LIFE STORIES OF A MONTREAL HIP HOP GROUP: Culture, Community and Critical Pedagogy By: Alejandro Sepulveda Department of Integrated Studies in Education McGill University, Montreal Submission date: August 2016 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy ©Alejandro Sepulveda 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1 Overview of the Study ........................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2: CRITICAL STORYTELLING: NARRATIVE INQUIRY, CRITICAL ETHNOGRAPHY, AND CRITICAL PEDAGOGY ........................................................................................................... 15 Lyrical Analysis ............................................................................................................................ 16 Methodologies .................................................................................................................... 17 Narrative Methods and Critical Ethnography ................................................................................ 17 Critical Ethnography ..................................................................................................................... 22 Theoretical Framework: Critical Pedagogy and Freire ........................................................... 28 Nomadic Massive and Critical Pedagogy ....................................................................................... 34 CHAPTER 3: IMMIGRATION & MIGRATION........................................................................... 39 Butta and Lou Look at Globe Trotting in Early Childhood ...................................................... 39 Butta’s Parents ............................................................................................................................ 40 Butta: Argentina to Kenya ............................................................................................................ 42 Lou: France to Algeria .................................................................................................................. 45 Meryem and Vox Explore Leaving Their Homeland .............................................................. 50 Meryem: Algeria to Montreal ....................................................................................................... 51 Vox: Haiti to Winnipeg ................................................................................................................. 58 ii Nantali, Diegal and Waahli Discuss Caribbean Culture in Montreal ....................................... 65 Nantali: Anglo Caribbean Culture in Montreal ............................................................................... 66 Diegal: Reunification of the Diaspora ............................................................................................ 72 Waahli: Multicultured Glasses ...................................................................................................... 75 CHAPTER 4: EDUCATION ...................................................................................................... 80 Lou and Butta Explore Culture, Schooling and Teachers ....................................................... 82 Butta: Culture Shock .................................................................................................................... 82 Butta: Romanian Schooling .......................................................................................................... 83 Lou: English School ...................................................................................................................... 86 Lou: Cuban School ........................................................................................................................ 88 Waahli and Vox Discuss Different French School Systems..................................................... 90 Waahli: Private College to Public School ....................................................................................... 91 Vox: Colonial Schooling ................................................................................................................ 93 CHAPTER 5: HIP HOP ........................................................................................................... 98 Nantali, Waahli and Diegal Discuss Hip Hop in North America .............................................. 98 Tali: The New York Influence ........................................................................................................ 99 Waahli: Adopting Hip Hop Culture .............................................................................................. 101 Diegal: Getting Started in the Hip Hop Game .............................................................................. 106 Lou, Butta, Meryem and Vox Discuss Hip Hop’s Impact Abroad .......................................... 108 Lou: Hip Hop in Cuba .................................................................................................................. 109 Lou: Hip Hop in Canada .............................................................................................................. 111 Butta: Hip Hop in Romania ......................................................................................................... 113 iii Meryem: Discovering Hip Hop ................................................................................................... 114 CHAPTER 6: IDENTITY ........................................................................................................ 117 Nantali, Butta and Meryem Discuss Names and Identity .................................................... 119 Tali: What’s in a Name? .............................................................................................................. 119 Butta: Identity through Pseudonyms .......................................................................................... 120 Meryem: Being Named by Your Crew ......................................................................................... 121 CHAPTER 7: THE BIRTH OF NOMADIC MASSIVE .................................................................. 124 The Meeting of Lou and Vox .............................................................................................. 125 Original Members.............................................................................................................. 127 Butta, Waahli, and Diegal Discuss Nomadic and the Montreal Scene .................................. 129 Butta: Wefunk, Pot Roast Orchestra, and Iron Chef ..................................................................... 129 Waahli: Getting Involved with Nomadic ...................................................................................... 132 Diegal: Rock Deep, Symposium and Terminus ............................................................................. 133 CHAPTER 8: NOMADIC IN CUBA ......................................................................................... 136 Meryem: Getting Involved with the Band ................................................................................... 138 Cuba 2nd Trip .................................................................................................................... 139 Meryem ..................................................................................................................................... 140 CHAPTER 9: JUGGLING WORK AND PASSION...................................................................... 142 Diegal: Podiatry School and Playing Bass ........................................................................... 144 Waahli: Head and Hands ................................................................................................... 146 iv Maison Des Jeunes ............................................................................................................ 147 Vox: Becoming Director of Maison Des Jeunes ............................................................................ 148 Meryem: Working at Maison des Jeunes..................................................................................... 150 Butta: Creating a Space for Creativity ......................................................................................... 151 CHAPTER 10: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT THROUGH HIP HOP ......................................... 153 Workshops ........................................................................................................................ 155 Waahli: International Workshops ............................................................................................... 156 Lou: No Bad Sound and James Lyng ............................................................................................ 158 Tali: Hip Hop No Pop .................................................................................................................. 161 CHAPTER 11: A VISION OF SUSTAINABILITY ........................................................................ 163 Vox: The Adolescence of Nomadic ....................................................................................