Rap God- Eminem

Eminems video for Rap God follows a lot of ideas suggested by Andrew Goodwin. First of all he uses intertextual references through the use of old television sets. These are from the 90s and throughout the video they show classic images from the 90s. These include images of famous rapper of the time such as Tupac. These old TVs show visuals that also link to the lyrics of the song. For example, when he mentions Bill Clinton and NASCAR they both appear TVs. Lyrics also link to the visuals for the line "laptop in my back pocket" as we see Eminem walking away from the camera with indeed, a laptop in his back pocket.

Continuing with Goodwins theory the visuals of the video also link to the genre of the music. The genre is rap which originally came from the streets of America. Eminem therefore refers back to this through the visuals of the video. In certain sections he can be seen rapping on a dark street surrounded by lots of people. The majority of which are black as rap is often performed by black artists. This also suggests that Eminem is a minority in his genre. However, in this section he is given the representation of a classic rap artist as the mise-en-scene shows that he is positioned in the middle of all the surrounding people. This is partly due to star treatment as the directors will want him in the middle of the shot to show the importance he holds compared to the extras in the shot. However, him being in the middle may also show that he is welcomed into the rap community despite the fact he is a minority. His clothes also suggests he is part of the street rap community. Mise-en-scene also shows that everyone in the shot is similarly as they are all wearing hoodies with the hood up therefore hiding their identities. These aspects of the video are all genre characteristics for rap as this kind of setup can be seen in a variety of rap videos.

The number of setups and the shot variety is quite vast. This is because the style of rap is very fast paced therefore a greater number of setups allows more cuts and scene changes which can link to the fast paced nature of the music. Close ups are often used when he is on TV or when he's in the chair
however unstable handheld shots are used when the camera technology on set is moving or when he is on the street. The camera pans to keep him in the centre of the shot while everyone jumps around at a high tempo.

Eminems mode of address is often directly to the audience. This is a genre characteristic of rap music because rap music often communicates a meaning for the audience to learn from. An example from rap god is the line "enough lines to maybe to try and help get people through tough times". Therefore suggesting a meaning for the song that he wants to direct towards his audience and his fans.

The narrative of the video is closed as it doesn't contain a fluid chronological story. It focuses on the performance of the song whether that is on the streets, on the TV or in the lab. The three different setups don't seem to link to each other therefore each one seems to be their own individual story meaning theres no linear narrative.

Finally, the shots of Eminem on the TV are all intertextual references to the fictional character Max Headroom