Centre Name: Norbury Manor Business and Enterprise College for Girls
Centre Number: 14343
Candidate Name: Teona Knight
Candidate Number: 2125
Unit: G321
Monday 24 April 2017
Wednesday 19 April 2017
Tuesday 18 April 2017
Monday 17 April 2017
Artist Interview
1) I phrased this in a more casual form to start the interview with the type of language typically used by both artists that belong to the genre as well as fans of grime. I wanted to begin the interview by stating their recent achievements as this suggests they are well established; it also links to grime perfectly as the MOBO's is notorious for giving grime artists positive exposure and Spotify is a very popular streaming service for grime artists.
2) 'Girl power' is the framework for my music magazine so I wanted to include a question about female empowerment. I have intertwined other key concepts (such as the need for more diversity) mentioned in my reader profile and artist profile into my artists' answers).
3) This question links closely with a previous post entitled 'The commercialisation of grime' where I researched how the genre has become more popular. Many artists have commented on how this can be a negative and positive thing, and in many grime interviews they are asked their opinions on issues of importance.
4) During genre research I watched many documentaries (such as 'The Business of Grime', 'Who's that sound?', and 'Skepta: Top Boy'). I discovered that although the genre appears exclusively British - more specifically representative of London culture- many grime artists grew up in other countries and have diverse backgrounds.
5) As grime becomes more popular artists occupy more music events - the reason I was inspired to specify girl grime to begin with was because I discovered that women are 15% less likely to headline festivals. This year Stefflon Don and Nadia Rose are both performing on the main stage at Wireless (a festival notorious for predominantly grime line-ups) so I thought a good ending question would be asking them what their plans are for the summer as there's lots of upcoming grime-dominated events like Culture Clash and Ovo Fest.
Friday 14 April 2017
Thursday 13 April 2017
Tuesday 11 April 2017
Contents Page Image Choice
I chose this image because of how well it links to the genre of grime. The location (a graffiti wall) is closely related to the settings grime artists usually film their music videos in as well as stereotypical perceptions of the genre. Whilst I have subverted conversions in other ways I thought this background aligned with my house style well. I styled my model according to fans of grime as this jacket is incredibly popular amongst the younger generation, and combined with light makeup, gold accessories and high lighting I think this is a clear shot that reflects my theme well. Her facial expression is stern and as if she's exerting a sense of power, adhering to the feminist agenda.
Monday 10 April 2017
Monday 27 March 2017
Friday 10 February 2017
Sunday 5 February 2017
Thursday 2 February 2017
Visual Moodboard
I have taken footage from a grime documentary produced by a music channel on YouTube, and have edited it on premiere with one of the latest songs from Stefflon Don (a popular female grime artist).
Wednesday 1 February 2017
Sunday 29 January 2017
Thursday 26 January 2017
Artist Profile
Meet F2 - Grime's first female duo! Aisha and Argisa, both 22, have been best friends since college and although they are still at the early stages of their careers, they are making revolutionary waves as newcomers on the scene... They became popular after their 'Fire in the booth' freestyle sessions went viral on YouTube and twitter, with Londoners in particular complimenting their fresh sound. They have spoken out about issues they are passionate about such as a misrepresentation of women in this specific genre and in the music industry in general, as well as using their newfound platform to present a new interpretation of grime: Influences of more traditional grime as well as trap and R&B have created a space for them to put out new and exciting music. They both switch between roles but Aisha mainly raps whilst Argisa sings (Argisa can also beatbox so they also produce a lot of the background track/sounds in their songs). This mixture of singing and rapping has created hype among a variety of different people, but they are increasingly admired among the younger generation. They also value their cultural identity as important to their musical evolution, as Aisha's mixed race heritage lead to her engage with her Carribean roots and therefore get more interested in Jamaican grime MC'S, whilst Argisa's rural upbringing in Albania forced her to consider a new lifestyle: her parents wished an academic career upon her, whilst she always dreamt of becoming a singer. They met at college and moved to university together in London, exposing them to the underground grime scene. They are working on an official album after the release of their first EP, and are looking forward to performing at Wireless this summer and a tour later this year.
Wednesday 25 January 2017
Findings/Analysis of Results
I have translated the results from my music magazine into quantitative data.
Tuesday 24 January 2017
Monday 23 January 2017
Genre Research: An Introduction to Artists
Nadia Rose is currently generating masses of hype as a newcomer on the scene. As Stormzy's cousin, she had the burden of living up to a famous family member who dominates her industry, but with a new EP getting lots of attention, one of her hit songs being used for a popular Lucozade advert, and a MOBO award for the best grime music video, she already has lots of successes under her belt.
