Textual Analysis: Dr.Dre, Snoop Dogg - Nuthin' But A G Thang

Released in November 1992 'Nuthin But A G Thang' is the first single taken off Dr Dre's debut solo album, it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The track can be considered typical of its genre (gangsta rap) many of the themes on the track and within the video are exactly what we associate with the genre. This can be related to Goodwin's theory, as he believed 'music videos are there to demonstrate genre characteristics' this is displayed in the video a lot. In terms of mise en scene this can be linked perfectly. Many of the people in the video conform to the typical dress sense associated with the genre; baggy jeans, timbalands and baseball caps. Another distinctive prop displayed in the genre is the cars, the cars displayed are 'Lowriders' which are often seen in these videos and are common in that culture. An important prop that also features is guns, when a man is seen tending to the barbecue which is also a stereotypically male thing to do, he has a gun in his back pocket. As crime and guns are seen to be a big part of gangsta rap culture this typical of the genre. Also throughout the video women can be seen walking around with not much clothing on, which  also common within the genre, they are usually placed as an object of desire for the men and aren't usually seen doing anything productive, just flaunting there bodies.  

One aspect of the music video i have chosen to look at is the representation of men. This particular genre of music can be considered extremely male dominated. When listening to or watching a video from the genre the audience are expecting to see the males as dominant and superior to the females within the video. In relation to Nuthin But A G Thang this is quite obvious, with Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg taking a large amount of the camera time and then most of the people in the background being male we only occasionally see females and when we do they are either objectified or belittled. For example, when playing volleyball a scantily clad women has her bra pulled down by a male behind her which shows a lack of respect. Also at the end of the video a women is soaked in alcohol (as displayed in the screenshot below) by two males for no reason which once again shows the lack of respect, not at any point do we see the males in any position of losing power. This is typical of the genre and satisfies audiences expectations as this is what they are accustomed to from the type of music.

At the moment a lot of the videos i've been looking at in terms of research and planning have been from the same genre (Hip-hop) however I don't think our video will feature many aspects displayed in this particular genre of music with regards to visual style.

Nuthin But A G Thang is displayed below: