Analysing Feature Pages

This is an unusual feature page of hip hop as it is dedicated to a female (Nicki Minaj) and she is taking up most of the space on the page. This is seen as unusual due to the fact of the representation of women to be at a low standard as women are not seen to be on the same level as men. By promoting this, this can change how society views men and women in general as although she is a hip hop artist, she does not fit in with the stereotypes used in society. For example, the clothes she is wearing are very out there and colourful. The shade of pink is not a standard pink used for all girls and it fades into a lighter gradient from the bottom of the page this makes the text stand out as the top half of the magazine is very light and the bottom is darker, this is also attractive as it’s not one block colour which looks boring.

Minaj’s posture is in a weird position, one arm is on her hip and the other is arched to show off her ring which says “icon” which is placed next to her face, hence; portraying to the audience that she is an icon to hip hop. This posture is very wild which shows she has confidence and the way she is looking directly at the camera with an annoyed facial expression illustrates attitude and control over the audience.  

The primary target audience is teenagers and young male adults, this is because Nicki Minaj is a fairly new singer and is known to be famous in the new generation, and therefore many older adults would not recognise her.

The colours used on this feature page are very calming and subtle. The light colours of pink represent peace and appear to be angelic, which links to the title “The Gospel According To Nicki Minaj”. This refers Nicki to be god as the word “according” means Nicki Minaj dictated this and therefore we should all believe her as she is a well-known artist.

The main colour used for the title is dark pink; which is used to match with her bright lipstick. This brings emphasis to the text hence why some subheadings are dark pink to make them stand out and attract the reader’s eyes to that area.

The layout of the text is wrapping around her, this technique is used to show all the focus is on Nicki Minaj and the whole article is based on her. This is also done so that the reader can always have their eyes on her even when reading the text and it is very close to her picture.

The article is about Nicki Minaj’s tips in life and what she believes. The text is broken up into sections where the subheadings are like “The 10 Commandments” in the Bible. This is a clear representation that Nicki promotes herself as God, us as the audience; we take all her tips into account as she is a well-known artist.

On this double-page spread, illustrated on the left side is of the headline of 'the game', which is shown in black block-capital font at the top of the left page of both pages on the double-page spread. Below is the main masthead - 'It's a sweltering June Sunday,’

From the quote on the left page of this double page-spread, it allows the reader to have more of an understanding of The Game's feelings towards 50 Cent. This attracts the audience as they are mainly looking for gossip in magazines. By a part of his quoted statement on the left page stating "My album doesn't sound like him. My style is nothing similar to his. 50 Cent is a rapper. I am a Mc". By this quote, it makes the audience aware of The Game's opinion on the media comparing himself to 50 Cent. By it being shown as the text is serif- black bold block-capital, it emphasise the importance of the quote from The Game as it is the only piece of text in the DPS that is written in black bold block-capital font.

The costumes used in the magazine is very “hood”, we can see this as The Game is shown with the costume of the clothing of how a 'typical black male' from California United States would dress in the neighbourhood. As he is shown wearing a black & red hat, along with him wearing a black t-shirt, baggy dark-blue jeans, and black Nike trainers. This attire is known to be in fashion as it is very popular within our society. As well as the use of props, shown in the photographed image it could create a sense to the reader, that the person being photographed is a 'hustler' or a 'gangsta'. As the use of props connotes that the person in the image is 'ghetto'.

The lighting of the double-page spread is generally dark, around most edges of both pages. However, as the double-page spread faces more towards the image of The Game, the lighting becomes brighter. This is used to create a special effect and makes the page look more interesting as one block colour would look boring.

The body language shown of the Hip-Hop artist is shown sat down with his feet positioned on the chair of a bench in a park. This portrays a stereotype that all teenagers are out in gangs sitting on walls which can be intimidating. His facial expression indicates to the reader that he is aggressive and angered. The facial expressions of the model are shown to be; straight and firm which may indicate to the reader that he is an unfriendly character.

The main masthead - 'It's a sweltering June Sunday,' finishing with a comma rather than a full-stop, makes the reader aware that it is the opening sentence of the text from the article. By this it makes the reader want to read more into the magazine, as it already gets them engaged into the text.

Both pages on the double-page spread feature one long-shot image of famous British singer-songwriter and actress, Rita Ora. Also, it is clearly laid out as both pages have on them text boxes which shows the interview of Rita Ora and the interviewer. The text on both pages of this double-page spread is in the colours of red &white. The text on both pages; with the interviewer being written in red and Rita Ora's responses in white.  The layout of the masthead is effect because as the audience is reading the masthead, Rita Ora’s picture is laid behind the text halfway therefore we assume that the model is Rita Ora.

The strap-line written in a large red-font, this informs the reader about what the double-page spread aims to focus on and for readers who are new in familiarizing themselves with Rita Ora, it would also give them more of an understanding about the artist. The colour red connotes death and danger which is unusual as girls are stereotypically portrayed as weak and girly. This shows the independence woman have now compared to the past.

Rita Ora is shown in her urban style of clothing, by her being shown wearing a black hoodie, shorts along with black & purple Nike trainers. Her legs are still exposed despite the casual clothing, this is done so it attracts the male audience as well as the hip hop fans to purchase the magazine as women are represented as sex objects, however her legs are crossed which shows she is not trying to act sexual and the non-verbal communication such as looking; relaxed, confident & calm shows Rita Ora being arrogant.

The lighting on the right-side of the double-page spread is generally much darker than the other side of the page. The left-side of the page looks to be brighter, due to the fact it shows her head to toe, it is a long-shot and has most of the features of the image, and therefore that side of the page is more important. Hence why that side is lighter to emphasise the model.