"Things Just Ain't the Same": Hip-Hop's Reconstruction of the
Gangster Rap Identity
Gangster rap, or hardcore rap, is generally considered a sub
genre of the larger category of rap music, which itself is a
subcategory of hip-hop. Gangster rap is differentiable from
other rap music in that it makes use of images of urban life
associated with crime (Haugen, 2). According to the Encyclopedia
Britannica definition of gangster rap, the top four images
associated with the genre are violence, drugs, materialism and
sexual promiscuity.
Gangster Rappers as Defining the Hip-Hop Social Group As the
hip-hop movement has gained recognition throughout the United
States, it has established itself as one of the fastest growing
social groups anywhere. In the late 1990s immediately following
the murders of both Tupac Shakur and Christopher Wallace, two
nationally known gangster rappers, a propaganda campaign
escalated against rap music and the hip-hop culture (Slaughter).
Although gangster rap only represented a small percentage of the
hip-hop culture at the time, all hip-hop and rap music was
instantly stereotyped negatively as being "gangter-like". Why?
Well, this gangster version of hip-hop was the highest selling
and most recognized form of hip-hop music among the majority
class. And many critics have determined that this is because
America is in love with sex, drugs and violence (Whaley).
Hip-Hop's Rejection of Inferior Social Group Status Henri
Tajfel, a social psychologist who developed a theory of
inter-group relations and social change, argues that members of
a social group deemed inferior by a majority class can either
accept or reject their inferior position in society. If a group
refuses to accept its inferior position in society as just, it
will attempt as a group to change things (Coates, 8-9). A large
number of hip-hop artists have used their musical lyrics to
reject the inferior social status placed upon them by the
majority class.
The Reconstruction of the Gangster Identity I have found that
hip-hop artists use lyrics, both musical and poetic, to redefine
the negatives characteristics given to their culture by the
majority class, and in the process, reconstruct the gangster
identity. By examining these hip-hop and gangster rap lyrics as
text, I will show ways in which the lyrics attempt to
reconstruct the stereotyped gangster rap identity by examining
different views of violence, drugs, materialism and sexual
promiscuity. In the end, one tends to wonder: Who exactly are
the real gangsters?
Violence That the hip-hop culture represents gangster-like
violence is perhaps the biggest disputed claim amongst hip-hop
artists. In order to disprove this claim, many hip-hop artists
have pointed to the violence that exists within the majority
social group, and how it leads to violence all over the world.
In "Violence", 2 Pac demonstrates his belief that violence was
prevalent long before gangster rap existed:
I told em fight back, attack on society If this is violence,
then violent's what I gotta be If you investigate you'll find
out where it's comin' from Look through our history, America's
the violent one
Here, the poet points to American society as "the violent one"
and that he has to be violent in order to "fight back."
In "Who Knew", Eminem showed a similar viewpoint by expressing
his belief that violence is a common occurrence in American
society, yet not challenged in genres outside of the urban
environment:
So who's bringin' the guns in this country? I couldn't sneak a
plastic pellet gun through customs over in London And last week,
I seen a Schwarzaneggar movie Where he's shootin' all sorts of
these bad guys with an Uzi
Here, the poet questions the existence of violence in a country
that allows firearms and violent movies.
In "Casualties of War", Rakim blames the United States
government, specifically its Head of State, as the group causing
the violence in society with their war-like ways:
I'ma get back to New York in one piece But I'm bent in the sand
that is hot as the city streets Sky lights up like fireworks
blind me Bullets, whistlin' over my head remind me... President
Bush said attack Flashback to Nam, I might not make it back
In this text, the poet refers to our country's decision to go to
war as an example of the violence that exists amongst the
majority social class.
In "The Watcher", Dr. Dre redefines the negative characteristic
of violence by pointing to the police force as the source of
violence, and therefore, referring to them as "gangster-like":
Things just ain't the same for gangstas Cops is anxious to put
people in handcuffs They wanna hang us, see us dead or enslave
us Keep us trapped in the same place we raised in Then they
wonder why we act so outrageous Run around stressed out and pull
out gauges Cause everytime you let the animal out cages It's
dangerous, to people who look like strangers
Here, the poet accuses the majority class of keeping them
"trapped in the same place we raised in" and that the perceived
violence is only due to the introduction of "people who look
like strangers." These are examples of how hip-hop artists
redefine the image of violence by showing how it exists or was
created within the majority social group.
Drugs Another common disputed stereotype of hip-hop artists is
their use and distribution of illegal drugs. In attempts to
redefine this negative characteristic, many hip-hop artists have
pointed at the majority social group as the facilitator of drug
abuse.
In "Justify My Thug", Jay-Z speaks directly to members of
government, raising questions about who has made the
availability and use of these drugs possible:
Mr. President, there's drugs in our residence Tell me what you
want me to do, come break bread with us Mr. Governor, I swear
there's a cover up Every other corner there's a liquor store -
what is up?
In this example, the poet inquires as to why there is a liquor
store in "every other corner" of his community.
In "I Want to Talk to You", Nas uses the same approach to
challenge the notion of drug distribution by asking his
representatives what they would do in his situation:
Why y'all made it so hard, damn People gotta go create their own
job Mr. Mayo,r imagine if this was your backyard Mr. Governo,r
imagine if it was your kids that starved Imagine your kids gotta
sling crack to survive
Here, the poet claims that the distribution of drugs is not only
an effect of the poverty that exists in his environment, but
also a means of survival.
