Dizzie Rascal "Dream"

Narrative

What is the main narrative and message  of the song  , and how is this  added to or altered by the visual elements of  the video ( e.g lighting and colour ,camera framing ) and the techniques used, such as the use of puppets?

The main narrative is that you can do anything you put your mind too. But he feels like its harder to achieve your dream because of where you come from and whether your dream fits the mainstream. This is made evident through Dizzies use of puppets, where they are connected by strings showing how they are being controlled or how they fit the stereotype. Two male puppets can be seen staring at girls as they walk past, showing how men disrespect females. Those same puppets also are seen stealing a television, again fitting the stereotype that black men are thieves. But unlike the puppets, Dizzie isn't connected by strings. This could symbolise how Dizzie isn't going to let stereotypes control his life and he won't give into them. However, Dizzie seems to be controlled by the older woman playing the piano as when she starts to play he pops out the jack in the box. Firstly, the jack in the box could represent how he is seen as a joke in the music industry. The fact that the woman decides when he starts rapping, could show how the music industry is controlling him. The woman is directly linked to the woman in the "Muffin the Mule" intro. The woman juxtaposes with Dizzie as she is a old, middle classes white woman and Dizzie is a young black man. Even though the lady is playing the song, she seems disturbed with Dizzie, could represent how grime is seen as dangerous and not mainstream.                                                                                    

Does the video   subvert or confirm the messages and content of the song ?

The song subverts the messages of the song by showing with the use of puppets the stereotype of a black male in society. You can see the puppets robbing a television. But one could say that Dizzie also confirms content in the video as when the female puppets walk past and the male puppets stare at them in an objectifying manner, he states "the girls would walk by and we would try to catch their eye. And if they didn't show face we would act immature" Instantly suggesting the mistreatment of females and possibly the mistreatment of black females.

Representation
How is ethnicity, age , gender and class represented in the video ? What binary oppositions are created or shown in the video between different stereotypes?
Ethnicity is represented through the puppets, and how they are representing golliwogs, a racist doll that represents black people as a joke. Also throughout the video, the puppes are doing what people stereotype black men to do. Such as being a thief or being innapropriate. Gender is also represented through the puppets and how females get mistreated and looked at as sexual objects rather than human beings. Class is also represented through the use of the old woman playing the piano. We can infer that she's representing the middle to higher class, and she shows how the old middle classed people react to genres such as pop. She could also represent how old rich people control the music industry, as she is controlling when Dizzie starts playing, but is looking disgusted while he does it.


Intertextuality : What cultural or media references does the video and song make and why ?

The video has many references, one being the old woman playing the piano and even the set of the video is a complete reference to an intro of a old show called "Muffin the Mule" Additionally, Dizzie also makes countless references to a singer called Captain sensible. Captain sensible was an artist that completely changed his style and genre to be more mainstream. Which shows how Dizzie feels how Grime will never be mainstream and will always be connected with violence. 




THEORY  :  Postcolonialism( Gilroy) : Does the video refer to "traditional white " UK culture and create a binary opposition with modern multicultural Britain ? How ?

Post colonialism is the idea that colonial discourses continue to inform contemporary attitudes to race and ethnicity in the postcolonial era. Also that civilisationism constructs racial hierarchies and sets up binary oppositions based on notions of otherness. Even though we no longer have colonies, the representation of these groups is still affected by that time. Traditional white culture is represented through the use of the old woman. As she represents the middle class and the traditional white mainstream music. She has a look of disgust when Dizzie starts rapping, shows the stigma around Grime and how it still has connotations of bad influence and aggressiveness. One could link this to the 50s were music by white artists were so much more popular than music from black artists. And often, songs by black artists were stolen and made more mainstream. A famous example of this is Hound dog by Elvis.