Fear of (and Fascination with) a Black Planet: The Relocation of Rap by White Non-Urban Youth

Abstract

For many youth residing in non-urban communities, music plays a central role in perceptions of absent or marginal populations. Often lacking other resources to inform their understandings of race, rap fans residing in these sites understand the performances of Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg and other artists as authentic representations of African-American and -Canadian identities. Based on interviews conducted for a wider study on the affectivity of popular music on non-urban youth, this paper explores interpretations of rap music by youth residing in a culturally homogeneous research site, as well as their relocated performances of (what they perceive to be) the black urban male experience. Furthermore, this paper examines the tensions that exist between these youth and their peers, many of whom characterize rap culture as incongruent with the dominant attitudes and practices of their locality.