The everyday life of gangster rap

Abstract: Rap music has been controversial ever since the music genre took off. Themes such as violence, drugs and aggression have been themes portrayed in the genre since a long time ago. The purpose of this study was to study How do Swedish rap artists within the gangster rap scene describe their everyday life through their lyrics? By analyzing ten different artists and a total of 76 songs through a thematic analysis, patterns have been found in the music. The focus has been on themes that include crime, weapons, drugs, sex, violence, dissatisfaction with the state and women. Based on these themes, sub-themes have also been presented. Theories that are applied are Travis Hirschi's theory of social bonds, Howard Becker's theory of the branding theory, Henri Tajfel and John Turner's theory of social identity theory, Pierre Bourdieu's theory of social, economic, cultural capital and habitus and finally gangster rap as a subculture. The results of the study show that the Swedish rap genre is characterized by descriptions of crime, violence, sex, drugs and weapons. A result that is not surprising as it largely goes hand in hand with the study's previous research. The rappers describe a reality of what crime and gang culture can look like in Stockholm's suburbs. Graphic descriptions of violence, drugs and other criminal acts characterize Swedish gangster rap music.