Thursday 27 February 2014

"Purple Rain" - "Niggas in Paris"

 Prince - "Purple Rain" 1984 

Purple Rain is a music video, album and movie released by Warner Bros. Records on June 25, 1984, by titan of the 1980’s Prince.” Rolling Stone magazine ranked it the second-best album of the 1980s and 76th on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Zounds magazine ranked it the 18th greatest album of all time.  The two main songs from Purple Rain, "When Doves Cry" and "Let's Go Crazy", would top the US singles charts and were hits around the world, while the title track would go to number two on the Billboard Hot 100.”Prince’s style and music alone represents the 1980's through his take on of hard rock and new wave to his continuous creativity of moving on and trying new things. From embracing everything from hip-hop to Velvet underground, whilst having hits from “When doves cry” to “Purple rain.”  Purple Rain is an eight minute video filled with slow burning- red hot emo joy. It’s noted that within the each verse of “Purple Rain” is about a group of people in his life. For instance his parents, Appolonia (A Gangster Girl, who doesn't chill with a huge group,) and his Band mates. There has been loads of controversial regarding the meaning of “Purple Rain” some has said it’s something to with the end of the world as prince was very interested within that concept of the 1980’s and suggested that the apocalypse wasn't Far from his mind. But what makes “Purple rain” by Prince a representation of the 1980's? The context of purple rain represents the views Prince shared within that period in which reflected the song as well as in the movie. Stan Hawkins who wrote the book “Prince: The Making of a Pop Music Phenomenon” states that “The site of horror or monstrosity in purple rain is not within women and their sexuality but rather with their repression in the mid-1980's and how that power relationship was manifested in the cultural sphere.” In which defines the repression women was facing within the 1980's. Purple Rain is a song that still survives 30 years later after being released and will survive/ be a representation of the 1980's and classics of all time. 


 Jay Z ft Kanye West - "Niggas in Paris" 2014 


I feel the period I live in today will be represented as the era of provocative music. Especially the take on Hip hop music and some R&B the music is so provocative and that’s what people want to listen to and watch.  I feel this era is a contemporary and knew type of hip hop music compared to music within the 80s/90s that mostly related to political statements, poverty and real life issues that they witness or struggled and know in which made hip hop unknown outside of the United States in the 1980's. And today hip hop is recognized globally as its more focused on things artist have what they want e.g. money, fame and “Bitches” notice the plural in bitch. In which today whether you famous or not men need more than women to be complete noticeable within the marriage and divorce rates in contemporary society today. However I feel this music video is a representation of the 21st century and will be many years to come as it embodies the provocative nature of today through the use of language, visual sexual images and the change of  hip hop that’s reflects the next generation and current. It is a song by American rappers Kanye West who is known for his album college dropout which loads of college dropout students can relate to as well as Jay Z who is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America deputed the song  “Niggas in Paris” September 13, 2011. It debuted at number 75 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the week of the album's release the song won for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 55th Grammy Awards. In an interview, Kanye West revealed that the song was inspired by his travels in Paris. 



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