Once only appreciated in the streets of the US, Hip-Hop has since increased its reach globally. As Hip-Hop music continues to be produced internationally, its influences and meanings transform to adapt to the cultures from which its audience reside. No longer is it founded in the struggle of the African American people, but it now extends to include the subcultures of Grime, Latin Trap, Indonesian Rap and more. The globalisation of Hip-Hop is not without its challenges, and recently a number of artists have been accused of cultural appropriation, the most notable of which been Post Malone, which I will discuss in this blog today.
Hip-Hop is my favourite genre of music, and I enjoy listening to artists such as Tyler the Creator, Childish Gambino, Kendrick Lamar, Rich Brian, and many more. Although as a white middle class male I am not the initially perceived audience of hip-hop, as I am unable to relate to the money, drugs and gangs of the neighbourhoods in America, the genre has quickly spread and as of 2018, 24 million people between the ages of 19-34, from a range of nationalities had listed it as their favourite type of music. As it has spread, the lyrics and themes of hip-hop music alter to suit the cultural beliefs of the nation in which it is produced. For example, South-East Asia and particularly Indonesia has seen a boom in the number of Hip-Hop artists coming from the region, some of the most famous being Iwa K, Rich Brian (formerly Rich Chigga) and Joji. The music generally has more of a musical feel in the beats when compared to typical American Hip-Hop and the lyrical content has been altered to references that Indonesian people would understand and relate to. As an example, in Rich Brian’s music he speaks of Indonesian food, drinking at 16 and the humidity of the nation, all features that Indonesian people would recognise.
Although the newfound international nature of Hip-Hop is great for the fans, a number of individuals who prefer music from the origin of Hip-Hop, particularly American artists and African American people, have accused international artists of cultural appropriation. Post Malone is one of these individuals, and as a white man producing Hip-Hop content he has been called a ‘culture vulture’ and been told to stop ‘whitewashing’ African American music. It therefore becomes a question of whether Hip-Hop music has developed beyond its origins in black America, or whether new artists should show respect to this era. Post Malone argues that he doesn’t want to be classified as a rapper, and that he “just makes music [he] likes”, although the references to Hip-Hop culture are clearly evident in his songs. I personally believe that his earlier music videos stood close to the line of cultural appropriation, particularly the way in which he dressed and the braiding of his hair, but I believe his newer music is simply evidence of the transformation that has occurred for the Hip-Hop genre.
Bibliography
25 Good Hip Hop Demographics
https://hypebeast.com/2018/1/post-malone-culture-vulture-response
Lockard, C. 1998. Dance of life: Popular music and politics in Southeast Asia, Honolulu: University of Hawai’i Press.
Mitchell, T. 2001. “Introduction: Another root – Hip-hop outside the USA”. In Global noise: Rap and hip-hop outside the USA, Edited by: Mitchell, T. 1–38. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.
Shanks 