ABSTRACT

Hip-hop has evolved from a social and musical niche to a mass phenomenon and a key element of American pop culture with a global reach. Meanwhile, rap music and hip-hop culture are also a commercial success story in which the materialistic American Dream has once again come true. How did this former ghetto phenomenon become today’s marketplace icon, whose once marginalized performers are now pampered by luxury brands and work as successful businesspeople and investors? Drawing on previous research on youth and subcultures and introducing the concept of “mainstream subculture,” this paper outlines the development and commercialization of American hip-hop culture over four decades from 1979 to 2019. Ongoing discussions about the preservation of urban authenticity and concerns about a (sub-)culture “selling out” are also taken into account. The article concludes with a prognosis for the future of hip-hop culture and the industry in the United States.

摘要

嘻哈已经从一个社会和音乐领域发展成为一种大众现象和美国流行文化的关键元素，并具有全球影响力。同时，说唱音乐和嘻哈文化也是一个商业上的成功故事，物质主义的美国梦再次实现。这个昔日的贫民区现象是如何成为当今市场的标志，曾经被边缘化的表演者现在被奢侈品牌宠爱并成为成功的商人和投资者？借鉴以往对青年和亚文化的研究，引入“主流亚文化”的概念，本文概述了从 1979 年到 2019 年的 40 年间美国嘻哈文化的发展和商业化。还考虑了（亚）文化“出卖”。