British and German Rap Music. A Cross-Cultural Analysis of its Metaphorical Conceptions

Seminar paper from the year 2020 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1,3, University of Leipzig (Institut für Anglistik), language: English, abstract: Since Hip-Hop became a global phenomenon that frequently produces new celebrities, the question arises whether national varieties of terms of metaphorical conceptions exist and how they are manifested in contemporary artists' lyrics. In this paper, after an insight into the subculture's history is gained, it is necessary to clarify what conceptual metaphors are before an analysis and comparison of selected metaphorical conceptions in Rap lyrics by German and British Hip-Hop artists can be accomplished. Finally, this term paper will try to explain possible cross-cultural as well as intra cultural differences.

Over the past decades, Hip-Hop and Rap music manifested itself in mainstream music culture up to the point to become the top-selling music genre in the US by 2017, surpassing Rock and Country music (Nielsen). What started with the use of turntables to reduce songs to their percussive elements and combine existing records, merging them to innovative beats, established the most attractive genre of the present-day music industry. This phenomenon can be understood as the result of an ever-changing genre that develops distinct subgenres frequently, which offer a fertile ground for new sounds and lyrical themes.

Whether it is the Gangsta-Rap with lyrics focussing on drug abuse and violence, often providing a stereotypical image of gang members or Political Hip Hop that reflects on crucial issues of contemporary society like police brutality and discrimination. Although hip-hop music is often considered to be aggressive by nature, promoting rebellious behaviour, and spoiling youths, an analysis of artists belonging to various genres reveals that critical claims tend to be generalized. Given the circumstances Hip-Hop developed in, and partially still develops, the themes of violence and drug abuse in the songs are fundamental to be authentic representations of the rappers' lives. Hip-Hop or Rap music, like other forms of poetic expression, provides the possibility to employ several stylistic devices, encoding deeper meanings in often hard sounding verses. One of the most prominent devices found in songs is the metaphor, used to visualize the similarity between two or more objects in order to create a blend that partakes the characteristics of both (Britannica).