Colloque

Changement de statut dans les batailles de rap

Kyle Crawford

Membre a labase

Kyle Crawford

Résumé de la communication

As hip hop’s cultural influence spreads, it simultaneously interacts with a changing demographic. Due to a social arrangement in hip hop which “others” whiteness, white emcees have had to abide by a social rule not to “mark” blackness in order to be accepted. Utilizing a collection of rap battle videos between white and black emcees from a prominent U.S. rap battle league, this paper examines the language white emcees use to highlight opponents’ blackness; it also explores the use of racializing language. In contrast to previous findings, it is observed that white emcees use direct and indirect racial insults frequently. Rap battles operate as a unique social forum where racial insults by whites are prized not necessarily for their content but for their embodiment of a masculine spirit. These findings represent shifting hip hop identities and liberties. The ability of white emcees to highlight blackness as a negative trait and garner support from the audience may represent locales’ ambiguousness towards the dominance of blackness. Rap battles may exist as an isolated forum where race relations play out in a direct, yet non-violent, manner. In fact, they may represent a verbal event where race is highlighted bi-laterally as one aspect of a person’s identity and not the primary determinant of one’s status. As these emcees travel to other areas, locales will have to decide whether to approve or disapprove of this language behavior and its repercussions for hip hop identities.

Résumé du colloque

Le 11 mai en soirée, le documentaire "Les Fros" (ONF, 2010) sera présenté. La réalisatrice, Stéphanie Lanthier, sera présente et fera une brève allocution pour présenter son film et répondra aux questions du public après le visionnement. Le 12 mai en soirée aura lieu le vernissage de l’exposition « Projet Stanstead ou comment traverser la frontière » à la galerie d’art Foreman de Bishop’s. L'événement est une collaboration entre la galerie et notre colloque. Le grand public, les chercheurs présents au colloque et les artistes pourront échanger lors de ce cocktail-vernissage.