Front cover analysis

This front cover is off the XXL magazine. XXL specialises in the genre of Hip Hop. Like the other XXL magazine of Fabolous and The Dream from this magazine you can see that the target audience young people in the age range of 16-26 that have an interest in this genre. Sell lines include stories of other mainstream artists like Eminem and Trey Songz. This reinforces that the magazines targets a mainstream audience. Following the typical convention of a music magazine this front cover successfully makes use of 2 colours (black&red) which makes it simple and easy for the reader to follow. The layout of the magazine is also conventional with a key image of one of the figureheads in the music industry let alone the genre of Hip Hop, Jay Z. This artists importance is highlighted from the main sell line which states 'IS JAY Z BIGGER THAN HIP HOP' from this sell line you can see that this artist has a dominant role in the Hip Hop genre. The use of a low angle shot further reinforces the dominance of this artist. The use of skyscrapers in the background is again used to show his status and the heights that he has reached in his career as he is as tall as these buildings. This could also indicate that he is out of the reach of the artists from this genre. The mise-en-scene used also shows his power. The use of all black attire and the long black coat connotes his power as people of power wear black. The sunglasses also which is a typical feature for most artists shows his status. Like most other issues from XXL this magazine doesn't offer any incentives for readers of this magazine which could be an indication of the demand of this magazine as they don't need to offer anything extra for readers. The synchronising motif of 'HIP-HOP ON A HIGHER LEVEL' uses alliteration which eases the reading for the reader. Like almost all XXL magazines this issue also adhers to the typical conventions of music magazines through the use of limited font colours, sell lines and stereotypical representation of the artist on the front cover.