Abstract
Employing content analysis as a methodological approach, Oware complicates the reading of turn of the century rap artists. Analyzing 350 + songs of popular male rappers from 2005 to 2015 reveals the continued presence of the hegemonic themes of braggadocio, misogyny, and violence that dominated the genre in the 1990s. However, Oware finds fewer instances of homophobic references than expected. Finally, the author uncovers references where males express caring and loving attitudes towards friends and family. These homosocial themes within hegemonic black masculinity rarely receive attention when addressing male artists’ lyrics. Yet, this discovery adds complexity to lyrical analyses of contemporary rap music. Specifically, Oware presents male rappers as simultaneously dominant and vulnerable or hybrid rappers. Nonetheless, these artists continue to sexualize and objectify women.
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Oware, M. (2018). The Hybrid Rapper. In: I Got Something to Say. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90454-2_3
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