My Rhetorical Criticism Presentation

1. Rhetorical
Analysis of
Gangster Rap
Music
by
Benjamin Holmquist

2. What is “Gangsta” rap?
Rap music has a distinct style, and consists of many different subgenres. “Gangsta” rap is a
style that consists of certain images, fashion, style, and location. The image of a “thug” from
the streets is common in this genre of music. Designers such as FUBU, Phat Farm,
Rocawear, G-Unit and Ecko Unltd cater toward the gangster rap culture. The style consists
of flat-brimmed baseball hats worn low, with overlarge clothing and an excessive amount of
gold jewelry. Gangster rap is mostly based in urban areas, with low incomes and high crime
rates- and in fact, crime is a popular topic for songs in this genre of music.

3. Different perspectives on
“gangsta” rap
Gangster rap songs mean different things to
different people. An African-American who grew
up on the streets of Detroit is going to interpret a
gangster rap song in a much different way than a
middle-class teenager from New England.
Someone from Detroit would probably be able to
relate to the song more, because they have
experienced firsthand the events described in the
song. Someone from the suburbs of New England
would probably listen to the song in the same way
they watch a movie- enjoying it for entertainment
purposes, but not necessarily relating to it.

4. White vs. Black rappers
While the vast majority of gangster
rappers are black, there are a few
exceptions. One example is Eminem.
However, his mainstream success is
arguably due to his high profile
partnership with African-American
rapper Dr. Dre. In a predominantly
black culture, Eminem relied on
featured artists and the support of
African-American rappers to achieve
his success.

5. “Keeping
it real”
One of the most common themes in gangster rap is “keeping it real.” This means
discussing real events, real people, and staying true to the “gangsta” culture. It is
very hard for someone who did not grow up surrounded by this culture to accurately
represent it through music. The vast majority of African-Americans do not fall into the
“gangsta” culture- they lead civilized lives with careers and families. With that in mind,
this brings the question of whether or not the gangster life truly keeps it real if it only
represents a small (and mostly negative) portion of African-American culture.

6. False claims in gangster rap:
African-American culture is violent
• Major news outlets and rap
music portray African-American
culture as violent.
• The ideology of racism depends
on the commonsense (but false)
assumption that this is true.
• Gangster rap uses gunshots as
sound effects in the music,
furthering this stereotype.
• This is not a representation of
the African-American culture
as a whole.

7. False claims in gangster rap: African-
American culture is obsessively sexual
• This ideology has historically been
used to attempt to justify the sexual
exploitation of African-American
women to white men.
• Most rap music refers to women in
derogatory terms and essentially
dehumanizes them.
• This representation of women in
gangster rap gives a negative and
inaccurate image of how women are
represented in African-American culture.
• Confirms and encourages the racist
stereotype through this
representation.

8. False claims in gangster rap: African-
American culture is crassly materialistic
• Capitalism encourages
materialism in everyone
• African-Americans are often
stereotyped as thieves
• Excessive amount of gold chains,
jewelry, expensive houses and
cars in videos furthers the
materialistic stereotype
• Lyrics about materialistic things
• Clothing brands allow anyone to
be a part of the “gangsta”
lifestyle.

9. Conclusion
Unfortunately, white people have historically always stood in a position of
critique toward other cultures and races. Those who are racist toward
African-Americans may have only seen the “gangsta” culture, which is not a
representation of the culture as a whole. There are many other types of rap
music that shine a much more positive light on the African-American culture.
And as with all cultures, there is always something to be learned from them.