The Monster by Eminem featuring Rihanna

The Monster is an American rap song by Eminem featuring vocals from Rihanna released in 2013 part of Eminem latest album The Marshall Mathers LP 2. The songs music video features both artists in the song; Rihanna playing a psychiatrist whilst Eminem is the patient going over his life. References from old work such as Lose Yourself and collaborations with the likes of Elton John are shown.

The song monster doesn’t start for roughly the first minute. In that time a montage of Eminem’s rap career are shown to the audience on a TV, connoting how patients go over their history with a psychiatrist. Being so quick and the filming not in the best quality connotes to the audience that Eminem had a rough life. This links with the song through being about someone with mental health issues. Both Eminem and Rihanna both express through what they are wearing as dark and sad emotions through both being dressed in black with Rihanna makeup and hair also in the same colour. Mental health can be a very dark and sad thing which needs to be taken seriously which the music video connotes through not being full of colour.

The setting then changes to Eminem on an elevator/lift. This connotes to the audience how Eminem is exploring all levels of his life with scenes of him rapping where he grew up and started his career. Just like in the last paragraph, this is connoting ways in which psychiatrists help patents through looking back at parts in their lives (This could be linked to A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens with the ghost showing scrooge his life.). By showing past careers this can also link to how music videos help promote the artist by getting the new fans to look and possibly buy the old songs he made boosting sales.

Once the elevator /lift scene is over, the final part of the music video is Eminem looking at himself but a more hostile version, through being in a cage with armed guards. This connotes to audience how Eminem has possibly changed from being mad, offensive, hostile and angry to a more mature character. This could be a way of branding Eminem differently from his offensive raps such as “My Name Is”. To more serious rap as he has moved on just like a mental patient. This is another way a music video can help an artist by showing off his new material or character compared to work before. This can be linked to Suit & Tie by Justin Timberlake which portrayed the artist completely different to his old work through such a long period out of the music business.

In Conclusion, The Monster is useful in my research through what the character should wear and how close the music video should follow the actual song. The Music Video for this does very well do this and is something I should take on board when making mine through not going completely off topic from what the music video actually means.

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