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Rob “Fresh I.E.” Wilson: A Socio-analysis of Musical Self-Transformation by Aaron J. Klassen A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology Carleton University Ottawa, Ontario © 2018 Aaron J. Klassen Abstract Music is a self-transformative process, practice and ethic. The co-mediation of music and the self represents an assemblage of distinct yet simultaneously occurring parts where contradictions can exist alongside their more pragmatic uses. In this dissertation, I note such an assemblage in the case of Rob “Fresh I.E.” Wilson. Rob’s case provides a striking example of musical self-transformation in that his biography follows a trajectory from abusive conditions in Winnipeg’s infamous North End during the 1970s, and a life centered around drugs and pimping in the 1990s, to its lyrical renunciation according to his newfound beliefs as he converted his hip-hop to Christianity and joined the ranks of Grammy nominees in 2003 and 2005. Yet music was not all good for Rob. Despite fame and influence, by the end of the decade, he was overwhelmed by the demands of a grueling tour schedule and the pressure to remain relevant. His rising self-doubt pushed him to suicidal ideation. And yet, despite successfully restructuring his musical practice, now independent of the music industry, Rob’s Christian-themed hip-hop still situates him between the rock of the institutional church and the hard place of having to constantly build a following. The constantly evolving nature of the contemporary Christian music industry and hip-hop’s unique conditions in Canada, combined with the church’s refusal to accept hip-hop as a legitimate mode of worship and Rob’s refusal to leave, creates a distinct set of challenges. In this dissertation, I use ethnographic research methods to explore the ways in which Rob negotiates such challenges. I employ biographical methods to trace his present practice to the conditions of his formative and educational years. Not to take my case at his word only, I use historical methods to trace the trans-national links between ii Rob and hip-hop as it has become institutionalized, and before that, to its roots in African American religious musical practices since modern slavery. Finally, I use critical social theory to assess the significance of Rob’s musical self-practice to himself and his scene, within the whole of the cultural realm. iii Acknowledgements It gives me great pleasure to thank a number of folks, here, that I consider to be instrumental—indeed, irreplaceable—to my producing this dissertation. There was a certain harmony that I enjoyed while working under the tutelage of the following committee members at Carleton: Primarily, Bruce Curtis, I appreciated so much, your professional, consistent, extensive, and precise attention to my sociological practice throughout my time in Ottawa, as in the doctoral seminar and a reading group or two, and while I was in the field. Thank you for your mentorship, truly – you were the steady rhythm that kept me going. John Shepherd, you introduced me to ways of thinking about music that I never imagined were possible; and then you showed me how important— significant, really—music is to our selves by refusing to allow me to separate the two. Thank you for making music more musical for me – you were the timbre. And, as though you meant to honour music itself (but not “it” self), Jesse Stewart, you challenged me to write to a richer, more nuanced standard. Sincerely, thanks for calling when I needed a boost – you were the ghost note and the equalizer. Filling out this performance, I also wish to thank my examiners, Paul Théberge and Will Straw, for your most excellent comments and questions, and your time. Also, thanks to the grad administrators at Carleton, Paula Whissel and Darlene Moss. Special thanks to the best cohort I could have asked for—we miss you Blake. And finally, I wish to thank my wife, Amy, for your support that was, and remains, infinitely beyond quantifiable – truly yours, my dear. iv Table of Contents Abstract ii Acknowledgements iv Table of Contents v Appendices vii Chapters: 1. 9 Introducing the case of Rob “Fresh I.E.” Wilson and the problem of musical self- transformation Introduction Background of the problem: A biographical and ethnographic revelation The aim and significance of this dissertation with key terms Summary and chapter outline 2. 31 Music and the Ethics of Self-Transformation: Conceptualizing the Musical Self The problem of “music” and the “self” Toward an ethic of musical self-transformation Methodological considerations 3. 