Death Narratives from the Killing Fields

Abstract

Gangsta rappers create a variety of imagery in their music. The imagery discussed ranges from life in the hood to full-time 'thugging'. Yet the harsh reality of life is thugging for far too many gangsta rappers and young African American males in the urban war zones of America. This chapter examines stories about death in gangsta rap. African American cultural critics lead the way in contemporary understanding and critiques of hip-hop culture and music. Scholars such as Tricia Rose, Michael Eric Dyson, bell hooks, Todd Boyd, Houston Baker, and Cornel West have intellectualized the discussion of rap music and hip-hop culture within and outside of the walls of the academy. The killing fields of the Black community are a world where young African American men are at war with other Black men. The chapter explores an analysis of gangsta rap lyrics of Tupac Shakur based on the narrative and pentadic approach to rhetorical criticism.