In This Journey, You’re the Journalist: Rap Lyrics, Neoliberalism, andthe Black Parallel Public
In This Journey, You’re the Journalist: Rap Lyrics, Neoliberalism, andthe Black Parallel Public
This chapter examines the politics of rap production, stressing the politics of rap realism and neoliberalism, as well as citing Imani Perry’s theorization of the role of realism within rap music. Rap realism is defined as rap that is chiefly concerned with the social conditions of (black) working class (urban) life. As an authenticating device, rappers and consumers use the real to distinguish between those who are true representatives and those who are not; the real becomes a place from which to judge and situate African American experience. The two most important forms of realism Perry identifies are descriptive realism, which creates a world for the listener through the eyes of the rapper, and argumentative realism, which critiques the reality that rappers depict.
Keywords: rap production, rap realism, neoliberalism, Imani Perry, African American experience, descriptive realism, argumentative realism
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