Music Video Analysis - Rihanna ft. Drake - 'What's My Name?'

The song is introduced with an establishing shot of a city skyline, the sky in this shit is blue illustrating a beautiful day and the time of day the music video is set in.

The urban blocks and derelict buildings allow the audience a glimpse into the urban life.

 

Drake plays the role of the main protagonist who looks normal. He has a stubble and is not ‘blinged-out’ like other rappers are. He is wearing an off-white cardigan with coloured stripes. The off-white may connote a tainted purity or bad boy gone good. His casual look also associated him with other normal men. The setting at the start is in a corner store which also relates to the target audience as carefree teenagers and young people. The blurred background shows the focus on Drake and lets the audience know he’s important in the music video.

 

When Rihanna, who plays the female protagonist, walks into the store, she is the centre of attention. We know this as before, there was a shot of Drake looking at something that we could tell he had an interest in, and now we are shown what he was looking at. We know that this is what he is looking at as it an over the shoulder shot of Drake looking directly at Rihanna. Her red hair is a bold statement, which Rhianna is very famous for making and automatically sets a new trend for her fans. Her glamour is highlighted in her jewellery and makeup, this makes her seem very desirable in the scene so that it draws attention to her through vicarious reinforcement woman would want that attention to. The black and white blazer is a smart way to make her less revealing but also gives her a sassy and elegant edge. The black and white stripes could connote her personality of being an innocent/pure girl but having a bold, confident and post-modern attitude.

The light behind her in this show is bright and white as she walks into the store, it makes her look romantic and desirable.

Her outfit also consists of a black top and black and white shorts with a multi-coloured trim. This demonstrates her youthfulness and expressiveness as it seems as if the while outfit compliments her personality. Drake spots her at this point in the video and the audience can see this connection. This over-the-shoulder mid shot shows us what he is seeing and makes the target audience put themselves in his shoes.

 

Drake, while walking down to the aisle to talk to Rhianna is lip-syncing his verse of the song. This makes it seem like he is talking to and about her, trying to ‘woo’ her and the aim of this is to get her interested in him the same way that he’s interested in her. The camera follows him straight on putting the audience right into the action, it looks like he is looking straight at the audience. The white light is also behind him but creates a ‘female gaze’ where women want to be in the position of Rihanna and men want to be in Drake’s position.

In the video Drake is seen to get Rihanna straight away. She is by the fridge getting milk when drake arrives. This mid shot suggests how inclined their bodies are and they then become quite intimate.

During the video, there are flashes of the present and what could be with Rihanna as his girlfriend. In the future or ‘flash forwards’, Rhianna and Drake are a couple. He is wearing a grey hoodie, implying the relaxed atmosphere and home they are in, they can be relaxed around each other, Rihanna is wearing blue, shorts and a bra with a gown over it. She is also in a relaxed environment with Drake. The soft focus on her and the haziness that comes through the window, romanticises the scene, and this is common in many R’n;B videos. The lighting is in complete contrast to the present and the scene is also in slow motion. This also romanticises the scene, and create a ‘male gaze’ for Rihanna.

 

There are three different parts of Rihanna’s performance, this is where she lip-syncs and dances directly in front of the camera.

 

The first is presented by the image to the right. She is sitting on a white chair in front of curtains and wearing a light blue and white patterned dress. The colour connotes purity as well as happiness and contempt. The audience could also feel like she is not as glamorized with minimal makeup and hardly any jewellery; she looks more ‘normal’ and easier to aspire to here.

 

The second performance part of the video is when she lip-syncs the chorus in the street and dances in the street after she walks out of the store. It makes the audience think that she is happy about being with Drake, but the visuals don’t tie in with the lyrics here. The lyrics of the chorus have sexual connotations but the performance of it doesn’t.

 

The camera follows her as she walks down the street, blurring the background. This makes her the centre of attention even as she is on a busy street. Also, when the camera follows her from the back she still is the centre of attention. There are a lot of close ups in the future scenes and this denotes intimacy and the soft gaze and slow motion of the scenes makes it look romantic.