MSVC 105: Celbrities and Stardom

Assignment 2

A star image ‘speaks to us in terms we can understand about things that are important to us’ (Dyer)
With reference to specific examples suggest how audiences ‘use’ stars

Firstly to begin to explore how audiences interact with stars I will outline the features that help shape our understanding of what is meant by a star image. A star image is constructed by many different elements associated with the stars line of work, or the generic type of the work they do. The elements can include fashion, interviews and forms of interaction with other forms of media such as advertising. Media Institutions that back the star may also have some impact upon a star image although this depends upon the star and other elements such as popularity and success. The influence of these institutions almost makes it seem like some stars are ‘made up’ to specifically appeal to target groups and many images of stars often seem fabricated, although their lives are so far away from that of a civilian their fabricated persona is only reflecting their life as a celebrity. The star image can feed into their work and help construct or mould it, although this also works the other way around, with their work, for example a song they have written or a performance they have given can then lead to constructing their image. This often creates a confusion, which leaves audience to make up their own minds about a star. Audiences for example may share very different images of the same star which they have constructed themselves through relation and interaction with themselves, their lives, and their own personality. It has also been argued that audiences become influenced by stars and rather than making their own mind up they believe the direct image which is trying to be constructed. This idea goes along with the hypodermic needle theory which suggests audiences are spoon fed the media, and that we passively absorb it without question of reason or purpose, a view held by the Frankfurt school.

I believe this not to be the case most of the time most audiences are active members of society and that the media shapes itself around fulfilling our needs or pleasures. We are given autonomy and choice in which media forms we choose/ not choose to interact with. If there is a television show we are not interested in we can switch it off, I know of many people who mute the volume on the television during the advertisement breaks as they do not wish to be advertised to. This autonomy and power we have over the media immediately draws a veil over the view shared by the Frankfurt School yet I believe this autonomy to have increased in modern times due a greater understanding to the inner workings of the media.

I will be using the musical genre known as rap, or more recently known as hip hop focusing mainly upon the fans, to uncover the different ways in which they interact with hip hop artists. I will use examples from sets of fans from different artists mainly associated with the 90’s movement of ‘gangster’ rap whilst studying the transition and commercialisation the genre has over gone in more recent years and the increased number of fans the genre has received bridging various ethnical gaps through artists such as Cypress Hill and Eminem.

Hip Hop first became recognised in the late 1970’s / early 1980’s as a musical genre despite its various cultural groups, subcultures and the activities that come with this emerging earlier. Groups referred to as ‘B-boys’ or ‘B-girls’ became more frequent, at this early stage dominated by Black Americans organising events such as Block Parties to give a stage to musical and dancing performances that where rapidly increasing in popularity which progressed what we know as rapping (to sync rhyming words with a urban beat) to become a musical genre. The next level for the genre came with the introduction of artists such as Ice-T, Public Enemy and Run DMC which made their name during the 1980’s. These artists along with many of the others forming at the time carried a political presence apparent from their music and other appearance within the media. Their music seemed to contain a message to youth cultures to stand up and be counted. Public Enemy’s album ‘It takes a Nation of millions to hold us back’ is the best example of this. These artists also helped construct the culture that is apparent with hip hop although in an interview one artist from Run DMC known only as DMC believed the audiences and fans contributed more to the culture of the music than the artists actually do. He is quoted as saying ‘when we first started we didn’t put on no fancy costume because Run DMC is no gimmicks’ he continues then to describe his current code of dress and claims the audience more specifically ‘the youth’ helped construct his fashion saying ‘this is what our fans wear so dressing this way lets them know he’s just like me’. Interestingly here the audience has helped construct the persona and I would appear that the star is using the audience. This heightens the idea of the audience having autonomy yet does this view of a 1980’s rap artist still have any meaning in today’s commercialised industry? I shall be looking at multi million selling artist Jay-Z to see if audiences still influence the genre more than the star actually does.

I will now begin go over some comments left by various fans of the artist Jay-Z to see what they have written about their star and see if it offers insight into the different ways in which audiences use stars. Jay-Z co-founded Roc-a-Fella records which is now a subsidiary of Island Def Jam which is the most successful record label dedicated to music of black origin. He is a former CEO and president of Def Jam Recordings and has used his musical success to market a wide range of new ventures such as ‘Rocawear’ which is the labels own clothing brand, whilst also owning New Jersey Nets NBA team. Fans of Jay-Z ultimately have fuelled all of his success and with his ventures almost becoming highly successful proves the power of his persona and suggests audiences to be dedicated to the artist, although all these ventures eventually are constructed to make money fans of Jay remain loyal throughout as most of my findings suggest.

