Jehst 'Starting Over' - music video analysis

Jehst is a British hip-hop artist and producer who made his debut in the late 90’s. He is considered one of the best lyricists of his generation, and he is one of the pioneers of British rap music. His last album release was 2003’s “Falling down” which featured lots of young British rappers and beat makers. “Starting Over” is the first single form his new release “The Dragon Of An Ordinary Family”

The video sees Jehst dressed as a postman delivering letters to other well-known British rappers who make small cameo appearances. It was a two part viral campaign, and the first part is a shaky, 34 second clip shot from the window of a house showing Jehst delivering their mail.

Some of the rappers that feature, with cameo roles.

The actual music video conforms to- and challenges- some of the hip-hop genres conventions, for instance; the video is mainly performance based- like most other hip-hop videos- however there is some concept and a bit of narrative involved, and this- of course- challenges the genres normal conventions.Also for what is supposed to be a hip-hop video, there is a distinct lack of scantily clad women and cars and bling, - again challenging the idea of what to expect from a hip-hop video. Instead there is meaning and humility behind the video- the fact that a successful artist of this nature can ignore stereotypes and dress up in a postman’s costume, walking about London delivering letters and rapping shows that he is an artist who refuses to give in to mainstream pressure, and who wont lose touch with his underground roots.

Screenshots showing the concept in the song; a postman who gives up and then goes on holiday. And the performance aspect- Jehst is seen walking along the bridge, rapping as he is walking.

In the video there is no direct link between what happens in the video and the lyrics, however one can interpret the meaning behind the postman uniform as in he is literally starting over, which is the name of the song. He has become bored with the monotony of the rap industry and has decided to drop it all and become a postman (then at the end of the video he decides to drop this new direction and go on a holiday). In the video he looks bored but this changes when he ‘starts again’. This first single kind of sets the tone for the rest of the album, Jehst says himself in one of the songs that he has become disillusioned by England, and expresses a desire to leave the country and start again, another nod back to the name of the song. Overall I would say that the visuals amplifying the lyrics as it gives the song more meaning.

1. Jehst looking bored. 2. Jehst looking happier as he stops being a postman. Also there is a subtle change in the lighting- the sky looks dark and grey in the 1st photo but is lighter in the second photo- suggesting a change of mood or opinion.

The song itself is the sort of song you would listen to as you were walking along because it’s quite upbeat, and so the fact he is a postman amplifies this- as postmen walk everywhere when on their rounds. However the editing is quite slow, but it kind of matches the pace at which Jehst is walking, so this amplifies the meaning of the music through matching the pace.

I think his record label tried to sell him as the sort of artist who wont give into pressure to turn mainstream, they reflect this by not adhering to general conventions of his genre, and allowing him to dress up as a postman- not something that is considered a successful selling point in the hip hop community.The music is simple yet effective and this is reflected in the video- it’s a clever idea and it is well executed- and this suits the music, simple beat with clever lyrics. His body language also illustrates this laid back, relaxed persona; he is walking casually and casually performing the song.

Once again Jehst defies the norm of his genre by not involving voyeuristic treatment of the female body; in fact, apart from the extras in the video there are no females in the video. But to start with there is the notion of looking- the shaky footage from the house, which then follows Jehst out of the front garden and then all around London on his rounds.

The notion of voyeurism.

There is no obvious use of intertextuality, however one could argue that the cameos that I talked about earlier could be referenced as intertextuality. Especially for the audience who know who those rappers are, it’s a good way of marketing the genre and the other artists (who happen to be on Jehst’s record label). Also the two guys in the bottom photo are in another music video by the same studio

Cameos in the video; and reference to another video by the same studio.