uchechi
eluwa
AS media
studies
WGSB
‘Vibe’ is one of the biggest R&B/ hip hop / rap magazine, which is US based, which is sold twice a month. With its main target audience being young urban people who like R&B, hip hop or rap music, usually between the ages of 18-34. Quincy Jones founded the magazine company in 2003. However, in 2009 it was announced that the magazine company will be closing down.
The masthead ‘Vibe’ is very bold and big which makes it eye-catching as it stands out front the rest of the page due to the format, which suggest that it is one of the most important aspects of the magazine, and it is superior to the rest of the magazine apart from the main image. The fact that Eminem’s head is slightly covering the masthead and he is in the centre of the magazine, suggest that he is the most important aspect of the magazine, even more important than the title. Or it could suggest that the magazine is so well know that it doesn’t need to show the full name, as people already know about the magazine, and it is popular amongst the hip hop industry. This promotes the brands identity, as it is made to stand out on the page. The masthead suggests that the target audience are mainly males due to its boldness and that it is written in sans serif font, which could suggest that the target audience are strong and bold people. This relates to the main image, as it shows Eminem looking aggressive into the magazine like he shouldn’t be messed with. Also with his arms crossed which is a sign of defence, like he is always willing to defend himself, which refers to the strength of the target audience. Also the fact that Eminem is looking directly into the camera is a feature of audience appeal and direct address, as the
audience wll feel connected to the magazine and like the magazine is made for them, as they are being directly look at therefore catching their attention.Furthermore, due to Eminem’s tattoo and jewellery around his neck, it promotes the stereotypical ‘gangster’ image of the magazine’s conventions. Which is often promoted in Eminem’s songs and other R&B, therefore Eminem is also promoting his music through the magazine. Or he is wearing a crucifixion chain to show that he calls upon someone bigger than himself, which is also another common theme against the hip hop genre, as the artist often refers to God in their songs.
There is a clear colour scheme of black, grey and the main colour of red. Red is a strong and eye catching colour, which has connotations of danger, blood, aggression, and violence as well as it is a colour that stands out and draws attentions to certain points of the article. This therefore relates to the genre of the magazine as they are common connotations of rap music especially due to their music videos that often accompanies a song.The strapline is a list of the other artist of the same genre of music; this therefore gives an insight into the different artist that could possibly be feature in the magazine. Which therefore makes the target audience want to read the magazine as if they like Eminem they might like the other artist, as it is music they enjoy.