Sociolinguistics in Rap and Hip-hop Music

Sociolinguistics in Rap and Hip-hop Music
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October 28, 2020
Introduction
“The rest is empty with no brain but the clever nerd
The best emcee with no chain ya ever heard
Take it from the Tec-9 holder
They've bit but don't know their neck shine from Shinola
Everything that glitters ain't fishscale
Lemme think, don't let her faint get Ishmael
A shot of Jack got her back it's not an act stack
Forgot about the cackalack, holla back, clack clack blocka”
* “Figaro” by MF Doom
Such are the words of the popular rapper and lyricist MF Doom, a brilliant artist who has released several albums each containing surprising levels of lyricism and narratives of the African American or “black” experience, and songs to which you cannot help but bob your head to while listening. MF Doom is only one part of the greater narrative and social picture of rap and hip hop music.
What began in the 1970s as a form of music where musicians would sing and speak in rhythm to a beat, rap and hip hop has evolved to the multi-layered, incredibly famous genre of music as we know it today. It is mainly characterized as a “rhymed storytelling” with highly electronically based and rhythmic music (Ross & Rivers, 2018, pg. 2). Rap and hip hop have been used as a medium to relay narratives of perceived hardship, economic desperation, and systemic oppression (Ross & Rivers, 2018, pg. 5).
The nature and character of rap and hip hop in American contexts has mostly been one of protest and resistance (Alim, Ibrahim, & Pennycook, 2009, pg. 4). One cannot help but ask then, how exactly is hip hop characterized, what are its aspects and manifestations, in other cultures and societies aside from the American experience? Is it still the same one of resistance and protest? Does it still stay true to how it was beginning and how it has developed throughout the decades? Or does it branch into totally new areas when such genre is placed and subsequently utilized by artists and musicians from other cultures?
Statement of the problem
This paper will seek to answer the question: what are the general characteristics and manifestations of rap and hip hop, particularly in its sociolinguistics, in other countries? How does this compare to the African American English (AAE) in American hip hop?
Objective of the study
The paper seeks to define or explain the following:
* A brief explanation of the use of AAE in American hip-hop and the narratives commonly portrayed therein
* A study, discussion, and analysis of the language employed in the hip-hop of other countries
Discussion
American rap and hip-hop
There are two primary views on American hip-hop that are in conflict with each other. One is the traditional view towards American hip-hop that it relays messages of “violence, misogyny, graphic sexual content, discrimination, and hate.” The other more contemporary view is that it serves as a platform for the most oppressed and discriminated minority in American society to air out concerns, social issues, and engage in rhythm-assisted storytelling. (Racine, 2018, pg. 7)
The more traditional view of ...