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Love, Struggle, and Compromises: The Political Seriousness of Nairobi Underground Hip Hop

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 April 2018

RaShelle R. Peck
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Abstract:

This article explores the characteristics of Nairobi underground hip hop that fit under a common theme of what I term as the music’s “political seriousness,” which is the common notion that the music must be substantive, thought-provoking, socially critical, and never vacuous. This political seriousness is composed of four characteristics: Mau Mau gendered legacies, political love, a reliance on neoliberalism, and a critique of the state. Hip hop’s goal is to make a political space that both proves its worth and remedies Kenya’s flawed polity. This is an imperfect endeavor, as its dependence on late capitalism, normative gender constructions, and conventional understandings of the Mau Mau war contribute to rap’s troubling tendencies. Nonetheless, these artists regard hip hop as authentic or real music because it advocates for the economically disenfranchised, contributes to Kenyan social commentary, and participates in an imagined global hip hop culture.

Résumé:

Cet article explore les caractéristiques du hip-hop underground de Nairobi qui s’inscrivent sous un thème commun de ce que je nomme le « sérieux politique » de la musique qui est la notion courante que la musique doit être substantielle, susciter la réflexion, être socialement critique et ne jamais être vide de sens. Ce sérieux politique se compose de quatre caractéristiques : un héritage Mau Mau sexospécifique, un amour politique, une affiliation néolibérale et une critique de l’État. L’objectif du hip-hop est de créer un espace politique qui prouve sa valeur et remédie au régime politique imparfait du Kenya. Il s’agit la d’un effort discutable, car sa dépendance avec un capitalisme tardif et ses constructions normatives entre les sexes ainsi que ses compréhensions classiques de la guerre Mau Mau contribuent aux tendances troublantes du rap. Néanmoins, ces artistes considèrent le hip-hop comme une musique authentique parce qu’elle défend les individus économiquement marginalisés et contribue au commentaire social du Kenya tout en participant à une culture hip-hop mondial imaginaire.

Keywords

Underground hip hopKenyaEast African musicmusic authenticitypopular musicrap music culture
Type
Forum on Post-Colonial and Contemporary Kenya dedicated to Elliot Fratkin and Richard Waller
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 61 , Issue 2 , July 2018 , pp. 111 - 133
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2018 

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