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Brotherly Love: Homosociality and Black Masculinity in Gangsta Rap Music

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Abstract

Hip hop, specifically gangsta rap music, reflects a stereotypical black masculine aesthetic. The notion of a strong black male—irreverent, angry, defiant and many times violent—is pervasive in gangsta rap music. This badman trope, as characterized by Robin Kelley (1996), oftentimes encompasses hypermasculinity, misogyny, and homophobia. It should come as no surprise that this genre of rap music is rife with sexist themes and lyrics. Yet, what has not been fully explored are the progressive ways that male rappers express themselves towards others considered comrades or “homies.” Homosociality (Bird 1996; Sedgwick 1995), non-sexual positive social bonds, exists in gangsta rap music between men. This study explores the notion of homosociality in this genre of music, analyzing the lyrics of male rap artists who have sold one million or more of their compact discs, for a total of 478 songs. I attempt to further unpack the idea of hegemonic black masculinity, presenting an alternative understanding of its deployment and manifestation in this music.

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Correspondence to Matthew Oware.

Appendix: Coded Gangster Rap Songs, 2003–2008

Appendix: Coded Gangster Rap Songs, 2003–2008

Artist

Album title

Song

Themes

Friends are family

Success by association

Loss of friend

2003 Compact Discs

DMX

Grand Champ (N = 20)

Where the Hood

X

0

0

Dogs Out

X

0

0

Untouchable

0

X

X

We Bout to Blow

X

0

0

A ‘Yo Kato

X

0

X

Chingy

Jackpot (N = 13)

Chingy Jackpot

0

X

0

We Getting It

0

X

0

Represent

0

X

0

Outcast

Speakerboxx/ Love Below (N = 16)

Bust

0

X

0

Tomb of Boom

X

X

0

Flip Flop Rock

X

0

0

Reset

0

0

X

50 Cent

Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (N = 18)

Many Men

0

0

X

High All the Time

0

X

0

Don’t Push Me

0

0

X

Gotta Make it to Heaven

0

0

X

G-Unit

Beg for Mercy (N = 18)

Betta Ask Somebody

X

X

X

G’d Up

0

0

X

2004 Compact Discs

D12

D12 World (N = 18)

Loyalty

X

0

X

How Come

X

X

0

40 oz.

0

X

0

American Psycho

X

0

X

Twista

Kamikaze (N = 16)

Hope

X

0

X

Sunshine

0

X

0

Lil’ Flip

U Gotta Feel Me (N = 20)

All I Know

0

X

0

Bounce

X

0

0

Check (Let’s Ride)

0

X

0

Dem Boyz

0

X

0

Dem Boyz (remix)

0

X

0

Drugs (screwed)

0

X

0

Rags to Riches

0

X

0

Sun Don’t Shine

0

0

X

Throw up Yo’ Hood

0

X

0

Y’all Don’t Want It

0

X

0

Kanye West

College Dropout (N = 16)

Get’em High

0

X

0

Family Business

X

0

0

Nelly

Sweat/Suit (N = 24)

American Dream

X

0

0

Getcha Getcha

X

0

0

Another One

0

X

0

2005 Compact Discs

50 Cent

The Massacre (N = 21)

Outta Control

0

X

0

Ski Mask Way

0

X

0

My Toy Soldier

X

X

0

Hate It or Love It

0

0

X

The Game

Documentary (N = 17)

Runnin’

0

0

X

The Documentary

0

0

X

Start from Scratch

0

0

X

Church of Thugs

0

X

X

Hate It or Love It

0

0

X

Don’t Need Your Love

X

0

X

Lil Jon

Crunk Juice (N = 13)

Grand Finale

X

0

0

Stick That Thang Out

0

X

0

What You Gon’ Do

0

X

0

Ludacris

The Red Light District (N = 15)

Get Back

0

X

0

Spur of the Moment

0

X

0

Large Amounts

0

X

0

Two Miles an Hour

0

X

0

Kanye West

Late Registration (N = 17)

Drive Slow

X

0

0

Diamonds from Sierra Leone (remix)

X

X

0

Gone

X

0

X

2006 Compact Disc

T.I.

