Workin’ Class Records: A Hip hop Subculture offering Hope and Resistance

While there is an abundance of international literature on the subject of Hip-hop, there is a clear deficit however when it comes to any substantive writing with regard to Hip-hop in Dublin. There has been an underground Hip hop scene in Dublin for over a decade now. This underground scene has witnessed the development of a vibrant and energetic youth subculture and it is the intention of this thesis to get a better understanding of what is driving those intimately involved with the scene. I have chosen to focus on one socially conscious label called Workin‟ Class Records based in Ballymun on the north side of Dublin. At the beginning of the thesis I will justify Hip hop as a legitimate source of academic study and continue to position myself within the research. This thesis traces the movement of Hip hop from New York to Dublin and looks at what influenced those involved in the Dublin scene to begin rapping. I will make it clear that there are different forms of rap, and different elements within hip hop. Namely commercial or (gangsta rap) and socially conscious rap. These distinctions are vital to gaining an appreciation of the cultural value of the genre. The record label Workin‟ Class Records is aligned to the promotion of this conscientious output. This qualitative research project primarily seeks to uncover what this genre means to the MC‟s involved through the use of in-depth interviews. I adopted an exploratory research method due to the lack of previous study on the subject. The themes which emerged from the interview process shaped the direction of the thesis. These themes included the background story of the label, subcultures, Hip hop as a reflection of the artists‟ experiential reality, working class authenticity within popular music and the educational merit of Hip hop in both informal and formal settings. It is my wish that the reader of this thesis will look anew at a much maligned genre and instead recognise the positive aspects of a true Freirean experience.

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

masters

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

National University of Ireland Maynooth

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Reynolds, Seamus

Language dc:language

en