impression that there is not much text to actually read when in reality there is quite a lot. By making it look like there is not that much to read, the readers will be happy to read it and then when they start reading it, hopefully they will be intregued and carry on reading it to find out more about the story even if there is a lot.
The layout of this double page spread is very proffessional. The text is all in coloums and it looks very neat. I like the idea of half of the double page spread being an image and the other half being the article. This double page spread is very coventional.
A lexical feaure of this is the use of slang. It says 'Jay-Z calls it his "WTF face"'. This is significant because slang is quite a big in the rap industry. Slang is known to be quite cool and trendy and by rappers using slang, it gives off the same image for them. They will look cool and down with it. The use of slang is good because this magazine is targeted at people who are into rap and in the age group between 16 - 27. A lot of people in this age range will know a lot of slang and it might make it easier to read for them and they will get into it more.
A lot of the article is in the past tense. 'This used to be'. This can suggest that rap has changed over time as they are talking about the old times. This is a good thing because people who are reading this magazine now may not know about the history of rap and how it used to be and this could give them an insight on how it used to be. The target audience of this magazine may appriciate this and find it very interesting. This is a grammatical feature.
There is a variety in sentence structure in this article. This is another grammatical feature. 'There is no barriers now.' That is a short sentence. It is straight to the point and gets the message across with meaning and puerpose. It sounds very emphatic and imperative. This is good because people don't have to keep reading to try and get to what the point is, it is right there. 'There is no barriers now.' suggests that Jay-Z has made it to the top, he has worked hard to get there and now this is his reward for the work he has put in. 'The man who has gone by the nicknames Jigga and J-Hova but is known to his family and passport officials as Shawn Corey Carter admits that sometimes he wonders how the hell he got here, and he doesn't just mean The Lanesborough's library.' This is a very long sentence and a compound sentence. By using difference sentence complexities it keeps the reader interested so they keep reading on.
The use of colour on this double page spread is very effective. The black and orange work very well together. Black is the primary colour on this double page spread as the background colour on the left hand side is black, the peak on his cap is black and the 'P' is black. Also the 'W' in the 'WK' is black. The black is a relevent colour to do with rap because it is dark and scary. Orange in the secondary colour. The 'K' and his hat are both the same colour. Even in the text there is use of orange at the beginning of two different paragraphs.
The layout of this double page spread is good because it is simple but effective. It is effective because it is quite professional and chilled out. The use of the close up on the left hand side is is good because you can see Wiz's facial expressions which is saying that he doesn't care about anything. In contrast, on the right page it is very minimal with a very big simple logo in the upper centre of the page with very little text underneath. The colours black and white compliement eachother well and gives fof a sophisticated look. The fact that it is chilled out gives an insight to Wiz Khalifa's life style which is also showed in this way. You can see by the smoke that it is part of his everyday life and it is all around him! The use of smoke is also good because it fills the big empty space on the right side of the image. I like how the double page spread is spaced out and easy to follow. The use of the smoke also shows of the macro elements of rap because of the image given off. I also do like the image because it gives of a good representation of current rap music.
This layout would be effective for my magazine because it is easy to follow and it should keep the readers interested in the article because it looks like there is not that much writing but it may be full of information.
On the other hand there is a lack of text on this double page spread. This would deffinately be something I would try and avoid on my double page spread because it does make the page look quite empty and bare.
On this double page spread I really like the image on the left. The way Rick Ross is dressed breaks the conventions of rap as he is dressued up in a smart suit and he looks very sophisticated. His clothing does not conform to a iconic index of what we expect of a rapper. He looks like a 'boss'. The fact that he is drinking champagne and there is ballons in the background connotes that he may be celebrating his success and that he is a champion. On his right hand he has his index finger pointing out. This shows that he is indicating that he is number one in the industry. I like the use of a long shot as you can see his whole body and how smart he looks. I also like how simple the image is and that it is very effective because it is quite eye catching for something so colourless and simple.
