Analysis of PBR&B genre

PBR&B (also known as hipster/indie R&B) 

PBR&B was a term which was originally used in 2011 by music writer Eric Harvey. The term was originally quite a tongue and cheek phrase as Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR) is referred to as the hipster choice of drink and the initials of this beer were combined with the initials of classic R&B. 

The most noted artists within the PBR&B genre are The Weeknd and Frank Ocean, the artists add hip hop themes and production to the sound of the music but sing in them like the accepted R&B style. 

A key theme continued through virtually every PBR&B music video, in a similar sense to R&B, is the sexualisation of women. Women are often shown in compromising position which forces the audience to view them in a sexual way. The majority of PBR&B artists are male and the videos depict women being inferior to the men, often being present for entertainment for the men or are presented as an annoyance. 

The Weeknd - The Zone ft. Drake 

The zone is one of The Weeknd's earlier music videos, released in 2012. The Weeknd's style of music and videos has progressed along with the genre in recent years, The Zone  uses dark moody shots which are heavily contrasted with very bright shots of a woman which comes across as being slightly disjointed. Projections are used in the video along with close ups of the woman's lips putting on lipstick and her eyes. 

Mid shot of Abel Tesfaye singing dark silhouette connotes power and mystery - purple hints regal themes.

Extreme close up of woman's lips 

Extreme close up of eyes being projected onto Abel singing

The Weekend - The Hills

The Hills is a more edgy video which is The Weeknd's style now. There is high contrast between intense silhouettes and dramatic backgrounds, the words do not relate wholly to the video itself and the women in the video are dressed in minimal clothing, being shown in a negative manor. 

Abel singing in the foreground, mid shot which is in the left third of the screen. The woman in the background is shown in very little clothing as is shown as being rather useless in the dramatic situation of the car flipping onto its roof. 

The woman in this shot is again shown as being a nuisance to the man and it is a very patriarchal view of women. 

This contrast between the dramatic fire is a common theme amongst PBR&B music videos.