Sharing Hip-Hop Cultures

The Case of Nigerians and African Americans

Bibliographic Data

ID3759461
AuthorsStephanie Shonekan (Columbia College, Chicago, IL, USA,, corresponding author)
Year2011
Volume55
Issue1
Pages9-23
Publication date2011-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Behavioral Scientist (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-7642 • E-ISSN: 1552-3381
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0002764210381726
OpenAlexW2039120739
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited8

This article utilizes hip hop to examine the cultural space shared by Nigerians and African Americans in spite of the vast geographic distance. The common approach to music making and appreciation creates a virtual shared space where these musicians and listeners exchange ideas and styles. This article traces out the boundaries of this shared cultural space in the contemporary black world by focusing first on African and African American hip hop artists who have sampled from the music and political energy from their counterparts on the other side of the Atlantic. The connection between culture and language is essential to an understanding of the power of hip hop as a universal language. So we ask the question, is hip hop speaking the same language to these two distinct groups of young black people? What is the terrain of the shared space and how do the artists and the audiences navigate within the boundaries of this virtual haven? Ultimately, this article will offer suggestions about how the process of hip hop music making and consumption impacts concepts of black identity, politics, and power in Africa and America

Identity politics · Nigerians · Virtual space · Music History and Culture

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