I don't like the right page on the other hand. I think the layout of this is awful and mine will not look anything like this. It is very empty and there is too much space. In my opinion it could draw the audience in a bit more. There is minimal text and the heading can be quite confusing and hard to read. I will try and make my magazine look very different to this.
Readers of rap magazines are not very sophisticated. This is because rap as a whole is not a very sophisticated genre. The people into rap are usually working class young males. Because of this, in my magazine I will try and target this audience because they will be more into it than a middle class older woman.
Draft Interview
Q =
Question
A =
Answer
Q: So,
how does it feel to be at the top right now? Being an idol to countless teens?
A: It’s
great. I've always wanted this. I've always wanted my music to be out there and
to inspire a generation, it has been my dream since I was one of them teens
looking up to my idol; the great Slim Shady.
Q: You're
right about inspiring a generation. You mentioned about your idol Eminem. How
do you feel he has helped you on your journey to the top?
A: Thank
you. Well, I think Eminem is the greatest rapper to have ever have lived. I
grew up listening to his music as a child and it really interested me. It lead
me to find out more about him and his life. When I was about 17 I was reading
up about his life and it hit me that anything is possible. Eminem had a very
rough childhood with his father leaving and his mum into drugs! His way of
getting away from it all was to write down lyrics. Look where he is now! He's a
legend! His story showed me that nothing is impossible if you don't give up on
your dream.
Q: Wow.
Is that a message you would like to get out there to future generations?
A: Definitely.
Q: Back to being the best. Does it have any drawbacks?
A: Don’t get me started. As much as I love being where I am, the amount of shit that comes with it is unreal. I can't go down the park for a kick about with my mates anymore cos' everyone knows my face. I can't go out in public without trying to hide my identity for the simple fact that it is far too dangerous. Having your name known is great, but it's risky business. People always looking for fights, always gotta watch your back. Also, fakes. They're the worst. I like to call them leeches. Never there for you when you needed a friend, never there when you were a nobody. As soon as you hit stardom they all wanna be your friend. Try living of your fame and fortune! Needa be careful who you trust nowadays.
Q: What was life like before you became famous?
A: Before I became famous and was just working on the customer service desk in the Tesco in Flitwick, everything was moving in slow motion. Days seemed to drag; I would often find myself with nothing to do, having no purpose in life. Now that I’ve hit fame it's like someone’s hit the fuckin fast forward button, life is just rushing by. It’s crazy! I don't have time to appreciate a lot of beautiful things in life, instead, my mind is always on the next song, or my image, or just my career. I don’t get any time to myself.
Q:
There's been a recent case where you have been a victim of racism from a
certain artist. What's your response to this?
A: Racism
has always been a part of my life. I've grown up with it all around me. This is
not the first time I have been targeted. I'm not gonnna let it get to me or
bite back because that won’t get me anywhere. I'll deal with it and move on.
However I would like to say my opinion on racism.
Q: Go for
it.
A: There are some sick minded people
out there. People categorise people by the colour of their skin and
discriminate against them just because of this. Its sick minded. All humans are
equal, black, white or Asian. We're all the same. To all those out there who
think it's acceptable to treat people differently because of the colour of
their skin need to re-evaluate their lives. Final Feature
Stepping off the tube at Wood Green I couldn't help wondering what I'd meet. Arjun Jhala, aka Audacious J, J to his mates - and he has many - is the brightest rising star in music right now. This interview is literally gold dust, glimmering like J's (am I a mate?) famous gold tooth. Once ensconsed in J's brand new club 'Audacious' - in the VIP lounge no less - the smoke builds and the questions flow...
So, how does it feel to be at the top right now? Being an idol to countless teens?
"It’s great. I've always wanted this. I've always wanted my music to be out there and to inspire a generation, it has been my dream since I was one of them teens looking up to my idol; the great Slim Shady."
