Nicki Minaj - Right thru me

Nicki Minaj is an upcoming HipHop/RnB artist. Right Thru Me is the second release from her album Pink Friday. 


The video follows a clear narrative. The video shows us that there is tension between Nicki and her boyfriend but she doesn't want him to leave. Throughout the video we see scenes where they are either in or out of love. 


The music video starts of by introducing the narrative and it is not part of the song. We learn that they are having an argument due to trust issues. The argument shown is pretty serious as glasses are thrown. We then cross cut between two scenes; one is where they are both cuddling in bed and the other is where they are both on the beach; this portrays their good relationship, which represents the lyrics.  


The lyrics in general however do not reflect the video, as the lyrics are talking about all the positive traits her boyfriend has but in the video, we mainly see the negative times they share. For example, some of the lyrics in the first verse "Know when I'm lying, know when I'm crying, It's like you got it, down to a science", she is basically singing how well he knows her and how much she appreciates that. The visuals sometimes contradict the lyrics which supports Goodwin's theory that sometimes visuals will contradict lyrics.


Throughout the video we see scenes that follow the conventions of both an RnB music video and a commercial exhibitionist performance. There are a lot of close up shots of Nikki's face whilst lip-syncing; this is a trait of both conventions. The meaning behind the close ups is to emphasise on her facial features (such as her lips whilst lip-syncing) and sell herself as a brand to the audience.  

Not only is there an emphasis on her face, but also her figure which is a main convention for and RnB music video. In the video there are scenes where Nicki appears to be in a steam room with clear glass separating her from the camera. In these scenes Nicki is wearing little clothing, however its not as proactive as what we might expect; she is wearing knickers and crop top. Through the use of long shots, we can see her perfect hourglass figure; similarly from the use of close ups we can focus on parts of Nicki's body. Tilt movements are used to scan Nicki's body. Showing Nicki's body is catering for what the audience expect, it is also another ploy to sell her herself to her audience. Nicki moves slowly in time with the music which shows that there is a relationship between visuals and music (Goodwins analysis).


In the final scenes we see Nicki and the on screen partner together in an infinity edge pool. There is an amazing view in front of them. This could be portrayed as a luxury place or setting. Settings and scenes like these are typical of an RnB video as it shows a good, inspiring lifestyle. 


All in all I think this videos follows the conventions of a typical RnB music video.