Keepin' It Real vs. Bling-Bling: Shopping for Identity among Swedish Hip-hoppers

Abstract: This paper describes the discourse of authenticity and the creating of identity through popular culture, using hip-hop, as a case to study. Based on data from how Swedish youth take in hip-hop through music lyrics, rapper stereotypes, the gangster rap subgenre and rap battles, it shows that including oneself into this culture can lead to changes in one’s identity and the redefinition of one’s persona. It discusses how hip-hop influence leads to youth creating their own local oppositional culture, re-constructing perceptions of authenticity and acts as guidance in the quest for an independent identity during adolescence and early adulthood. The theoretical material considering authenticity will primarily be provided by Charles Lindholm and David Boyle.