King (N = 16)

I’m Talkin’ to You

X

0

0

Live In the Sky

0

0

X

Top Back

0

X

0

Under Taker

0

0

X

Good Life

0

0

X

Told You So

0

X

0

Lil Wayne

Carter II (N = 19)

Fly In

0

X

0

Money On My Mind

X

0

0

Lock and Load

X

0

0

Hustle Music

0

X

0

Shooter

0

X

0

Get Over

0

0

X

Feel Me

X

0

0

B.I.G.

Duets (N = 19)

It Has Been Said

0

X

X

Spit Your Game

0

X

X

Get Your Grind On

0

X

0

Whateva

0

0

X

Beef

0

0

X

Hustler’s Story

0

0

X

Breakin’ Old Habits

0

X

X

Mi Casa

0

X

0

Want That Old Thing Back

0

X

0

Chamillionaire

Sound of Revenge (N = 18)

Intro

X

0

0

Picture Perfect

0

X

0

Void My Life

0

0

X

Sound of Revenge

Rider

0

X

0

Yung Joc

Young Joc City (N = 13)

Hear Me Coming

0

X

X

Picture Perfect

0

0

X

2007 Compact Discs

Jay-Z

Kingdom Come (N = 14)

Prelude

X

0

0

Lost One

X

X

0

Do You Wanna Ride

X

X

X

30 Something

0

X

0

Minority Report

0

0

X

Kanye West

Graduation (N = 15)

Good Morning

0

X

0

Champion

0

X

0

Big Brother

X

X

 

Glory

0

X

0

Young Jeezy

Inspiration (N = 16)

You Know What It Is

0

X

X

I Luv It

0

X

0

Go Getta

0

X

X

Bury Me A G

0

X

0

Dreamin

X

X

0

Keep It Gangsta

X

X

0

T.I.

T.I. VS. T.I.P. (N = 19)

Act 1: T.I.P.

0

0

X

Big Shot Poppin

0

X

X

Hurt

0

0

X

Row

0

X

0

We Do This

0

X

0

Show It To Me

0

X

0

Hustlin’

0

X

0

T.I. VS. T.I.P.

Touchdown

0

X

0

50 Cent

Curtis (N = 17)

I’ll Still Kill

0

X

0

Come and Go

0

X

0

Move On Up

0

X

0

Straight to the Bank

0

X

0

All of Me

0

X

0

2008 Compact Discs

Lil Wayne

Tha Carter III (N = 22)

You Ain’t Got Nuthin On Me

X

  

I’m Me

0

X

0

Kush

0

X

0

Love Me or Hate Me

0

X

0

T.I.

Paper Trail (N = 16)

56 Bars

X

0

0

Ready For Whatever

0

0

X

On Top of the World

0

X

X

No Matter What

0

0

X

Swing Ya’ Rag

0

X

0

What’s Up, What’s Happenin’

0

X

0

Every Chance I Get

0

X

0

Swagger Like Us

0

X

0

You Ain’t Missing Nothing

0

0

X

Dead and Gone

0

0

X

Rich Ross

Trilla (N = 13)

Speedin’

0

X

0

This is Life

0

0

X

This Me

0

X

0

I’m Only Human

X

0

0

Trilla

0

X

0

We Shinin’

0

X

0

Billionaire

0

X

0

The Boss

0

X

0

Jay-Z

American Gangsta

American Dreamin’ (N = 14)

0

X

0

No Hook

0

X

0

Roc Boyz

0

X

0

Sweet

0

X

0

Say Hello

X

0

X

Blue Magic

0

0

X

American Gangster

0

0

X

Young Jeezy

The Recession (N = 16)

Crazy World

X

0

0

What They Want

0

X

0

Hustlaz Ambition

0

X

0

Vacation

0

X

0

Put On

X

0

0

Get A Lot

0

0

X

My President

0

X

X

X means the theme is present in the song; 0 means the theme is not present in the song.

N is the total number of songs on a compact disc.

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Oware, M. Brotherly Love: Homosociality and Black Masculinity in Gangsta Rap Music. J Afr Am St 15, 22–39 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12111-010-9123-4

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