Music Genre
The concept of intersectionality has been an important and prevalent topic in modern-day research. The media has especially been on the limelight in exploring the forces of race, gender identity and class and their shaping impact on the contemporary society. The Swedish hip hop, for instance, has addressed the intersectionality between race, gender and class since its inception and eventual breakthrough in the mid-1990s (Lindholm). Through the thematic lyrics and performance by various artists, Swedish hip hop has highlighted and criticized the issues of race, class and gender inequalities embedded in the society.
Two decades ago, the Latin Kings pioneered the foundation of the hit ‘Ainaz’ and openly criticized racism embedded in the police force (Berggren 193). This hit targeted the abusive nature of the Swedish police who consistently described non-white young men as ‘fucking monkeys.’ Additionally, the lyrics openly criticized the police tendency to harass the poor workers living in the suburbs by labelling them as criminals and drug dealers. In this case, the song was written to criticize the oppression of nonwhites from a lower social class, revealing the broad intersection between class and race.
The issues of race and class are interconnected with Swedish politics. In one song, Flyter (meaning flowing), the artists use the lyrics to criticize the state for using regulations to hold back people from achievement (Berggren 195). The two white male artists use the lyrics in on this song as part of the neoliberal politics, an individual’s social status, as well as their wealth, is dependent on their characteristics and not the privileges. The artists also appeal to the society to build mosques which can be interpreted as appeals on the need to embrace diversity tolerance. Through the song, the artists convey that the discourse of will and ideas is at times vulnerable which appeals to the state, then, to nurture tolerance. The Swedish hip-hop is representative of the role of music in painting the race issues, gender and social class inequalities (Devos).
In conclusion, the highlighted examples depict the meaning beneath the Swedish hip-hop lyrics. At the heart of the hip-hop, the music genre is political advocacy in all the places. Since its inception and the boom in around 2000, the Swedish hip-hop music genre has often been used to unearth the intersectionality between race, gender and the impact of the political climate on these.
Works Cited
Lindholm, Susan. “Hip Hop practice as identity and memory work in and in-between Chile and sweden.” Suomen Antropologi: Journal of the Finnish Anthropological Society; 2 42 (2017).
Devos, Jan. “The Evolution of Hip-hop Culture.” Departement Lerarenopleiding, nd https://vibeserver. net/scripties/evolution% 20of% 20hiphop% 20culture. pdf (2007).
Berggren, Kalle. “Degrees of intersectionality: Male rap artists in Sweden negotiating class, race and gender.” Culture unbound: Journal of current cultural research 5.2 (2013): 189-211.