Marissa K. Munderloh Phd Thesis

The Emergence of Post-Hybrid Identities: a Comparative Analysis of National Identity Formations in Germany’s Contemporary Hip-Hop Culture Marissa Kristina Munderloh This thesis is submitted in partial fulfilment for the degree of PhD at the University of St Andrews 3 October 2014 Abstract This thesis examines how hip-hop has become a meaningful cultural movement for contemporary artists in Hamburg and in Oldenburg. The comparative analysis is guided by a three-dimensional theoretical framework that considers the spatial, historical and social influences, which have shaped hip-hop music, dance, rap and graffiti art in the USA and subsequently in the two northern German cities. The research methods entail participant observation, semi-structured interviews and a close reading of hip-hop’s cultural texts in the form of videos, photographs and lyrics. The first chapter analyses the manifestation of hip-hop music in Hamburg. The second chapter looks at the local adaptation of hip-hop’s dance styles. The last two chapters on rap and graffiti art present a comparative analysis between the art forms’ appropriation in Hamburg and in Oldenburg. In comparing hip-hop’s four main elements and their practices in two distinct cities, this research project expands current German hip-hop scholarship beyond the common focus on rap, especially in terms of rap being a voice of the minority. It also offers insights into the ways in which artists express their local, regional or national identity as a culturally hybrid state, since hip-hop’s art forms have always been the result of cultural and artistic mixture. The theoretical focus on spatiality, historicality and sociality moreover reveals different and even contradicting manifestations of cultural hybridity and identity in hip-hop. In particular, this thesis looks at the formation of post-hybrid identities, with which hip-hop artists aim at expressing their multiculturality as an inherent part of their life in Germany. Declarations 1. Candidate’s declarations: I, Marissa Kristina Munderloh, hereby certify that this thesis, which is approximately 80,000 words in length, has been written by me, that it is the record of work carried out by me and that it has not been submitted in any previous application for a higher degree. I was admitted as a research student in January 2011 and as a candidate for the degree of PhD in German in January 2011; the higher study for which this is a record was carried out in the University of St Andrews between 2011 and 2014. Date 5 March 2015 Signature of candidate 2. Supervisor’s declaration: I hereby certify that the candidate has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution and Regulations appropriate for the degree of PhD in German in the University of St Andrews and that the candidate is qualified to submit this thesis in application for that degree. Date 5 March 2015 Signature of supervisor 3. Permission for publication: In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews we understand that we are giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library for the time being in force, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. We also understand that the title and the abstract will be published, and that a copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide library or research worker, that my thesis will be electronically accessible for personal or research use unless exempt by award of an embargo as requested below, and that the library has the right to migrate my thesis into new electronic forms as required to ensure continued access to the thesis. We have obtained any third-party copyright permissions that may be required in order to allow such access and migration, or have requested the appropriate embargo below. The following is an agreed request by candidate and supervisor regarding the electronic publication of this thesis: PRINTED COPY Embargo on all print copy for a period of five years on the following ground: Publication would be commercially damaging to the researcher. ELECTRONIC COPY Embargo on all or part of electronic copy for a period of 5 years (maximum five years) on the following ground(s): Publication would be commercially damaging to the researcher. Date 5 March 2015 Signature of candidate Signature of supervisor Acknowledgements My greatest thanks go out to my supervisor, Prof Michael Gratzke, who sparked the idea of pursuing a PhD before it had even crossed my mind and who has provided constant guidance throughout the process of research and writing. At the same time I am extremely indebted to my parents, for without their support this research project would not have been possible. I would also like to express my gratitude towards all members of the School of Modern Languages who have shared their expertise with me along the way. I especially thank Dr Colette Lawson and Dr Michael White from the German Department and Dr Emily Finer from the Russian Department. Thank you, too, to my examiners Dr Tom Cheesman and Dr James Hodkinson for their detailed feedback on my research project. With regards to my research abroad, I would like to thank Prof Dr Jannis Androutsopoulos for providing me with points of reference during the initial steps of my research project and for enabling me to work with the Graduate School for Media and Communication at the University of Hamburg during my fieldwork. I would also like to thank Prof Dr Andreas Stuhlmann for his support and guidance in Hamburg, as well as my office mates Laura and Amaranta – muchas gracias por todo! I would further like to express great thanks to Henry Dallek and DJ Dope for providing me with a starting point for my ethnographic research in the respective hip-hop communities of Oldenburg and of Hamburg. In Hamburg, I would especially like to thank Axel Zielke, Tim Beam and Oswald Achampong for introducing me to artists and permitting access to events. In line with this, I am greatly indebted to all of my 54 interview partners, for without their knowledge and experiences this thesis would not have come into existence. Last but not least I would like to express my greatest appreciation to my friends who have helped me stay sane and focussed. This goes out to Morven, Sarah and Jutta with whom I’ve been able to share the pain and pleasures of PhD-ing, to Melody and all the Blue Angels, to the Tavern at Strathkinness (Thanks, Irene!), to Jorina, Frank, Ole, Ronny, Daniel and Thilko who always offered good moments of distraction when needed, and to Sascha whose on-going support has been indispensable throughout this research project. I Table of Contents 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 A Multicultural Germany? ............................................................................................................. 4 1.2 Literature Review ......................................................................................................................... 13 1.3 Theoretical Overview .................................................................................................................. 17 1.3.1 Spatiality – The Material and Metaphorical Cityspaces of Hip-Hop ............... 17 1.3.2 Historicality – Hip-Hop as a Culturally Hybrid Art Movement ......................... 21 1.3.3 Sociality – The Presentation and Management of the National Self ............... 24 1.4 Methodology .................................................................................................................................... 28 1.4.1 Constructing a Corpus ........................................................................................................ 28 1.4.2 Participant Observation ..................................................................................................... 30 1.4.3 Interviews ................................................................................................................................ 32 1.4.4 Close Readings of Hip-Hop’s Cultural Texts .............................................................. 33 1.5 Chapter Overview ......................................................................................................................... 35 2 Hip-Hop Music ......................................................................................................................................... 39 2.1 The Backbone of Hip-Hop Culture: The DJ ......................................................................... 39 2.2 Reading the Intertextual Aesthetic of Hip-Hop Music ................................................... 47 2.3 The Establishment of Hip-Hop Music in West Germany .............................................. 50 2.4 Hamburg and the German Hip-Hop Sound ........................................................................ 52 2.5 Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 69 3 Hip-Hop Dance ........................................................................................................................................ 72 3.1 Break Beats and Break Boys: The Emergence of Hip-Hop Dance ............................ 72 3.2 Reading the Choreographies of Hip-Hop ............................................................................ 77 3.3 The Beginnings of B-boying in West Germany ................................................................

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