81 Historicizing the Musical Self and the Ethic of Musical Self-Transformation: An historical sketch of African American religious musical practice, from the underground of modern slavery to its standardized representation in the contemporary Christian music industry Introduction 1750-1865: Modern slavery, the body, spirituality and the Afrological musical self 1865-1900: Minstrelsy, Emancipation, Jubilee Spirituals and the rise of the American culture industry The rise of American popular culture and the institutionalization of the “Gospel Blues” from 1900 to the Great Depression, with a “musical self” comparison of Arizona Dranes and Thomas Andrew Dorsey v Gospel’s Post-Depression “Golden Age,” “Sister” Rosetta Tharpe, and the complexity of “crossing over” From Civil Rights to Post-industrialization: The emergence of Soul as commodified struggle and the struggle for musical hegemony The organization of Contemporary Christian Music, Contemporary-urban Black Gospel, and the case of Kirk Franklin Conclusion 4. 139 Hip-hop, Religion, and the Contemporary Christian Music Industry: The mediating roots of Christian-themed hip-hop Introduction A Social history of the Bronx and the conditions giving rise to Hip-hop Hip-hop and spirituality: The cultural improvisation of Afrika Bambaataa The competition for and classification of hip-hop sound: From DJ Herc’s sonic improvisation to the commodification of the “authentic street” The tenuous, institutional mediation of Hip-hop and Christianity A literature review of hip-hop and spirituality: A bridge to the biographical and ethnographic study of holy hip-hop artists Conclusion 5. 175 Rob “Fresh I.E.” Wilson: A socio-analysis of musical self-transformation Introduction Colonial history and trauma trails in the racially segregated space of Winnipeg’s North End: Conditioning Rob Wilson (1972-87) Winnipeg’s Hip-hop house party scene: Educating “Freshie” (1988-97) Musical self-transformation Part I: Re-Moralizing “Fresh I.E.” (1998-2009) Musical self-transformation Part II: A change in scene (2010 – present) Appendix: Contradictions of collective interest in musical self-transformation) Conclusion: The precariousness of musical self-transformation 6. 253 Conclusion: De-marginalizing the Musical Self Dissertation findings Recommendations for future research Why the musical self matters: Personal opinion, accepted limitations, and an answer Bibliography 271 vi Select Discography 281 vii Appendices Contradictions of collective interest in musical self-transformation 225 Interview Guide 269 viii Chapter One Introducing the case of Rob “Fresh I.E.” Wilson and the problem of musical self- transformation It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1) 1.1 – Introduction In this dissertation I seek to understand and explain musical self-transformation specific to the case of Rob “Fresh I.E.” Wilson. As opposed to a strict topic, my research question is drawn from what the cultural studies methodologist Ann Gray calls, “lived problems” (2003: 60-5). My interest in musically lived problems stem, in part from my own musical practice, including several years spent performing as a semi-professional musician during my twenties and the struggles that I encountered having to do with my own life trajectory and various institutional structures. I am interested in live public music making, recording-studio based production, and the politics of such performances, altogether linking the musical self to historical practices and processes while also making up transformative change. Arguably, musical practices are formative, operating as processes through which the modern self is subjectivated, mediated by context, albeit in ways which afford self-transformation vis-à-vis its basis as a “technology of articulation.” As this entails a combination of self-problematization and strategy, self-transformation is at the same time a modern ethos. The combination of my experiences as a musician and now my interests as a musical sociologist leads me to consider the embodiment of musical self-transformation as represented in a specific musician’s story. Rob “Fresh I.E.” Wilson’s life experiences and on-going practice provides access to the ways in which the sounds of “music” mediate his self and ethic of self-transformation. Though 9 varying in significance, the consistent presence of music throughout life, ties that life through immediate experiences to historical processes and institutions, necessitating my conceptual development of the “musical self.” The musical self allows for a richer understanding and explanation of music not only as contributing to self-transformation, but indeed, as self-transformation. Here, Wilson’s musical self-practice provides insight into how music contributes to self-transformation