Re/presentation Of Hip-Hop: An Exploration Of White Hip-Hop Fans, Consumers And Practitioners

<p>Whites make up the majority of hip-hop consumers and participants. However, scholars have created a clear link between hip-hop, the African American community, and African Diaspora. Through ethnographic fieldwork and autoethnography, I explore the intersection of race and hip-hop. With the data from my trips to hip-hop events and in-depth interviews: I answered 5 research question. </p> <p>(RQ1) How does tension between subculturalists and post-subculturalists influence the understanding of how the hip-hop community is shaped by hip-hop music and art? </p> <p>(RQ2) In what ways do white hip-hoppers conceptualize authenticity in hip-hop? </p> <p>(RQ3) In what ways do whites re/present an authentic hip-hop identity? </p> <p>(RQ4) How does whiteness influence white hip-hoppers' authenticity? </p> <p>(RQ5) How does hip-hop influence how whites understand race? </p> <p>Due to changes in the culture, I found that both subcultural and post-subcultural theorist account for different elements of the structure of hip-hop communit(ies). The participants in this study noted an oscillation between class/resistance community identity, as described by subculturist, and a neo-tribal, accounted for by post-subculture theorist. Hip-hoppers' oscillation between these poles facilitated the ability of white hip-hoppers to manipulate/alter markers of authenticity </p> <p>to benefit their re/presentation of an authentic hip-hop persona. Along with the changing structure of hip-hop, whites also utilized their white privilege to enable their selective adherence to previously documented authenticity markers. While white hip-hoppers are acutely aware of </p> <p>race, their ability to discuss race in hip-hop and beyond was influenced more by factors unrelated to their participation in the hip-hop community, such as type/level of education.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Open Access Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Communication

Year dc:date.available

2014

Author dc:creator

• Anderson, Dale Compton

Contributors dc:contributor

• Donyale Padgett

• Authenticity
• Hip-Hop
• Metamodern
• Whiteness
• Communication

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/1113

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.wayne.edu:oa_dissertations-2112