In "Manifesto", Talib Kweli actually accuses the government of
being the body which allows drugs into the country:
Like the C.I.A. be bringin' in crack cocaine bailin' out of
planes With the George Bush connections, I push Reflection Like
I'm sellin' izm, like a dealer buildin' the system Supply and
the demand it's all capitalism People don't sell crack cause
they like to see blacks smoke People sell crack cause they broke
In this example, the poet accuses the C.I.A. of flying drugs
into the country, and again reiterates the point that it is a
means of survival due to the "supply and demand" of a capitalist
society.
In "Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangster", the Geto Boys fully
redefine the negative characteristic of drug distribution by
accusing the President of being a drug dealer, and therefore, a
gangster:
And now, a word from the President! Damn it feels good to be a
gangsta Getting' voted into the White House Everything lookin'
good to the people of the world But the Mafia family is my boss
So every now and then I owe a favor gettin' down Like lettin' a
big drug shipment through And send 'em to the poor community So
we can bust you know who
These examples show how hip-hop artists redefine the image of
being drug dealers and users by again pointing to the majority
class as the creator of the drug problem in this country.
Materialism Hip-hop music is also seen by the majority class as
a genre dominated by materialism. Again, artists point back to
the majority class in an attempt to redefine this negative
characteristic.
In "Respiration", Black Star points to all the wealth
surrounding urban areas, and how it absorbs the lower class in
materialism, making them want parts of that wealth:
Where mercenaries is paid to trade hot stock tips For profits,
thirsty criminals take pockets Hard knuckles on the second hands
of workin' class watches Skyscrapers is colossus, the cost of
living Is preposterous, stay alive, you play or die, no options
Here, the poet talks about various materialistic aspects of the
majority class, and how the lower class must "play or die" to
"stay alive."
In "All Falls Down", Kanye West actually blames this materialism
on American society:
It seems we living the American dream But the people highest up
got the lowest self esteem The prettiest people do the ugliest
things For the road to riches and diamond rings
In this example, the poet blames the "American dream" for
materialism, saying it causes people to "do the ugliest things"
for "riches and diamond rings."
In "Los Angeles Times", Xzibit also blames this materialism on
the majority class, claiming that is what the youth are taught
coming up in urban environments:
Welcome to L.A. Where you can see the whole city burning Cause
the cops got Uzis and the dealers keep serving And your kids
ain't learning it, except this Sex power and wealth, forget
everything else
Here, the poet expresses his belief that certain aspects of
materialism, including "power and wealth" are taught to children
through occurrences in society.
These are examples how hip-hop artists redefine the negative
characteristic of being materialistic by showing examples of how
this materialism is prevalent in the majority class, and often
created within that class.
Sex And the final debated stereotype of the hip-hop social class
is that they are sexually promiscuous, often leading to
disrespectful treatment towards women. The poets also attempt to
redefine this stereotype by blaming the core of the problem on
society.
In "Pussy Galore", the Roots claim that the country's obsession
with sex is pushed by sexually-driven marketing campaigns:
Lookin' out the limo window up at the billboards 200 miles, she
was the only thing I saw Promotin' everything, from the liquor
to the nicotine Cell phones, anti-histamines, chicken wings You
gotta show a little skin to get them listening For real yo, the
world is a sex machine
In this example, the poet retells a personal experience in which
he saw sex advertisements as "promotin' everything." And in
order to "get them listening", he claims, "you gotta show a
little skin."
In "Get By", Talib Kweli blames this sexual obsession on what we
view on television:
The TV got us reachin' for stars Not the ones between Venus and
Mars, The ones that be readin' for parts Some people get breast
enhancements and penis enlargers
Here, the poet expresses his belief that television creates a
misconception of what people should be sexually, and that
contributes to the promiscuity that is being blamed on the
hip-hop movement.
Hip-hop artists have used their lyrics and poetry to influence
the rejection and reconstruction of the gangster identity that
plagues their social class. This is accomplished through the
redefining of negative characteristics assigned by the majority
class. In most cases, these redefinitions include pointing to
the majority class as the real holders of these negative
characteristics. The redefining of these "gangster-like" images
through hip-hop lyrics helps to reconstruct the gangster
identity by questioning "gangster-like" behaviors and which
social class actually has these behaviors. So the question
presented is: Who exactly are the gangsters?
Works Cited / Discography 2 Pac. 2Pacalypse Now. Jive Records,
1991. Black Star. Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star. Rawkus
Records, 1998. Coates, Jennifer. Women, Men and Language.
Longman Publishing, New York: 1993. Dr. Dre. The Chronic 2001.
Interscope Records, 1999. Eminem. The Marshall Mathers LP.
Interscope Records, 2000. Geto Boys. Uncut Dope LP. Interscope
Records, 1999. Haugen, Jason. "'Unladylike Divas': Language,
Gender and Female Gangster Rappers." Popular Music and Society:
December, 2003. Jay Z. The Black Album. Def Jam, 2003. Kanye
West. College Dropout. Roc-A-Fella Records, 2004. Nas. I Am.
Sony Records, 1999. Rakim. Don't Sweat the Technique. MCA
Records, 1992. Rawkus Records. Lyricist Lounge Volume 1.
Priority Records, 1999. Slaughter, Peter. "Attack on Rap Music."
Barutiwa Weekly News. June 14, 1997. Talib Kweli & DJ Hi-Tek.
Train of Thought. Rawkus Records, 2000. Talib Kweli. Quality.
Rawkus Records, 2003. The Roots. Phrenology. MCA Records, 2002.
Whaley, Angela. "Hip Hop is Not for Sale." Colorado State
University's Talking Back: Volume 3, Issue 1. Xzibit. 40 Days
and 40 Nights. Loud Records, 1998.