50 Cent - Candy Shop

Artist - 50 Cent 
Year - 2005
Genre - Hip Hop 
Type - Performance
Audience - Teenagers - Male and Female 
Producer - Jessy Terrero  


50 Cent AKA Curtis Jackson, released Candy Shop in January 2005. It was released as his second single from his second album The Massacre. It features the female vocals for the chorus of Olivia, and was written by 50 Cent himself.  

"Candy Shop" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming 50 Cent's third number one single. It received mixed reviews from critics, with some calling it a retread of 50 Cent's collaboration with Lil' Kim on "Magic Stick" (2003). At the 2006 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Rap Song, and at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, the music video was nominated for Best Male Video. - Wikipedia 

 The video begins with an establishing and pan shot of what appears to be a mysterious mansion, with the element and special effect of smoke to add to the mystery. The camera then stops with a close up on the gates where is states " Candy Shop Lane" automatically linking the video with the song title. 
The gates then open and we see a red, sports car driving into the grounds, which to us is your typical stereotype of rich black rappers, and their sports cars. When the car pulls up, there is a close up on the door opening, the camera then pans down where we see a close up on one very white trainer, signifying the gender of the driver. 

The camera then pans back up where we see a mid shot of 50 Cent, the music still not starting at this point. There is then a point of view shot as the doors to the house open, where we see a women dressed in stockings and very revealing underwear, with high heels on.


The camera then pans to 50 Cent, at (0:29) the music begins, we then have a close up on the women saying " Welcome to the Candy Shop" looking very provocative and sexual, also her voice is made to sound sexy and appealing. 
The beat then kicks in, the camera cuts to 50 Cent sat on his car, dressed like a " Gangster " the stereotypical image of an american black rapper, sat on his sports car. 
The camera cuts between the house full of half naked women, whilst 50 is walking past them checking them out, and 50 sat on his car when the rapping bits appear in the song. 
We then here a women Oliver repeat exactly what 50 said but in a more sexy manner, whilst dancing against the wall, still in her sexy outfit. 
At 1:08 we see 50 Cent on a bed with some women again dressed in hardly anything, dancing for him and " grinding" on him, immediately signifying sexual natures, the video adds a different meaning to the song title. " Candy Shop" doesn't really seem that sexy, it seems more childlike, where as the video and the lyrics show another aspect. 


The video basically has all the elements of a rappers video, the half dressed girls, the sexy dancing, the explicit language, the outfits worn. 
It shows women as the sex symbols they are mostly seen as, however in some parts shows them having more control over then man even if it is sexually. Which in some ways changes the stereotypical aspect of women being weak. However in this video women are seen as the objects of males affection. 
Some of the lyrics could be seen as offensive towards women, the way 50 talks about them and their sexual ways. 


50 Cent received mixed reviews for this video : 
The song received mixed reviews from critics. Pop Matters described it as "dripping with sexual energy and cool" and is "sexy as hell, but contains a pretty unmistakable edge of hostility, macho swagger, and thunderous chest thumping."^[10] - Wikipedia ( Positive Response ) 
Entertainment Weekly wrote that it was an "appealing throwaway single" and lyrics such as "after you work up a sweat, you can play with the stick" are not seductions; "they're orders" - Wikipedia ( Negative Response )