Li Wai Chung. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-104). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / List of Photos --- p.iv / List of Tables --- p.v / Abstract --- p.vi-vii / Acknowledgements --- p.viii / Note on Cantonese Translations and Transliterations --- p.ix / Chapter Chapter 1 --- "Introduction: Studies, Methodology, and Overview" --- p.1-17 / Chapter Chapter 2 --- History of Hong Kong Hip Hop Culture and Rap Music Since the 1980s --- p.18-25 / Chapter Chapter 3 --- Hong Kong Hip Hop as a Social Phenomenon and Its Categorization --- p.26-43 / Chapter Chapter 4 --- “Imagined Hybridization´ح of Hong Kong Hip Hop Culture --- p.44-54 / Chapter Chapter 5 --- Re-defining the Aesthetics of Hong Kong Hip Hop --- p.55-71 / Chapter Chapter 6 --- Exploring the Origins of “Hip Hop Rap´ح and “Non-Hip Hop Rap´ح in Hong Kong --- p.72-86 / Chapter Chapter 7 --- Deducing Localization within the Globalized Hip Hop Culture and Rap Music in Hong Kong --- p.87-90 / Bibliography --- p.91-98 / Discography --- p.99-102 / Online References --- p.103-104 / Appendices / Appendix 1 List of Questions for Interviews --- p.105 / Appendix 2 Name List of Hong Kong Hip Hop Artists --- p.106-111

This thesis explores the interplay between hip hop culture, music and the state and commercial entities in New Zealand. Hip hop is a culture which is diverse and unique in that it can be viewed as both a form of expression and a form of empowerment for various cultures. It can also be used to make a profit for commercial organisations such as the recording and broadcasting industries. This study therefore seeks to approach the study of New Zealand hip hop in an innovative manner, and to provide a fresh perspective.There is also the need to provide a plausible definition which captures the complexities of hip hop culture. An assessment of both the American and New Zealand scene will provide a contrast in order to demonstrate that in both scenarios hip hop has the ability for empowerment and to create a new space for communities. Commercial exploitation has transformed hip hop in America, has severely reduced its ability to be seen as a source of public good and has reduced key aspects of the culture. New Zealand has managed to retain many elements of the sense of community and space of community inherent in hip hop culture and music. However commercial entities are gaining prominence in the exploitation of this culture. Hip hop locally has not made the transition to a purely commercial model, but is currently under threat.The means by which commercial organisations are gaining prominence is the unique aspect which shapes New Zealand hip hop and will be a focus of this study. State funding via New Zealand on Air (NZOA) is assisting in the transformation of hip hop from a source of public good to a music form capable of generating profit for organisations such as the recording industry. This study therefore will analyse the relationship between those who embrace hip hop as a culture capable of creating a sense of public good, organisations which are commercially exploiting this culture as a musical form, and the role of the state in assisting with the transition between public good and private consumption.

This study deals with the interplay of music and text in contemporary Durban rap. It / Thesis (M.Mus.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains iii, 45 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 34-37).

Religion and music are two cultural entities that have been closely related over time (Bossius, Harris & Häger 2010:1). To investigate this close relationship the author of this paper has chosen to use two theories. The first is the secularization theory as it is presented by James A. Beckford in his book Social Theory & Religion (2003), which expresses the idea that religion will become less visible in a society as it evolves and progresses. The second theory is based on music and is brought forth by Theodor A. Adorno in his paper On Popular Music (2008); it states that popular music is highly standardized and inevitably inferior to “Serious” music. The two theories will be used in researching and trying to understand how religion and music are interrelated to each other in Fiasco’s music and to investigate if the artist uses private or public religion in his music, furthermore the standardization theory will be used to see if his music and message are standardized. The aim of this paper is use the aforementioned theories by James A. Beckford and Theodor A. Adorno and see how they work in cohesion with Lupe Fiasco.The conclusion of this paper is that religion is influential and relevant in Lupe Fiascos music. In all his songs that have been released on CD: s, a total of 54 songs; 42 of these songs contained a religious word or phrase. This shows that the secularization theory, which stated that religion, would diminish and disappear from the public sphere the more modern a society got is not the case within the investigated artist and his music. The artists’ use of religion was a mix between public and private religion depending on the theme and message of the song. The second theory, which stated that popular music is standardized, could be verified, the message in Lupe Fiascos music is not new and neither it the music that he makes use of, even though the artist tries to give it a new sound. All music is standardized within its own genre and therefore will sound similar/standardized for one who is uninitiated within the different genres. Keywords: popular music, Religion, Lupe Fiasco, secularization, standardization, rap music.

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to explore how youth consumption of rap music informed their ideas of gender, race, sexuality, and education at a local community center in Atlanta, Georgia. The participants in the study were comprised of three male and six female Black students from working class families, ranging in age from 13–17 years old. The data collection process included 60 formal interviews, 55 informal interviews, 27 focus group interviews, 103 participant observations, and document analyses of media materials. Atlas.ti: The Knowledge Workbench (2003) assisted with the organizing, coding, categorizing, and interpreting of the vast amount of data. Findings from the study revealed four major themes: (a) youth’s engagement with rap music fostered essentialized notions of Blackness, (b) teens believed that Blacks were intellectually inferior, (c) youth perceived their classroom teachers as racist and (d) youth responded to their teacher’s perceived racism by disassociating themselves from youth they believed to be academically inferior. The findings of this study addressed the need for candid dialogues about race in the classroom and educational policy that incorporates critical media literacy.

This dissertation considers the evolution of Rap music and Hip Hop culture from the perspective of two spatial modalities. It first introduces theoretical concepts of geographic scale and the inscription of socio-spatial values in order to examine Rap and Hip Hop's geo-cultural expansions from their primary enclaves of urban black America. The dynamics between race, social space, and youth are assessed both individually and in tandem as crucial elements in the expression and practices of Hip Hop. The dissertation challenges and extends research in the prevailing Rap "canon" by analysing the processes and structuring logics through which Rap has been integrated into the commercial system of localized music scenes and transnational music and media industries. It identifies the myriad forces that have either facilitated or constrained Rap's expansion at various moments in its history. The dissertation also focuses on the emergence of a pronounced spatial discourse in Rap music and Hip Hop. It isolates the articulation of spatial issues and an increasingly urgent emphasis on sites of significance and the homeplace of "the 'hood" as a significant but characteristic element of the genre. The ancillary Hip Hop media, including radio, music videos, Rap press, and the cinematic "'Hood" genre, are examined as important factors in the reproduction of spatial sensibilities in Hip Hop culture.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2008. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2004. / Supervisor: Edmund T. Gordon. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida State University, 2004. / Advisor: Dr. Ann K. Mullis, Florida State University, College of Human Sciences, Dept. of Family and Child Sciences. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Oct. 06, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.