Magazine Mid Term Submission

In making this magazine issue I had to determine many decisions based on my vision of the magazine. I wanted my magazine issue to be gritty, real, and upfront about rap culture topics. The pictures display this vision with their dark colors and use of shadows. I made the decision to use these photos because I believe they best emulate the style set precedent by popular rap magazine and they all display a tone that was desired for my issue. I discussed my decision on fonts and sizes in previous blog posts where I stated my reasoning. One thing I did change from a previous post was my article topic. My original topic was to vague and lacked quantitative data for me to a researched based article about so I decided to tell about the rise of hip-hop/rap. This topic provided far more vastness for research to be done and to tell the story of mine and America's favorite genre's rise to stardom.

Magazine Production Posts

With this photo shoot i was required to use my photography skills to be able to capture images that imitated the style that was set precedent in the magazines I researched. I also wanted to establish a mood and tone in my issue of the magazine and establish a brand character of "Rap Caviar'. This tone and mood would be described as serious and gritty to match the undertone of rap itself. I wanted the magazine to be associated with sophistication, elegance, and honesty. I used a combination of techniques camera angles and lighting to get this effect that I wanted for my magazine issue.

Article Research

I have made an executive decision to switch my article topic to be about "How Hip-Hop/Rap Became The Most popular Genre Of Music."

Details/Facts

• Eight of the 10 most listened-to artists of the year came from the R&B/hip-hop genre, led by Drake, with 4.8 million album equivalent units (combined album sales, song downloads and streams), and Kendrick Lamar (3.7 million). Rap also experienced the second-highest growth of any genre, spiking 25% over 2016 and coming in just behind Latin music, which was up 30% in total volume.  
•  four of the five Grammy nominees for album of the year were R&B or hip-hop artists. 
• But streaming surged in their wake, growing 43% with 400 billion streams total (compared with 252 billion in 2016). 
• Streaming now accounts for 54% of total audio consumption, composing the majority of audio consumption for the first time ever. (For comparison, streams accounted for 38% of total audio consumption in 2016 and a mere 22% in 2015.)         https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2018/01/03/rap-overtakes-rock-most-popular-genre-among-music-fans-heres-why/990873001/
• R&B/hip hop represented 24.5 per cent of all music consumption in the US - the largest share and the first time it had led the measurement for a calendar year. Rock came in second place, with a share of 20.8 per cent.
• Eight out of 10 of the most listened to artists of the year fell into the R&B/hip hop category, as did seven out of 10 of the top albums.   https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/rap-music-rock-most-popular-genre-us-nielsen-music-report-2017-kendrick-lamar-ed-sheeran-drake-top-a8141086.html

Scout Locations for Photo Shoots

                                                                 Ringling Bridge Park

                                                            Ringling Bridge Park

                                                            Ringling Bridge Park

                                                              Ringling Bridge Dock

                                                          Ringling Bridge Dock

                                                             State Street Parking Garage

                                                         State Street Parking Garage

                                                          State Street Parking Garage

                                                              State Street Parking Garage

                                                                  Payne Park

                                                                     Payne Park

                                                                      Payne Park

When finding locations to shoot for the magazine i was looking for areas that would best suit the style and appearance of the magazine. These local locations have great scenery and atmosphere around them to have high quality photos taken. I have these select few locations chosen as they are the best for creating an image that is desirable for the wanted outcome for my issue of the magazine.

Schedule Photo Shoots

For my photo shoots i will be going around various areas of town taking pictures of my project partner Ethan, who will be dressed as a rapper or artist to get the shots needed for my magazine. To schedule this I texted Ethan to make a date for Thursday, December 12, to get all needed supplies and to get all necessary photos for my issue. he agreed to do so and so it is scheduled for next week. These photos will match the style and format of precedent hip-hop/ rap magazine such as The Source or XXL.

Research Development

    In my case for my magazine issue instead of having an interview based article I will be doing a research based article. The reasoning behind this decision is that it would be far to difficult and improbable for me and my partner to have the ability to schedule an interview with a hip-hop/ rap artist. Instead I will be using my researching skills to dive deep into the culture and find information on an emerging story. In my research article I plan to include a bibliography of all my reputable sources and it will be on a topic that is related within the culture spectrum. I plan to write on the topic of true raps nonexistence within radio play. It is an emerging rap culture issue that has been going on for far too long and is filled with prejudiced and an unwillingness to accept that rap is apart of American identity. This heavily researched article will establish what "Rap Caviar" is about and its purpose of emerging rap into the spotlight of all, even the unwilling.

Magazine Flat Plan

The flat plan is an outline of our complete issue of a magazine. It represents what will be included on each individual page of the issue. Articles presented in the magazine are a wide range of topics within the hip-hop/ rap industry. For example, included in our flat plan is an article about A Boogie Wit A Hoodie and his rise to stardom with hit songs and albums such as "Trap Saezon" and how he will proceeding forward in his career. We also have articles on the rise of UK rap with artists like Stormzy and Skepta making a huge hit within the industry. To diversify we still have articles about the legends including one about Tupac's legacy and impact on the culture and our main article within the issue being on the topic of new school hip-hop vs. old school hip-hop. These diverse range of articles intertwined within the issue is too fully encompass and inform readers on all that is hip-hop and rap.