German Rap — A Changing Cultural Field From a Gender Studies Perspective

Abstract

This article is about the construction of masculinity in the German rap scene. After giving a short overview over the history, structure, main narratives and economic relevance of German rap, the construction of rap masculinity will be mainly discussed in the context of a transformation of the (global) gender order. For example, what impact does the rise and success of female rappers have on the gendered power relations within the German rap scene? Does the inclusion of feminine-coded moves and sounds, aesthetics or topics indicate a shift towards more alternative forms of masculinity? And what does it mean, when male rap artists currently rap about the meaning of masculinity, as if it was something that has to be (re-?) defined all at once?

The field study works with different data material from the rap scene, lyrics, interviews, but also multimodal signs as album covers, photos, video material, etc. Through discourse analysis, major discursive lines and threads are pointed out to draw a picture of gender order in this distinctive social and artistic setting.

Citation

Süß, H. and Kreß, B. (2021), "German Rap — A Changing Cultural Field From a Gender Studies Perspective", Gonçalves, S. and Majhanovich, S. (Ed.) Art in Diverse Social Settings, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 143-154. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80043-896-520211009