Abstract
Often claimed but seldom researched, Oware explores the extent to which socially conscious themes are present in independent rap songs. Supposedly, independent rap is free of the misogyny, violence, and materialism found in popular rap. However, Oware reveals that male and female underground artists mimic the lyrics of mainstream rappers. Related to the topic of race, underground white rappers as a group engage in racial evasion—an avoidance of race-related subjects in their music—more so than rappers of color. Iggy Azalea illustrates this point, but Macklemore contradicts it by addressing the topic of white privilege in his lyrics. Overall, the author argues that the distinction between underground and mainstream rap is manufactured and mutable for some, but distinct and separate for others.
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Oware, M. (2018). Coming Straight from the Underground. In: I Got Something to Say. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90454-2_5
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