This thesis examines rap music in Aotearoa, demonstrates its popularity, and explores its presence as a cultural commodity, particularly among Polynesian youth. I show how analysis of a popular musical phenomenon can be used to illustrate other social facts such as identity, political awareness, and alliance. American rap's history, musical characteristics, misogyny, profanity, racial implications, associations with deviance, and nihilism are explored, outlining multiple levels of meaning and intention, not excusing its occasional harshness, but presenting perspectives from within rap and critical race theory discourses. From interviews with school students, teachers, rappers, adults involved with young people and persons in the media industry, I show that, in Aotearoa, it is the Polynesian youth who have embraced rap, both as fans and as performers, from breakdancing in the early 80's to the latest surge of "Pasifika Hip Hop". Through observation and collection of videos, CD's, sales charts, magazines and news articles I conclude that American rap has had a strong presence in the media and popular music history of Aotearoa, with many local rap artists and songs having local chart successes. Through musical and lyrical analysis I summarise and compare the themes and musical influences of both American and Aotearoa rap and discover that Aotearoa rap is used to assert and construct local identities exploring race, culture and history. The thesis begs the question: Why is rap so popular particularly among Polynesian youth? Four responses are explored: a) The rappers themselves cite a similar socio-economic and historical circumstance to African Americans; b) Rap is a popular globalised popular cultural form, possibly representing a generalised trend in Americanisation and homogenisation, (which I refute on the basis of rap's inherent "blackness" arguing that hip hop is rather a voice of opposition); c) Rap as a genre has kaupapa [philosophy] and presents an ideal tool for the exigencies of Polynesian youth's exploration of identity and community and for the communication of political and pride; and finally d) The Polynesian youth of Aotearoa feel a spiritual connection to rap and hip hop, hearing something of themselves in it, and have taken to it like it was already theirs. I offer that rap has been a Turangawaewae [place to stand] for the rangatahi [youth] and they have injected this fertile African American popular music genre with their own culture and ideology. / Whole document restricted, but available by request, use the feedback form to request access.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/246636 |
| Date | January 2000 |
| Creators | Zemke-White, Kirsten |
| Publisher | ResearchSpace@Auckland |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Whole document restricted but available by request. Items in ResearchSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated., http://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/docs/uoa-docs/rights.htm, Copyright: The author |
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