Whilst exploring different online fan forums including ‘Rocafella.com’ which is the official site for Jay-Z fans, I have found many fans to be adoring of the star offering devotion and worship. Many fans left comments similar to the following which came from a ‘Facebook’ group entitled ‘The Best Rapper Ever (Jay-Z)’. The group has been made by a fan and the name immediately suggests a high level of admiration through labelling him as the top player in his line of work. Comments such as ‘I love Jay-Z’ or ‘I love you Jay-Z and I love all your music” are plentiful in number showing his popularity, yet this is only comments left by a segment of his fans. These types of comments suggest the fan to be worshipping the star, they suggest closeness to the star and as in the comment above they write as if they are writing directly to them. This suggests a longing to be associated with the star, to take it further than simply being a fan of an artist. These fans highlight a distance between themselves and the star yet express a desire for this gap to be closed irrespective of how impossible this actually seems.
Most fans of hip hop music however seem to most interest in the musical works of their hero’s rather than the fashion or desire to become. Most discussion boards contain topics focusing on differences between a certain artist’s album and debates between different artist’s ability and style. This suggests a feeling of rivalry and competition which is in keeping with an American ideology of competitiveness. Although within hip hop music a desire to be the best or simply to be better than another individual has always been apparent in the genre and this is also become important to the fans. The most famous rivalry within hip hop was between Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G which was highly publicised and resulted in both stars being shot. Gangster Rap was put to blame and many record labels became under scrutiny to figure where these rivalries emerged from and why music was being influenced by a gangland violence. Many fans of Gangster Rap were actual gang members as the artists portrayed many gangster driven stories in their songs which they often claimed to be true. Through this real life gangsters had something they could relate to themselves. Tupac and Biggie’s rivalry was considered to be constructed, false and just a way to earn extra publicity before the two were murdered yet since then more rivalries have become a common part of the genre. With the tragic outcome of previous rivalries it confuses many that others have emerged and been brought to the media spotlight. Does this segregate fans into east and west coast groups or does it simply generate a greater interest in the genre and fuel fan debates and activities. Over the next paragraph I will consider what fans have written about the highly publicised rivalry Jay-Z had with another rapper named Nas to explore this in more depth.

Hi p Hop rivalries have an impact upon their audiences and affect their decisions when deciphering which artists to support. A discussion on the rivalry between Nas and Jay sprung up on the Rocafella website, where the audience defends Jay and his music and also leave negative comments directed towards his rival. One fan wrote “Jay Z is better in every department, lyrics, metaphors, performance. Nas can’t even compare”. Here the fan takes sides against another artist because of what they have read about the rivalry or maybe because they enjoy Jay’s music more, yet this is irrelevant. This again demonstrates a closeness that the fan constructs through the music of their idol. They will also generate negativity towards his rival and very possibly his fans. This almost creates a sense the fan wishes to help the star in his battle demonstrating pleasure in masculine power also. The fan is pretending they are involved in combat against the same opponent as their star almost resembling a soldier fighting for his King. This type of identification creates strong masculine pleasure for the fan involved yet Jay also appeals to feminine audiences as I will explore over the next paragraph.

Comments left by women over the board of Jay fan sites available are filled with comments about his music the same as most comments male or female however Jay offers a visceral pleasure to most of his female audiences. Recently married to Beyonce Knowles means his sexual appeal has increased further more. Comments relating directly to his physical appearance such as “Jay Z is hot” or “sexy” demonstrate his power as a sex symbol. The comments revolve around him with his name mentioned in most of this type. This creates a sense of longing to contact him or simply offers appreciation of his appearance. The fan receives their own pleasure through viewing the star in videos and increases his selling power. Photo shoots allow posters to be made which appeal to fans of this type who are more concerned with the stars appearance. However women are not the only fans who concentrate on the appearance of the star.

