University of Calgary PRISM: University of Calgary's Digital Repository Graduate Studies The Vault: Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2017 A Phenomenological Study on the Experience of Composing Rap Lyrics among ‘at-risk’ Youth Young, Amber Young, A. (2017). A Phenomenological Study on the Experience of Composing Rap Lyrics among ‘at-risk’ Youth (Unpublished master's thesis). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB. doi:10.11575/PRISM/24949 http://hdl.handle.net/11023/4059 master thesis University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission. Downloaded from PRISM: https://prism.ucalgary.ca UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY A Phenomenological Study on the Experience of Composing Rap Lyrics among ‘at-risk’ Youth by Amber Pearl Ellen Young A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK GRADUATE PROGRAM IN SOCIAL WORK CALGARY, ALBERTA AUGUST, 2017 © Amber Pearl Ellen Young 2017 Abstract Existing literature exploring the integration of Hip Hop in therapeutic contexts predominately focuses on utilizing the music in a receptive fashion, while a limited amount of literature has explored active techniques (i.e., lyric composition). Utilizing a qualitative phenomenological method, this study explored the experience of composing Hip Hop lyrics of young people who have been labelled ‘at risk’ (N=5). From the participant interviews emerged seven categories related to the experience of composing Hip Hop: (a) Hip Hop as a constant in one’s life, (b) Descriptions of the composing process, (c) Hip Hop song composition is therapeutic, (d) Hip Hop supports expression, (e) Remixing the story: Constructing and living the story we tell of ourselves, (f) Acts of resistance: ‘Each one, teach one’, and (g) Delivery of content: Messages within messages. The findings are discussed in relation to existing literature and implications are offered for the clinical social work context. Keywords: Hip Hop, narrative therapy, lyric composition, clinical social work ii Acknowledgements I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to my thesis supervisor Dr. David Nicholas. Your authentic way of moving through the academic world has taught me much about conducting research, to strive for a deeper understanding and purpose, with an aim to move toward transformation. Your vast intellect was an immense help to me throughout this process, and your genuine curiosity and excitement about my topic was truly invaluable. Thank you. To my love, Michael Wickson, what a precious gift you are. You are always my number one fan. Your unwavering belief in me has helped me to believe in myself. You have provided a listening ear and shown a genuine fascination in my work from the get-go, a motivation I could not have found elsewhere. I am grateful to have you by my side as we walk through this life. Thank you. To my sweet girl Mae, I will be forever grateful for your companionship and love. Thanks for being with me during the long writing hours and providing calm and balance. To my family: I thank you for your cheers from afar, they were heard and appreciated. I would like to acknowledge with gratitude the Hip Hop community who has been doing this work well before I began my thesis. When I began this thesis journey I felt it was critical that I attempt to give back and be involved in the Edmonton Hip Hop community. While I still have much work to do in this area, what I have been witness to is a community ‘doing the work’ regardless of what occurs in academia. The various Hip Hop events that happen in this city (Hip Hop in the Park, Cypherwild, Cipher5, Sampler Cafè, to name a few) build community, reduce isolation of young people, and organize around the tenets of Hip Hop, creating a positive environment that celebrates the skills of individuals and knowledge of the community. I would iii like to acknowledge the community organizers who have devoted countless hours to community and creating spaces of connectedness and belonging. There have been numerous practitioners and researchers who have paved the way for the development of my thesis. Their work continues to inspire the helping professions to reach further. I would like to acknowledge their work and influence: Dr. Don Elligan; Dr. Edgar H. Tyson; Tomás Alvarez; Stephen ‘Buddha’ Leafloor; Dr. Ian Levy; Dr. Raphael Travis; and Dr. Elliot Gann. I recognize that in this short list I am excluding the outstanding work of many individuals and groups and therefore would like to acknowledge all practitioners in the helping field who bring creativity to their work, or are thinking about bringing creativity to their work. Finally, to the individuals who participated in this research, I express deep gratitude for sharing your powerful accounts of composing Hip Hop. Your knowledge, skills, and creativity are gifts to this world. Hip Hop is not dependent on institutions and research; it will continue to resist and fight for justice as it always has. I do believe we, as social workers, have much to learn from Hip Hop but must be cautious and thoughtful in how we go about this work. iv Dedication This thesis is dedicated to those in our community who are our story-keepers and story(re)tellers. v Glossary of terms Hip Hop: Hip Hop is a culture that emerged in the South Bronx in the 1970s. Hip Hop is often described as consisting of four fundamental elements: emceeing, deejaying, break-dancing, and graffiti. A fifth element, ‘knowledge’, has also been identified with Hip Hop culture. As such, Hip Hop is understood beyond being a musical genre as, “a style of dress, dialect and language, way of looking at the world, and an aesthetic…” (Aldridge & Stewart, 2005, p. 190). Cypher: The cypher is a gathering of emcees, beatboxers, and/or break-dancers in a circle to freestyle. The participants in cypher will all take turns performing until all those present have had the opportunity to share (Emdin, 2011). Freestyle: Freestyling is a form of improvised rapping as opposed to rapping lyrics that have been composed. Emceeing: Emceeing is the vocal element of Hip Hop. The term is derived from the abbreviation MC (master of ceremonies) (Adaso, 2016). Adaso (2016) provides several common elements to emceeing: rhyme scheme, delivery, breath control, and word play and notes, “An emcee is a person who raps to inspire people with clear, concise and compelling content” (Who is an Emcee section, para. 1). vi Table of Contents Abstract ....................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... iii Dedication ................................................................................................................................... v Glossary of terms ....................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................... vii Epigraph ..................................................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 Study Objective ....................................................................................................................... 2 Research Questions ................................................................................................................. 2 Chapter 2: Literature Review ...................................................................................................... 4 The Term ‘At Risk’ ................................................................................................................. 4 Treatment Approaches for Youth Considered ‘At Risk’ ........................................................ 5 Hip Hop as a Therapeutic Activity ......................................................................................... 7 Integrating Hip Hop into Direct Practice with Youth ........................................................... 10 A Brief History of Rap Music in Therapeutic Contexts ....................................................... 10 Outcomes of Hip Hop as a Therapeutic Tool ....................................................................... 11 Hip Hop psychology. ........................................................................................................ 18 Lyric Composition in Therapeutic Settings .......................................................................... 19 Impact of Rap Song Composition ......................................................................................... 22 Hip Hop therapy and narrative therapy. ............................................................................ 23 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 25 Chapter 3: Theoretical Orientation ..........................................................................................