Proquest Dissertations
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY Imitation and Authenticity: An Analysis of Aboriginal Rap Music in Alberta by John Jesse Potts A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY CALGARY, ALBERTA September, 2008 © John Jesse Potts 2008 Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-44226-5 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-44226-5 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada Abstract Rap music has become prominent in sociological research in recent years and some of this research has concerned the appropriation of rap culture among Aboriginal youth. The goal of this study is to address whether the cultural appropriation of rap and hip-hop music by Canadian Aboriginal people results in the authentic re-formation of a cultural product, or whether that appropriation is better perceived as imitation of a cultural form. The research project comprises Ethnographic Content Analysis of lyrics from a sample of rap songs from Aboriginal artists in Alberta, and interview data from a number of artists. As such, this study considers whether or not Aboriginal rap lyrics are an authentic reflection of the experience of Aboriginal artists, or if the adoption of rap reflects mere preference for a popular cultural product. iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank my parents, family, and friends for all of their love and support over the years. These are the people that encouraged me, believed in me, and helped me to achieve the things I have. I would also like to thank my supervisor, Dr. John Manzo for his help and guidance in completing this research. IV Table of Contents Approval Page ii Abstract iii Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents v CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL CONTEXT 1 Introduction 1 Music in Sociological Inquiry 3 Hegemony 3 Moral Panic and the PMRC 5 Harm in Lyrical Content 8 Positive Messages in Rap 14 Resistance 15 Empowerment 16 Racism 18 Rap in Education 19 Identity 22 Theoretical Context: Appropriation, Hybridity, and, Authenticity 24 Global Appropriation of Rap 29 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY 38 Content Analysis of Aboriginal Rap Music 40 Interviewing Aboriginal Artists 44 CHAPTER 3: EXPLICIT CONTENT AND THE HARM PERSPECTIVE 48 Explicit Themes in Content 49 Hopelessness 54 Harm Themes in Perspective 55 Discussion: Explicit Content in Context 59 CHAPTER 4: RESISTANCE 64 Restoring the Roots of Hip-Hop and Rap 64 Themes of Resistance 68 Loss of Land and Culture 68 Culture of Poverty 70 Discrimination 74 The Struggles of Aboriginal Life 76 Action and Awareness 79 Discussion: Resistance in Aboriginal Rap 81 v CHAPTER 5: EMPOWERMENT 86 Community 87 Opportunity and Success 88 Aboriginal Heritage 92 Aboriginal Identity 95 Discussion: Empowerment in Aboriginal Rap 100 CHAPTER 6: CULTURAL APPROPRIATION, CULTURAL HYBRIDITY, AND AUTHENTICITY 102 Authenticity in Themes of Harm, Resistance, and Empowerment 103 Authenticity in Content 105 Authenticity versus Imitation 107 Cultural Hybridity and Elements of Culture 114 Discussion: Authenticity in Aboriginal Rap 115 REFERENCES 119 APPENDIX A: INTERVIEW SCHEDULES 123 APPENDIX B: ETHICS APPROVAL 125 vi 1 CHAPTER 1; LITERATURE REVIEW AND THEORETICAL CONTEXT Introduction This thesis comprises a study of Aboriginal rap music in Alberta. Rap music has become prominent in sociological research in recent years and some of this research has concerned the appropriation of rap culture among Aboriginal youth (Hollands, 2004; Lashua and Fox, 2006; Lashua, 2006). The goal of this study is to address whether the cultural appropriation of rap and hip-hop music by Canadian Aboriginal artists results in the authentic re-formation of a cultural product, or whether that appropriation is better perceived as imitation of a cultural form. Rap music is the most widely preferred type of music among many Aboriginal youth (Hollands, 2004); however this research focuses on Aboriginal rap artists' experiences and their artistic products. As such, this study will consider whether or not Aboriginal rap lyrics reflect the experience of Aboriginal artists, or if the adoption of rap reflects mere preference for a popular cultural product. It will also consider the messages within Aboriginal rap, and the way that these are packaged. This is timely research as there has been an increasing amount of "cultural appropriation" of the rap and hip-hop subculture in many countries including Canada, noticeably among Canadian Aboriginal youth, which is discussed in further detail in this chapter. In Canada, creation and production of rap music among Aboriginal people is considerable and this study proposes a better understanding of whether the message of Aboriginal rap is reflective of the experiences of Aboriginal youth, evaluated though the expressions of artists. 2 The study focuses on the lyrics of Aboriginal rap artists among a particular group within one region, which is consistent with previous studies, and necessary considering the volume of music produced and diversity of Aboriginal groups throughout Canada (Hollands, 2004). While this limits the scope of the music sample and participants, and thus the generalizability of the results, this thesis will provide a description of individuals that are a part of this group as well as discussion of the meaning of their art to them, and the meaning they intend to convey. This research compliments previous literature in that it attempts to qualitatively explore Aboriginal youth preference for rap music and the resulting creation of a cultural product. Where previous literature has examined musical preference and the effects of listening to rap music on listeners, this study proposes to consider the lives and experiences of the artists that are creating rap music and the messages imbedded within. Congruous with the suggestion that rap represents an expression of the lives of marginalized people (Lashua and Fox, 2006) this study provides a discussion of the experiences and expressions of those with a preference for rap and hip-hop music that has manifested as the creation of rap to be transmitted to another generation of listeners. For the purposes of this report, the terms "rap" and "hip-hop" will not be distinguished from one another, also consistent with previous work on the subject (Iwamoto et al, 2007; Lena 2006; Hess, 2005; Maxwell 2003). Rap and hip-hop will be understood to be a part of the same genre and therefore the subculture that identifies with this form of music. 3 Music in Sociological Inquiry Hegemony The concept of hegemony appears in numerous studies related to music. In this context, hegemony refers to what has been called the "dominant ideology" and the "ideological struggle to win the superstructural field of cultural production" (Maxwell, 2003, p. 186). Pratt (1990) presents a commonly understood definition of hegemony as: "a ruling class's domination of subordinate classes and groups through the elaboration and penetration of ideology into their common sense and everyday practice" (p. 9). Pratt argues that phenomena such as preference for popular culture and subcultural style among youth can be seen as a reflection of the dominant ideology, and represent a form of control through cultural production. The author suggests that exposure to lyrical content results in the reproduction of dominant ideology, which is presented in the examples of apartheid era South Africa and communist era Czechoslovakia carefully censoring music played on the radio (1990, p. 10). The author further illustrates the promotion of conservative ideology in the United States, both through the lyrics of contemporary country music that affirms patriotic stereotypes, racist, and sexist attitudes, and also the actions of the PMRC in facilitating the implementation of a ratings system, a movement in which rap and heavy metal music were central. Music has also been argued in opposition to hegemony, as a feature of "oppositional cultures" (Martinez, 1997, p. 266). In the context of an oppositional culture, music, along with other aspects of culture, bears resistance to oppression under dominant ideologies and can actually influence the dominant culture (1997, p. 266). Martinez argues that the popular African American cultural expression of rap music exists as a form of 4 "oppositional culture in the face of perceived institutional discrimination, and urban decay" (1997, p.