Fashion is a massive part of hip hop and male identification is gathered here through clothing and jewellery. Jay also being a recognised sex symbol himself, with a beautiful wife like Beyonce, increases male interest in his look and leads to some groups of fans to replicating the stars image in an attempt to achieve his sexual status. This is known as copying the star and creates a feeling of elation when being associated with the designer labels and glitzy jewellery that is so closely entwined with the genre. This copying carries a price tag and Jackie Stacy refers to this type of star interaction as ‘copying and consumption’ (156:1991). This is where the fan purchases items in relation to the star. Jay owning his own clothing brand immediately makes this process easier for his fans yet it hints towards him taking advantage when he already shapes the music of hip hop, receiving accolades and money for his work making his venture into the clothing industry a little fickle and one may say taking advantage of specific groups of fans. The topic of fashion didn’t feature on many discussion boards of fan sites yet the market itself proves a consumer need for hip hop associated items. As a previously more dedicated fan of Jay myself though I can relate to this area as I would always purchase white trainers as this was the image of many acts including Jay at the time. These purchases create a new masculine identity for the fan ‘which combines an aspect of the star with their own personality’ (157:1991).

I found it interesting that many of the posts left on fan sites contained lyrics from different Jay tracks. This increases my feeling that the music takes precedence over all other media forms Jay is associated with. These comments offer no ‘reference to identity of the spectator’ (150:1991) which again creates a distance between fan and star. However some do leave an element of self recognition when discussing his lyrics which emphasises the importance of his lyrics to them and comments such as “I think this was strong verse that came straight from heart” suggest a great love for his music and more importantly his lyrics. The use of the word heart suggests a form of identification and suggests something ‘real’ and ‘human’ about the verse in question. Jay’s lyrics play up on many emotions creating a sense of relation with his fans. The Fans themselves can believe the lyrics to be true to themselves heightening his drawing them closer to the star. This moves away from the idea of ‘devotion and worship’ (149:1991) that many comments just containing his lyrics suggest. Instead an escapist pleasure is gained from becoming involved with his rhymes and stories that come with his music due to the ‘spectator’s identity merging with the star’ (152:1991).

A common feature of the genre is fans singing or rapping along to his lyrics. This can be seen from Stacey’s point of view as ‘imitating’ the star in question which leads to a process of transformation of ones self (154:1991). Lyrics generate meaning to the fans so when they can sing along to them themselves this adds another layer of identification and expresses a desire to emulate the star or even become the star. The fans may copy other characteristics of hip hop stars such as hand movements which become expressive of feelings and emotions hinting towards an escapist pleasure being gained, or maybe dance moves signifying a basic pleasure being gained. Also fans use signs and signals such the Rocafella symbol of a diamond that Jay often portrays with his hands, offers a sense of belonging to something for the audience, as in when they put their hands up in this manner it shows the music they listen to, or the place where their fandom lies or simple labelling themselves to be part of a sub culture within society.

The many other connotations that come with the genre of hip hop label such as women and cars present a very masculine dominated genre although fans seem to be of both genders despite negative portrayals of women through lyrics and videos. This objectifies women offering a masculine pleasure, with the male audience imagining themselves in Jay’s perspective surrounded by beautiful women. One of Jays songs is titled ‘girls, girls, girls’ and is based around going over the different women he is claims to be dating. The male audience is attracted to these portrayals of women as it offers them a fantasy route where they can imagine women in an unrealistic manor, and offers a dream like desire of having multiple girlfriends. The male gaze is a large factor within rap music yet female fans do not seem to be deterred from this and many gain pleasure from being an object of male pleasure. It is these types of women that Jay talks about in his music and this could have affect upon young male audiences, creating a need for sexual dominance and multiple partners. More mature male audiences however may leave this simply as a fantasy pleasure gained viscerally. Fantasies gained from stars are used by the audience for many different needs yet in this case the fantasy closes ‘the distance between what we need and want and what we can have’ (115:1992)

In conclusion I feel the Star persona of Jay Z to have greater power over his fans than they do of him. Audiences identify directly with him mostly through his music, yet many different media forms he controls allows less autonomy for the audience yet doesn’t deter form the different ways in which they interact with the star. The choice is still apparent but can you be considered a true Jay Z fan if you don’t have an item of rocawear clothing? The commercialisation of the genre has changed the way in which fans use stars to a certain degree. In the days of Public Enemy as earlier discussed the fans set the fashion, yet money it would seem has taken precedence over the genre, which was born on the street and grew from a sub culture of people who may feel let down by the power hip hop artists posses over their fans in a modern world.

















Bibliography

Gledhill, C (ed), 1991, Stardom Industry of Desire, Routledge, London

Lisa A. Lewis (ed), 1992, Adoring Audience, Routledge, London

http://www.rocafella.com/forum/

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2207716511

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BLUEPRINT-EXPLICIT-VERSIO-Jay-Z/dp/B00005O54T/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1208628653&sr=8-1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahPPqrfDn-w