Analysis of Music Video 50 Cent – “Candy Shop”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKVJyQDlSTgHip-hop videos usually represent wealth and features expensive cars, jewellery and a lot of girls. In the beginning of the video we see 50 cent walk into the mansion, where there are a lot of women wearing revealing clothing. 50 cent is wearing baggy clothing that expresses the type of person he is and what music he is into. Rappers and hip-hop artists are known to wear baggy, loose clothing which is different to other genres such as rock or heavy metal, where the artist usually wears black, tight leather clothing. He is also shown wearing a long diamond chain around his neck, which could represent how wealthy he is. Hip-Hop artist usually ‘show off’ their materialistic things in their videos.

The woman who says ‘Welcome to the candy shop’ is the other artist, which features in this track. As she and 50 cent are the first two people we see in the video, it tells the audience that they are the main people they should be focusing on. The woman, (Olivia) is wearing a short black dress, which is revealing, which cold appeal the male audience. She looks very provocative, drawing in the viewers and also 50 cent into the mansion.

There are a lot of long shots and close ups of all the different girls in the house, all half naked showing off their bodies. This is another typical convention of a hip-hop video, having the artist (usually male) surrounded by a lot of girls not just one. This could suggest that they are enjoying life and that every girl loves them because they are rich and famous.

There is also a wide shot, showing 50 cent on a Ferrari, which again is an expensive car that only wealthy people can afford. This again can represent the artist ‘showing off’ everything he has to the music video viewers. 50 Cent changes his outfit throughout the video. Another outfit he wears is a big fur coat, again expressing that he is a wealthy person.

Usually in hip-hop videos, there are not many dance routines. In this video there are no certain set dance routines, until Olivia starts singing the chorus. 50 cent and all the girls are seen throughout the video, dancing along to his song in a seductive manner, however only Olivia’s bit has a dance routine with other girls.

As the video goes on 50 cent is seen in different rooms with different girls. The title of the song ‘Candy Shop’, could actually refer to girls, and he is ‘having a try’ of each girl, like you would have a try of every sweet in a candy shop. As he walks through the mansion, pictures of girls also start to ‘come alive’ and they also dance in a raunchy way.

As the video is all about 50 cent, going into different rooms, experiencing different women, for example one with a whip, one in a nurses outfit, and one where there are two women covering themselves in chocolate. The whole concept of the video is as if it is every boys dream to be surrounded by all these women, and being ‘teased’ by them. The different coloured outfits, and different materials can also represent a bright, colourful candy shop, again referring to the title of the song.

In the end of the video, we see Olivia full dressed in a drive through, waking 50 cent up, making the audience realize that the whole video was 50 cents dream and fantasies.