You're right about inspiring a generation. You mentioned about your idol Eminem. How do you feel he has helped you on your journey to the top?
"Thank you. Well, I think Eminem is the greatest rapper to have ever have lived. I grew up listening to his music as a child and it really interested me. It lead me to find out more about him and his life. When I was about 17 I was reading up about his life and it hit me that anything is possible. Eminem had a very rough childhood with his father leaving and his mum into drugs! His way of getting away from it all was to write down lyrics. Look where he is now! He's a legend! His story showed me that nothing is impossible if you don't give up on your dream."
Wow. Is that a message you would like to get out there to future generations?
"Definitely."Back to being the best. Does it have any drawbacks?
"Don’t get me started. As much as I love being where I am, the amount of shit that comes with it is unreal. I can't go down the park for a kick about with my mates anymore cos' everyone knows my face. I can't go out in public without trying to hide my identity for the simple fact that it is far too dangerous. Having your name known is great, but it's risky business. People always looking for fights, always gotta watch your back. Also, fakes. They're the worst. I like to call them leeches. Never there for you when you needed a friend, never there when you were a nobody. As soon as you hit stardom they all wanna be your friend. Try living of your fame and fortune! Needa be careful who you trust nowadays."
What was life like before you became famous?
"Before I became famous and was just working on the customer service desk in the Tesco in Flitwick, everything was moving in slow motion. Days seemed to drag; I would often find myself with nothing to do, having no purpose in life. Now that I’ve hit fame it's like someone’s hit the fuckin fast forward button, life is just rushing by. It’s crazy! I don't have time to appreciate a lot of beautiful things in life, instead, my mind is always on the next song, or my image, or just my career. I don’t get any time to myself."
There's been a recent case where you have been a victim of racism from a certain artist. What's your response to this?
"Racism has always been a part of my life. I've grown up with it all around me. This is not the first time I have been targeted. I'm not gonnna let it get to me or bite back because that won’t get me anywhere. I'll deal with it and move on. However I would like to say my opinion on racism."
Go for it.
"There are some sick minded people out there. People categorise people by the colour of their skin and discriminate against them just because of this. Its sick minded. All humans are equal, black, white or Asian. We're all the same. To all those out there who think it's acceptable to treat people differently because of the colour of their skin need to re-evaluate their lives."J has been working on his new album 'R.I.S.E' for a while and it should be available to download from iTunes and available in stores within the next couple of weeks! Exciting ayy? Not only is J working on this album but he has a world tour lined up in the near future staring acts such as Jay-Z, Kanye West and the one and only - J's idol - EMINEM!
Images
These are the 5 images I have taken to use on my double page spread. I am most likely to use the first one because I think that it would be most suitable as it allows you to see my artists face clear enough and you get an idea of what he looks like. It represents that he is not afraid to hide his identity and he is proud of who he is. The image will go on the right hand side of the double page spread with him blowing smoke over the article. This shows that he is just blowing off what other people say about him and getting on with his day to day life. It also gives a mysterious sense about it.
Draft Double Page Spread
Final Double Page Spread
Testing My Production
I have tried to test my production as near to my target audience as possible. My taregt audience is males aged 16-27 with a secondary audience of older males. Rap music's popularity has been increased and become more mainstream since Jay-Z's Glastonbury headline appearance. Never the less my media audience is predominatly younger males. I have made my focus group this age group. My focus group:- Shiv - 16, Student
- Greg - 17, Student
- James - 19, Employed
- Jordan - 16, Student
"I think this is similar to the Jay-Z double page spread. I actually like this better. It appeals to the rebel audience."
Greg
"I agree! This really connects with the target group who will relate to the attitude. Uses and gratification states that we look to media for help with identity and this does that!"
James
"It's great but I think you should move the pull quote to under the heading 'R.I.S.E'.
Jordan
"I agree, this will draw the readers attention to the quote and show them that they can connect with Audacious J."
Focus Group
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