VIACOM AS A FIREARM? PROGRESSIVE HIP-HOP LYRICS, THE CONSTRUCTION OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS, AND THE CULTURE INDUSTRY By STEVEN M. JACOBS A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2011 1 © 2011 Steven M. Jacobs 2 To the idea that music . may be more than ―just music‖ 3 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It does not require a Ph.D. in sociology to recognize that my completion of this milestone would have been impossible without the love, support, and guidance of some very, very special people. I hope that my successes, achievements, and progression to this pinnacle of my educational career stand as tributes to those who have inspired and assisted me along my journey. I would like to use this space to mention some of these people. First, I would like to acknowledge the entire Jacobs family. My incomparable, amazing parents, Ken and Madeline, deserve the most special of recognition. It is impossible for me to adequately convey here my appreciation for the opportunities they provided for me. My completion of a Ph.D. program is a credit to their love, faith, and support. My siblings, Alan, Jessica, and Michael, are my three life-long best friends, and they continue to challenge, strengthen, and inspire me. My grandparents, Bernie, Fay, Gil, and Rose, warrant special acknowledgement for the foundations they have built and for being living examples of the importance of love and family. I have been privileged to learn from some incredible teachers who over the years inspired me to pursue this particular career path. Drs. Sam Richards, Clemente Abrokwaa, and Frank Clemente of Penn State University each initially inspired me in his own way to pursue a graduate degree in Sociology and a career in academia. I would like to thank them and the other teachers who over the years influenced my pedagogy. I would also like to specifically mention the members of my supervisory committee at the University of Florida. They have provided me with an incredible amount of guidance throughout my time in graduate school, have been crucial in my intellectual and professional development, and have profoundly illustrated to me how the academic, 4 professorial life can be a life well lived. I have learned more from them than they know, and I extend to each of them my deepest gratitude. First, I would like to thank Dr. Monika Ardelt for sharing her wisdom, for being so incredibly supportive of me, for pushing my work beyond parameters that I imagined possible, and for having faith in my somewhat off-the-beaten-path ideas. I have never met a person more generous with her time than Dr. Ardelt. She has been an epic mentor and advisor over the years, and I greatly appreciate the direction she has provided for me. Dr. Charles Gattone is a brilliant man who taught me what it means to be a scholar. His perspective and advice were crucial in helping me to understand how, where, and why I fit into the field of sociology. I aspire to follow his example of balancing intellectual rigor and compassion, as well as work and family. I hope he recognizes how much he has helped and inspired me. Dr. Constance Shehan has been a consistent source of strength and support over the years. I have had the pleasure of attending graduate school during her tenure as department chair. She has created a warm and congenial environment during these years and led us through some challenging times. Somehow she also managed to find the time to go over my work, mentor, and help me, which I greatly appreciate. A couple of great conversations that Dr. Tim Fik and I shared early in the conceptualization stages of this project played a crucial role in its evolution. His suggestions and ideas have been immensely helpful. My feeling is that he has been of far more assistance to me than he realizes. 5 I am privileged to call some of the most beautiful human beings I have known my friends. While I do not have enough space to acknowledge them all, I would like to specifically mention the Blackstock Family (Dean, Patricia, and Baby Lane!), Tony Grazio, Michael Pellen, and Sarah Staub. They are all profound sources from which I draw strength, peace, joy, love, laughter, and support, and they have been among my most important teachers. During my tenure in graduate school, I have shared time with friends and colleagues who, through our conversations both in and outside of that classroom, have been quite influential on the development of my academic self. I would like to specifically mention the incomparable Will Jawde. I would also like to thank Deeb Kitchen, Greg Pavela, Josh Sbicca, Meggan Jordan, Louisa Chang, Flavia Leite, Mike Itzkowitz, Dave Berkowitz, Samandip Saini, Nick Vargas, Jennifer Towers, Chad Swiatowicz, Robert Perdue, Lawrence Eppard, and Daniel Fernandez-Baca. I have also had the privilege of both teaching and being taught by some amazing undergraduate students at the University of Florida. They are far too numerous to name, but I would like to dedicate space here to acknowledge them. I have saved the most important recognition for last. The strongest of acknowledgement goes to my best friend and partner in this lifelong journey, Mrs. Katlyn Jacobs. She has been a pillar of strength, and her presence is a daily present. Her love, acceptance, and support have allowed, encouraged, and inspired me to become me. I do not have words enough to express my love for this angel warrior of a woman and her heart of gold. 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. 4 LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................ 10 ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... 11 CHAPTER 1 REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATIVE .................................................................. 13 Purpose of this Project ............................................................................................ 13 The Social Construction of Social Problems ........................................................... 14 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 14 ―Claims-Making from the Underside‖ ................................................................ 16 Hip-Hop Music ........................................................................................................ 20 Background ...................................................................................................... 20 Socio-Historical Context of Hip-Hop‘s Emergence ........................................... 22 The early years .......................................................................................... 22 Reaganomics and the development of hip-hop‘s ―conscious‖-ness ........... 26 Structural limitations? ................................................................................. 35 The Corporate Co-option .................................................................................. 37 Hip-hop is dead? ........................................................................................ 42 Manufacturing consent? ............................................................................. 46 2 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................... 48 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 48 Conscious, Political, or Progressive Hip-hop? ........................................................ 48 Forming the sample ................................................................................................ 51 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 51 Corporate/Independent Analysis Groups ......................................................... 51 Determining ―Excellent‖ Participants ................................................................ 53 Conducting the Analysis ......................................................................................... 57 Theoretical sampling ........................................................................................ 58 Structuring the Analysis .................................................................................... 59 3 US—CONSTRUCTING A COLLECTIVE IDENTITY OF CLAIMS-MAKERS .......... 60 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 60 Who are We?—The Struggle .................................................................................. 61 Oppression ............................................................................................................. 64 The Experience of Racial Oppression .............................................................. 65 ―Black Dialogue‖ ......................................................................................... 65 Beyond the Black experience ..................................................................... 70 7 White rappers negotiating a space within a racialized collective ................ 71 The declining significance of race? ............................................................ 77 The Urban Underclass Experience ..................................................................