Usher-Yeah

"Yeah!" is a hip hop song by American singer Usher Raymond. It was written by American songwriters

and producers Lil Jon, Sean Garrett, Patrick J. Que Smith, Ludacris, and James Elbert "LRoc" Phillips. It

was released in February 2004 as the lead single from Usher's hit fourth studio album, Confessions. The track was produced by Lil Jon, who combined

crunk and R&B in the song's beat. The song features vocals from Lil Jon and a rap verse from rapper Ludacris. It is one of his most famous songs. It

features a three-note beat that continues throughout the track. The song reached number 1 on twenty

different charts in fifteen countries The song ranks 2nd on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the

Decade.Usher performed "Yeah!" at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show 2008 as runway soundtrack. The song won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the

47th Grammy Awards.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22Uwe3H2oBk&feature=related


Mid-shots and long shots are used in order to display to whole scene of the

community, however at least one or two close-ups or extreme close-ups are used

on the main artist (Usher) to allow the audience’s attention to be mainly on him.

Close-ups are also set on usher’s chain at the start of the video and also on his trainers, this is believed to be due to the

fact of him portraying wealth and prosperity.

The close-ups, focusing on the women allow the representation of gender to be challenged. The women are shown as manipulative and the males are shown as weak signify power however in contrast to this the males are shown as wealthy and the women are shown as a little desperate.

The close-ups, focusing on the women allow the representation of gender to be challenged. The women are shown as manipulative and the males are shown as weak signify power however in contrast to this the males are shown as wealthy and the women are shown as a little desperate.


Example of camera usage:

Most of the video has been edited in order to display the strobe lighting- which is a dominant feature throughout. The beginning of the video also has been edited in order to show the chain as if it is instantly appearing on-screen which is then suddenly followed up by a completely different scene, this is called cross cutting, which is used several times within the video. Also the camera stays no longer than 5 seconds tranquil on one scene before the editing cuts to another.


Example of editing:

Green and blue strobe lighting is used throughout the video to enhance the fact that it takes place within a club, also the youthful colours of the blues,

reds and greens fit in with the party scene and attracts an

overall younger audience. UV lights are included in order to

exaggerate on this party lifestyle.


Example of how lighting is used to create a party scene:

The genre of this song is a hybrid of hip hop, crunk and r&b music. It features vocals from Lil Jon and a rap verse from the famous rapper “Ludacris”. It includes a three-note beat that continues right the way through the track. The same beat including heavy crunkin’ bass continues through the verses, as the bass minimizes we are brought up to the chorus. Near the end of the beat we hear a slight pause in the music, this enhances the speed or event and adds a very sudden and dramatic effect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeoWVa9YKJc

PROPS & COSTUME

Usher wears smart shirts and t-shirts throughout the video, but this is dressed down with a combination of baseball caps, jeans and sneakers which allows him to fall into the hip hop genre and scene. The female roles wear very revealing items such as shorts and crop tops, tight skirts and silky dresses, displaying the manipulation of the female body, portraying it in interesting ways. Whereas the males are dressed very casually in jeans, tops, hoodies and hats which can be classed as a statement, as the women are very dressed up, however the males are the complete opposite.

The way of which males are dressed supports the fact that they are very laid-back and this also allows them to fit into the hip hop genre. Looking at the video, it appears as if the women are being used as a prop as no useful purpose has come at hand for them, it seems that they are presented as a prop to add to the scene. Using them mainly just for their bodies and nothing else.


The narrative of the video is based around usher meeting a girl in the club, instead of him making

the move, the female takes on this role of control, even though he is already attached in a

relationship. Notion of looking is also brought up by the fact that men objectify women in a variety of ways, for example the way they are dressed and

the thing the men say about them for instance within the lyrics it states “ I want a lady in the streets but a freak in the bed” this basically

describes women in a sexual way classy from the outside but once behind closed doors a bit more

promiscuous. Men are also shown as weak in this video soon after being taken under by the female

seductive ways.

Yeah (yeah) Shorty got down and said come and get me: The female role is described as “shorty” which may come across as

disrespectful due to the fact that she is not being called by her given name.

Yeah (yeah) I got so caught up I forgot she told me:

This line explains the fact that the female has got him caught up under her spell.

Yeah (yeah) Her and my girl used to be the best of homies:The male is given a lack of responsibility due to him being in a relationship

but near enough, cheating with a female in the club and takes no consideration for the fact that if she found out she would be majorly upset.

Yeah (yeah) Next thing I knew she was all up on me screaming: This is a line of excuse of which many men would use to tell their partner as an excuse

which states him as unaware of the goings-on in the surroundings. Yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeaah Yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeaah

A line of pure agreement, which when once looked into means the woman is calling out “yeah” for the release of pleasure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22Uwe3H2oBk&feature=relatedPreview of the chorus for the video:

Activities

ACTIVITY 1THE QUIZ !

NAME YOUR GROUPS

QUESTION 1

When was Usher Yeah Released ?

QUESTION 2

How are the female roles presented in

the video?

QUESTION 3

What kind of camera shots are

shown in the video ?

QUESTION 4

What is the name of the artists in this

video?

QUESTION 5What type of scene

do the strobe lights create?

ACTIVITY 2MEMORY GAME !

Here Are The Lyrics To The

chorus, write them down.

Yeah (yeah) Shorty got down and said come and get me Yeah (yeah) I got so caught up I forgot she told me

Yeah (yeah) Her and my girl used to be the best of homiesYeah (yeah) Next thing I knew she was all up on me screaming:

Yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeaah Yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeah yeah, Yeaah

Easy enough right ?

But can you remember what each

line signifies ?

Answers to the QUIZ

Q1 – February 2004

Q2 – As in control yet used as props for the males

Q3 - mid shots long shots and close ups

Q4 – Usher Ludacris and Lil John

Q5 – A Club scene

Usher-Yeah

Education

Transcript of Usher-Yeah