Gangster rap, or hardcore rap, is generally considered a sub genre of the larger category of rap music, which itself is a subcategory of hip-hop. Gangster rap is differentiable from other rap music in that it makes use of images of urban life associated with crime (Haugen, 2). According to the Encyclopedia Britannica definition of gangster rap, the top four images associated with the genre are violence, drugs, materialism and sexual promiscuity.Gangster Rappers as Defining the Hip-Hop Social Group As the hip-hop movement has gained recognition throughout the United States, it has established itself as one of the fastest growing social groups anywhere. In the late 1990s immediately following the murders of both Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace, two nationally known gangster rappers, a propaganda campaign escalated against rap music and the hip-hop culture (Slaughter). Although gangster rap only represented a small percentage of the hip-hop culture at the time, all hip-hop and rap music was instantly stereotyped negatively as being “gangter-like”. Why? Well, this gangster version of hip-hop was the highest selling and most recognized form of hip-hop music among the majority class. And many critics have determined that this is because America is in love with sex, drugs and violence (Whaley).
Hip-Hop’s Rejection of Inferior Social Group Status Henri Tajfel, a social psychologist who developed a theory of inter-group relations and social change, argues that members of a social group deemed inferior by a majority class can either accept or reject their inferior position in society. If a group refuses to accept its inferior position in society as just, it will attempt as a group to change things (Coates, 8-9). A large number of hip-hop artists have used their musical lyrics to reject the inferior social status placed upon them by the majority class.The Reconstruction of the Gangster Identity I have found that hip-hop artists use lyrics, both musical and poetic, to redefine the negatives characteristics given to their culture by the majority class, and in the process, reconstruct the gangster identity. By examining these hip-hop and gangster rap lyrics as text, I will show ways in which the lyrics attempt to reconstruct the stereotyped gangster rap identity by examining different views of violence, drugs, materialism and sexual promiscuity. In the end, one tends to wonder: Who exactly are the real gangsters?
Violence That the hip-hop culture represents gangster-like violence is perhaps the biggest disputed claim amongst hip-hop artists. In order to disprove this claim, many hip-hop artists have pointed to the violence that exists within the majority social group, and how it leads to violence all over the world. In “Violence”, 2 Pac demonstrates his belief that violence was prevalent long before gangster rap existed: I told em fight back, attack on society If this is violence, then violent’s what I gotta be If you investigate you’ll find out where it’s comin’ from Look through our history, America’s the violent one Here, the poet points to American society as “the violent one” and that he has to be violent in order to “fight back.”
In “Who Knew”, Eminem showed a similar viewpoint by expressing his belief that violence is a common occurrence in American society, yet not challenged in genres outside of the urban environment: So who’s bringin’ the guns in this country? I couldn’t sneak a plastic pellet gun through customs over in London And last week, I seen a Schwarzaneggar movie Where he’s shootin’ all sorts of these bad guys with an Uzi Here, the poet questions the existence of violence in a country that allows firearms and violent movies. In “Casualties of War”, Rakim blames the United States government, specifically its Head of State, as the group causing the violence in society with their war-like ways:
I’ma get back to New York in one piece But I’m bent in the sand that is hot as the city streets Sky lights up like fireworks blind me Bullets, whistlin’ over my head remind me… President Bush said attack Flashback to Nam, I might not make it back In this text, the poet refers to our country’s decision to go to war as an example of the violence that exists amongst the majority social class. In “The Watcher”, Dr. Dre redefines the negative characteristic of violence by pointing to the police force as the source of violence, and therefore, referring to them as “gangster-like”: Things just ain’t the same for gangstas Cops is anxious to put people in handcuffs They wanna hang us, see us dead or enslave us Keep us trapped in the same place we raised in Then they wonder why we act so outrageous Run around stressed out and pull out gauges Cause everytime you let the animal out cages It’s dangerous, to people who look like strangers
Here, the poet accuses the majority class of keeping them “trapped in the same place we raised in” and that the perceived violence is only due to the introduction of “people who look like strangers.” These are examples of how hip-hop artists redefine the image of violence by showing how it exists or was created within the majority social group. Drugs Another common disputed stereotype of hip-hop artists is their use and distribution of illegal drugs. In attempts to redefine this negative characteristic, many hip-hop artists have pointed at the majority social group as the facilitator of drug abuse. In “Justify My Thug”, Jay-Z speaks directly to members of government, raising questions about who has made the availability and use of these drugs possible:
Mr. President, there’s drugs in our residence Tell me what you want me to do, come break bread with us Mr. Governor, I swear there’s a cover up Every other corner there’s a liquor store – what is up? In this example, the poet inquires as to why there is a liquor store in “every other corner” of his community. In “I Want to Talk to You”, Nas uses the same approach to challenge the notion of drug distribution by asking his representatives what they would do in his situation: Why y’all made it so hard, damn People gotta go create their own job Mr. Mayo,r imagine if this was your backyard Mr. Governo,r imagine if it was your kids that starved Imagine your kids gotta sling crack to survive. Here, the poet claims that the distribution of drugs is not only an effect of the poverty that exists in his environment, but also a means of survival.In “Manifesto”, Talib Kweli actually accuses the government of being the body which allows drugs into the country:
Like the C.I.A. be bringin’ in crack cocaine bailin’ out of planes With the George Bush connections, I push Reflection Like I’m sellin’ izm, like a dealer buildin’ the system Supply and the demand it’s all capitalism People don’t sell crack cause they like to see blacks smoke People sell crack cause they broke In this example, the poet accuses the C.I.A. of flying drugs into the country, and again reiterates the point that it is a means of survival due to the “supply and demand” of a capitalist society. In “Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangster”, the Geto Boys fully redefine the negative characteristic of drug distribution by accusing the President of being a drug dealer, and therefore, a gangster:And now, a word from the President! Damn it feels good to be a gangsta Getting’ voted into the White House Everything lookin’ good to the people of the world But the Mafia family is my boss So every now and then I owe a favor gettin’ down Like lettin’ a big drug shipment through And send ‘em to the poor community So we can bust you know who These examples show how hip-hop artists redefine the image of being drug dealers and users by again pointing to the majority class as the creator of the drug problem in this country.
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