Subculture - Ms Georgiou

The definition of subculture is a group of people who are united through a common value, system and tastes; for example, clothes, music, politics etc. As well as this it can be defined as a group of people who are positioned outside of the mainstream who go against what the mainstream represent.

I will be stating and researching into what my artist, Shani’s values and beliefs are as well as what subculture my artist will need to target. Shani is a reggae artist who is not very well known within the music industry however as she is getting bigger and starts to produce more music she will have a high demand for the music she produces. The subculture my artist will be trying to target is consumers that enjoy reggae music and are considered as part of the mainstream representation. Lady Gaga is an artist who goes against the mainstream and what they believe. This has gone in favour for Lady Gaga as she is the most individual artist around at the moment within the music industry. In conclusion to this while following the subculture of the mainstream artist they are more likely to be successful whereas artists that do not follow the mainstream have more of a chance of being unsuccessful due to not having a target audience to market to. Shani follows the beliefs of working hard to get to where you want to be and she is portraying this by getting her music heard through YouTube.

I will now be analysing more beliefs and values of Shani, throughout her lyrics she displays different emotions that will allow listeners to relate to her. For example throughout the song she talks about lust, love, sex, materialistic items and relationships she references it so that it will appeal to reggae music listeners. Lust is defined as a craving for sexual intimacy, sometimes to the point of assuming a self-indulgent character. She uses lust throughout her lyrics when she says ‘Boy you wan fi just squeeze me’. This automatically means she is following the mainstream perception of all other artists due to the fact that lust and sex is referenced to throughout all types of music and genres. Moreover love can be defined as a strong positive emotion of regard and affection. She also displays this throughout her lyrics ‘Put your arms right around me’ which also creates a link between lust and love which are both referencing the same thing and following the mainstream perception.

Shani has made it clear that she does not mind her lyrics being sexual as she says 'Cock up mi bump up a boomboomboom'. This creates a link with sex and what the music industry has now come to reference throughout all different types of genres which is once again following the mainstream perception. Materialistic items can be defined as items that make others happy. Materialistic goods are portrayed throughout most music videos and in this case Shani has used it in her lyrics. This again shows what the main perception of artists include within their work. Shani says, 'I a bike'. This is referencing an expensive item which many consumers may aspire to own. Finally, relationships are a big part of the music industry as most artists talk about relationships, love, drugs and sex in different aspects and content. Relationships can be defined as a state involving mutual feelings between people or parties. This has lead me to conclude that Shani overall is not an individual artist such as Lady Gaga. She is however an artist that follows the mainstream perception of all artists within the Reggae genre.  

Subculture Theory: 

(Grant McCraken:)

Grant McCraken believes the postmodern world is full of diversity, dynamism and creativity. McCracken says that if we look at the array of values, and ideologies then we can’t say all sub cultures come from one culture.

(CCCS:)

CCCS’s view ignores this. It assumes that all subcultures come from one culture (reaction to mainstream).

(Hebdige:) 

Hebdige came to the conclusion that although some people think subcultures only appear to be different but deep down they are the same, he says if you look deeper, there is enough richness to warrant renaming ‘subcultures’ as ‘little cultures’.

As a result of this many groups are involved in protest and resistance against the mainstream. Also it does not take into account the fact that teens will often move between subcultures, and older youths mix and match styles/values from a mix of subcultures. Or that adults can appear to conform for most of the working week, but re-enter the subculture at specific time (weekend, festivals etc.)

Ultimately, the CCCS approach is out of date because in the 21^st century the mainstream are crumbling. “There is no mainstream, there are many streams.” Mainstream is changing all the time and it is absorbing alternative culture at such a fast rate that the idea of a mainstream doesn’t exist. So if there is no mainstream then there is nothing for teens to react against instead they are driven by other motives and these must be understood on their own individual terms.

In conclusion to this 'Shani' does follow the mainstream perception and as a result of this is now becoming successful within the music industry and especially the reggae genre.