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Intertextuality in Rap Lyrics

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Collective Participation and Audience Engagement in Rap Music

Part of the book series: Pop Music, Culture and Identity ((PMCI))

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Abstract

This chapter draws attention to the structuring role of the spirit of competition in the rap genre. It demonstrates that the active engagement with the audience, prompted by intertextual references and similes, is an indirect expression of collective participation and call-and-response insofar as the dialogical character of rap lyrics activates the listener’s shared knowledge, thus transforming them into a collective performance.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    That line is in fact inspired from a 1984 reggae song called History by Super Cat.

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  1. The University of Bordeaux, Pessac, Gironde, France

    David Diallo

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  1. David Diallo
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Diallo, D. (2019). Intertextuality in Rap Lyrics. In: Collective Participation and Audience Engagement in Rap Music. Pop Music, Culture and Identity. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25377-6_6

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