Born in Birmingham and raised in Holland by her Jamaican family, Stefflon Don had an interesting upbringing that influenced her music into a melting pot of different cultures as she still has an accent, speaks Dutch, and heavily identifies with her Caribbean heritage but has immersed herself into the London lifestyle. She became popular after her version of Section Boyz' 'Lock Arff' got over 500,000 YouTube Views, and has since collaborated with grime pioneers Lethal Bizzle, Sneakbo, and Giggs.
Signed to Chipmunk's record label 'Alwayz Recording', Paigey Cakey is a somewhat controversial artist in terms of the relatively equal ratio to those of who enjoy her music and those who dislike her. With her career beginnings as a young actress in 'Waterloo Road' and 'Attack the Block', she is criticized by some MC's who believe she had an easy entryway into the industry, however many are fans of her comical lyrics and fashion style. Due to this, she is quite frequently trending on Twitter!
Ms Banks brings an refreshing perspective as somebody eager to break into a male-dominated industry without conforming to gender roles. She says she "does not view herself as a female artist, she is just an artist." and while she recognizes the importance of female empowernment, she wishes to disentangle herself from the feminine stereotype by choosing to not to look oversexualised in music videos. She recorded a song for critically acclaimed movie 'The Intent', has collaborated with other artists such as Tinie Tempah and JME, and is constantly building her social media profiles.
For many, this remix (the original version is by Tinchy Stryder, Giggs, Proffessor Green, Tinie Tempah and Exampe) was their first exposure to an exciting sub-section of the industry. It features an array of talented artists keen to inject their own lyrics and girl power aesthetic into a popular song. This was also the beginnings of most of their careers; Lady Leshur is now a well-known rapper.
Friday 20 January 2017
Thursday 19 January 2017
Research Rationale
The popularity of my chosen genre across virtually all social media platforms confirmed that my magazine would be most synonymous with an age range of 16-19 years old. As a sixth form student I have easy access to teenagers, so I will be able to complete primary and secondary research, and I will have enough people to produce quantitive and qualitative data. In terms of real life application, things like statistics and facts about my target market would be crucial, so I aim to gather as much information as possible as it will be important whilst working on other areas of the project... Understanding why they are attracted to the genre and a particular magazine will allow me to consider their opinions whilst creating my own as I can incorporate their ideas and feedback.
I am going to conduct general observational research by asking my classmates to complete surveys with questions -a combination of 'yes' or 'no' answers as well as allowance for detailed responses will prove beneficial to me in the future- and for my focused research I want to take advantage of the high-tech culture we live in. I have discovered that I share similar music tastes to those in my year and in the year above through listening to their playlists whilst interacting with them; this will be how I choose who I want in my focus group, and I plan to present the results of my gender-balanced sample (I want a mixture of boys and girls as the genre's typical fans are broad) using screenshots and graphs. These are methods I can do efficiently as they involve resources that are available to me because they are devices I already have such as a mobile phone and a computer.
I am going to conduct general observational research by asking my classmates to complete surveys with questions -a combination of 'yes' or 'no' answers as well as allowance for detailed responses will prove beneficial to me in the future- and for my focused research I want to take advantage of the high-tech culture we live in. I have discovered that I share similar music tastes to those in my year and in the year above through listening to their playlists whilst interacting with them; this will be how I choose who I want in my focus group, and I plan to present the results of my gender-balanced sample (I want a mixture of boys and girls as the genre's typical fans are broad) using screenshots and graphs. These are methods I can do efficiently as they involve resources that are available to me because they are devices I already have such as a mobile phone and a computer.
To get an insight into the current state of this subsection of the industry I've subscribed to Youtube channels who regularly upload music videos and freestyles of female grime artists ('SBTV', 'LinkUpTV', 'Grime Daily') and I've followed up and coming names on instagram and twitter (@stefflondon, @msbanks94). These steps will ensure I am updated and constantly getting inspiration.
Exploration of Typography
I have explored the typography of the covers of four different grime artists from 5 different magazines...
Magazine Deconstructions
I have deconstructed the front covers of one of the biggest female rappers from two different music magazines...
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Wednesday 11 January 2017
Key Examples
Fader magazine is fantastic inspiration for my magazine as it represents everything I wish to include in mine. It is well respected as a magazine that gives positive exposure, sometimes to seemingly controversial artists, and is particularly admired in genres like alternative R&B, contemporary hip hop, trap, rap, and grime. Their target audience ranges from 16-22 as they make an effort to modernize each issue with current news, exclusive events, and opinionated articles on heated issues - as well as photo shoots and street style. Their constant reference to music, fashion, and culture is what makes it so engaging to the younger generation as they also have a large social media following.
Clash magazine has earned its place in the magazine hierarchy as an established company that has found the perfect ratio between music and fashion - the combination of the two prove very popular among their target audience, as their fans enjoy reading about the latest in both industries. They quite frequently have recording artists on their front covers; these usually belong to specific genres such as indie, alternative R&B, and grime... But their features always include models of the moment, celebrity gossip, and creative photo shoots.
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