This dissertation situates the emergence of gangsta rap from 1988-1997 within the
historical trajectory of the American criminal justice system and the mass incarceration of
African Americans. Specifically, it examines how the genre enacted the mark of
criminality as a gesture of resistance in a period of sustained moral panic surrounding
race and criminality in the United States. The mark of criminality refers to a regime of
signifiers inscribed upon African American bodies that imagines black subjects as
fundamental threats to social order. Drawing upon the theoretical resources of historical
materialism and cultural studies, the project locates the mark of criminality within the
social structures of capitalism, arguing that hegemonic fantasies of racialized criminality
protect oppressive and exploitative social relations. The project concludes that while
gangsta rap has many significant limitations associated with violence, misogyny, and
commercialism, it nonetheless represents a salient expression of resistance that can
inform broader interventions against the American prisons system. A number of
questions guide this project. Chief among them are the following: In what ways does the criminal justice system operate as a site of rhetorical invention and hegemonic struggle?
To what extent does gangsta rap enable and disable rhetorical and political agency? To
what extent does it enable and disable interracial political practice? What are the
implications of gangsta rap for a gendered politics of criminality?
Three case studies demonstrate how specific gangsta rap artists inverted the mark
of criminality toward the constitution of affirmative and resistant fantasies of black
criminality. While the work of these artists, I argue, was significantly limited in its
emancipatory potential, it nonetheless offered important insights into the contingency of
race and crime in America. The project also considers how other rhetors responded to
gangsta discourse, frequently toward the end of supporting hegemonic notions of race
and criminality. The dissertation concludes that criminality functions as a vibrant site of
rhetorical invention and resistance provided it is articulated to broader movements for
social justice. While the often-problematic discourses of gangsta rap do not constitute
politically progressive rhetorics in their own rights, they provide resources for the
articulation of righteous indignation and utopian desires capable of challenging the prison-industrial complex. / text
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UTEXAS/oai:repositories.lib.utexas.edu:2152/6554 |
| Date | 19 October 2009 |
| Creators | McCann, Bryan John |
| Source Sets | University of Texas |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | electronic |
| Rights | Copyright is held by the author. Presentation of this material on the Libraries' web site by University Libraries, The University of Texas at Austin was made possible under a limited license grant from the author who has retained all copyrights in the works. |
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