MACKLEMORE, IGGY AZALEA, AND CONTESTED AUTHENTICITY WITHIN THE HIP-HOP DISCOURSE COMMUNITY by Olivia Rines A thesis submitted to the faculty of The University of North Carolina at Charlotte in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in English Charlotte 2015 Approved by: ______________________________ Dr. Elizabeth Miller ______________________________ Dr. Pilar Blitvich ______________________________ Dr. Janaka Lewis ii ©2015 Olivia Rines ALL RIGHTS RESERVED iii ABSTRACT OLIVIA RINES. Macklemore, Iggy Azalea, and contested authenticity within the hip- hop discourse community. (Under the direction of DR. ELIZABETH MILLER) Authenticity within the hip-hop community has been a topic of conversation amongst researchers for a number of years. The hip-hop movement started in the 1970’s and has steadily grown over the years into a worldwide phenomenon. Although the success of hip-hop is regarded by the majority of the hip-hop community as positive, it has also caused significant issues in terms of (mis)representation and (in)authenticity. One aspect of authenticity that has been foregrounded is race. Can a white hip-hop artist be considered authentic in the hip-hop discourse community? To examine this question, this paper will explore the authenticity of white hip-hop artists Macklemore and Iggy Azalea. In order to explore how their authenticity has been both constructed and challenged by the hip-hop discourse community, authenticity will be considered in two, overlapping forms: authenticity in terms of the linguistic community and authenticity in terms of the hip-hop community. Through an examination of the artists’ lyrics, commentary in response to their music videos, and interviews with the artists, I will analyze how Macklemore and Azalea have attempted to construct themselves as authentic hip-hop artists and how others have contested their identity. Through this analysis, I will investigate how authenticity has evolved to include or exclude community members, specifically how authenticity is ascribed or contested when a community member’s most visible identity feature (in this case race) does not align with the norms. iv DEDICATION This project is dedicated to my husband, Jason Rines, to my friends, Jessica Mae Harmon and Charles Howell, to my mom, and to my family. Jason, without you, I know that none of this would have been possible. From the beginning, you have pushed me to be a better scholar and a better person. You encouraged me to explore new and diverse paths and to think deeper than I ever dreamed was possible. You are an incredible man and an extraordinary philosopher, and I am truly blessed to call you my own. Mae, my friend and confidant, your support in this process was invaluable. The hours that we spent side by side at the library are some of my happiest memories of this project. You persuaded me to write when I felt like I had no words left, and it is because of you that I finished on time. Charlie, you are a unique and beloved presence in my life. You have taught me so much about the world and have helped me to develop a new understanding of my position as a scholar and an activist. Mom, when I could not stand to look at my thesis anymore, you helped me push through. You read the entire document to check for grammatical errors, and you listened to me talk about nothing else for four months. You are the woman I inspire to be, and I am so grateful for everything you’ve done for me. Finally, I could not have done any of this without the love and support of my family. You all are my rock, my home, my foundation. You have been there since the beginning, inspiring me to strive for goals and dreams that at the time seemed farfetched. I love you all, and I thank you for all that you have given me. v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my committee for their support and guidance throughout this process. First and foremost, I would like to thank my committee chair, Dr. Elizabeth Miller, for being the finest mentor I could ask for. Her enthusiasm, support, consistent encouragement, and meticulous feedback were indispensable to this project and to the success of my graduate career. I am a better student for having known her, and for that I am eternally grateful. I would also like to thank Dr. Pilar Blitvich and Dr. Janaka Lewis for their contributions as committee members. Dr. Blitvich was a vital asset throughout my time as a graduate student and taught me so much about being an active participant in the field. Dr. Lewis provided a unique perspective that allowed me to expand on my research and develop thoughtful connections between seemingly discrete fields. Without the help of these three distinguished professors, I could not have made it this far. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE: LITERATURE REVIEW 1 Identity as a Social Construct 2 Hip-Hop and Authenticity 8 Eminem: A Brief Case Study of Authenticity 17 Linguistic Authenticity and the Hip-Hop Discourse Community 21 CHAPTER TWO: BACKGROUND 29 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 31 CHAPTER FOUR: ANALYSIS OF LYRICS 35 Iggy Azalea 36 Macklemore 51 Discussion 64 CHAPTER FIVE: ANALYSIS OF INTERVIEWS 67 Iggy Azalea’s Interview with Hot 97 68 Iggy Azalea’s Interview with The Breakfast Club 74 Macklemore’s Interview with The Breakfast Club 81 Macklemore’s Interview with Hot 97 89 Discussion 96 CHAPTER SIX: ANALYSIS OF YOUTUBE COMMENTARY 99 Iggy Azalea 100 Macklemore 113 Discussion 133 CHAPTER SEVEN: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS 136 vii REFERENCES 148 APPENDIX A: SELECT SONGS FROM AZALEA’S THE NEW CLASSIC 151 APPENDIX B: SELECT SONGS FROM MACKLEMORE’S THE HEIST 159 CHAPTER 1: REVIEW OF LITERATURE Introduction In 1996, Eminem, a male, white rapper from St. Joseph, Missouri, released his first album, titled Infinite. Although he was not the first white rapper to attempt to gain entrance into the hip-hop community, he was by far the most successful. Eighteen years later, Eminem still produces music, and he is a household name when discussing mainstream rap music and hip-hop culture.1 However, during his rise to fame, Eminem’s race presented a number of issues both for the hip-hop community and for American culture at large. As a white man succeeding in a predominantly black community, Eminem threatened commonly held ideas concerning what it means to be authentic in the hip-hop community. His enormous success made him a topic of interest in the hip-hop community but also amongst scholars from a variety of fields, including linguistics, communication studies, and culture studies. Their investigations all circled back to a single question: “What does it mean to be authentic in the hip-hop community?” In order to investigate this question, this paper considers the authenticity of white hip-hop artists Macklemore and Iggy Azalea. These two artists are of particular interest not only because their authenticity is still being debated but because they represent two 1 Although there is consistent reference to rap/hip-hop music in mainstream American culture, in the hip- hop community, these terms are not synonymous. According to Bennett (1999), “[r]ap is narrative form of vocal delivery which is spoken in the rhythmic patois over a continuous backbeat, the rhythms of the voice and the beat working together” (78). Meanwhile, hip-hop refers to the culture in which rap is instantiated. 2 very different sides of the hip-hop community. Macklemore identifies himself as a rapper and desires success and acceptance within the hip-hop community; however, his language and the thematic choices in his music do not align neatly with those of the larger community. Meanwhile, Australian-born rapper Iggy Azalea’s decision to appropriate the language of the hip-hop community has led to consistent accusations of cultural appropriation. As a woman, Azalea also faces significant challenges in the community because of her gender. The problematic nature of these two artists make them excellent candidates for examination. In order to explore how Macklemore and Azalea’s authenticity has been both constructed and challenged by the hip-hop discourse community, authenticity is examined in two, overlapping forms: authenticity in terms of the linguistic community and authenticity in terms of the hip-hop community. While authenticity research from these two respective fields does overlap occasionally, for the most part, these fields view authenticity very differently. This paper therefore attempts to blend the frameworks developed by both fields in order to develop a more holistic understanding of authenticity. The new framework is then used to explore how the authenticity of these artists has been both constructed and challenged by the hip-hop discourse community. Finally, this paper investigates how authenticity has evolved to include or exclude community members, specifically how authenticity is ascribed or contested when a community member’s most visible identity feature (in this case race) does not align with the norms.2 2 Due to the newness of these artists (both achieved mainstream success in 2012), no scholarly research had been published about them at the time of data collection. Therefore, the literature review will focus on broader ideas and use another white hip-hop artist, Eminem, as an example of the difficulties such artists face when attempting to gain entrance into the hip-hop community. 3 Identity as a Social Construct Identity is currently a key topic of conversation in many disciplines. Some scholars argue that due to the rise of social networking, which allows an individual to intentionally shape his/her identity, hiding some aspects and foregrounding others, identity is more fragmented and multi-faceted than ever.