R&B music videos

Characteristics of R&B Music Videos

Slow Songs

Today`s r&b songs are very similar toned and often use grey colours. This is also known as the sepia tone. This might be because when  a colour does appear it us much more effective and has a bigger impact on the listener and viewer. It might also be because dark colours evoke emotions in people and therefore makes the video more soft and emotional. In these videos the colour white is often used which is used to balance out the darkness and gives a sense of power and softness. In some cases it also represents positivity and hope. Grey-scale music videos create a very dream-like atmosphere. If the video is not grey-scale it`s very likely to us natural colours, for example the sun. This is because it makes it realistic. This is used especially a lot when a story is being told. Most slow r&b songs follow a narrative which means a co-singer is in the song to give a different perspective on the story or to expand on it. Slow r&b songs that have a feature on them usually are love which the co-singer usually wears minimal clothing. This is used to attract people to watching the videos.

On the other hand if the song is about love and breaking-up they are don`t contain as much nudity. These songs are usually done by female r&b artists and there minimal or no nudity. The women in these videos are presented more are Goddesses; this means their clothing is usually in bright colours such as white. This shows happiness as it`s about being in love. if it`s a song a out breaking-up then the songs uses grey-scale and darker colours to convey sadness. They are also likely to be wearing dark clothes. In these videos a lot of natural make-up is used to show natural beauty and to make it even more realistic. These are necessary because there are a lot of close-ups to artists face to make the listener and viewer feel more connected with the artists and their feelings. Most of the time these songs do have a narrative but sometimes they are just shots of the artist. A majority of the time  the location for the music videos will be a beach or a tropical island. In these videos there are likely to be wide shots which give a nice view of the place. If it`s a sad song then the location is more than likely to be empty, dark room with minimal items inside. This is because it gives more focus on the artists and their lyrics. In these videos there is especially lot of focus on the artists expression whilst singing the lyrics. 

Examples: Beyonce, Sampha, John Legend 

Fast songs

A fast r&b song usually makes the music video look like a party. The singers often wear their jewellery, the video has flashy cars and it contains a lot of bright colours to provide a positive mood. There is a lot of choreography taking place in these videos as there are fast changes in shots between scenes and it`s all fast paced to make it more energetic. These videos portray r&b artists as fun and in a powerful light. In these music videos, usually there is a lot of artificial lighting as the location is often a night club or at a party with flashy lights. Moreover these are the type of videos where women wear minimal clothing. This is used as marketing tool and portrays the artists as fun and loving people. The artists who made the song; regardless male or female, usually wears sunglasses and has a cup in their hands. This is to show coolness that the audience usually finds attractive and it makes it more likely, that they will watch the video with the song. Since the artists want to make a lot of money off these videos, there is likely to be a lot of advertisements in there.


This is very similar to fast r&b songs made by female artists. They also use bright colours to represent happiness but the location is not always the club. More than often it`s a made up place that involves a lot of special effects. A lot of characteristics of these videos are very similar to fast r&b songs made by male artists. These include fast changing shots, a lot of jewellery, and minimal clothing. These are used to create the sense of a party. These songs don`t follow a narrative. In both cases these video`s present the singer as powerful and influential than the slow and emotional songs. 

Example: Chris Brown, Usher, Tory Lanez