Hip-Hop's White Audience

Tracking the Perspectives and Ramifications of Hip Hop's Listeners

Authors

  • Billy Hubschman

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6017/eurj.v16i1.14055

Abstract

This paper seeks to unpack the relationship between Hip-Hop and its white audience. As Hip-Hop's audience continues to grow, it is important to note shifts and changes in the genre that results from this increased popularity, specifically, this paper will take a look at Hip-Hop's white audience and provide an overview of some of the research social scientists have been conducting on the subject. The paper is divided into two sections according to the different kinds of research conducted by scholars: audience analysis, both qualitative and quantitative, help illustrate the perspective of Hip-Hop's white audience; content analysis, both of lyrics and videos, highlight the ramifications of Hip-Hop's white audience on the genre itself. As a literature review, this paper does not seek to make an argument on the relationship between Hip-Hop and its white audience as much as provide an overview of the arguments being made by certain social science scholars. 

Author Biography

Billy Hubschman

Billy Hubschman was a member of Boston College’s class of 2019 and graduated with a major in sociology. He grew up in Andover, Massachusetts and now resides in Somerville. As a white person who has been an avid fan of hip-hop since his early teens, Billy is cognizant of the white audience’s role in the commercialization and degradation of hip-hop culture. This paper provides an overview of some of the sociological literature on this subject. These days, Billy is working as an outreach specialist for the Pine Street Inn, helping connect folks experiencing street homeless with services for housing, healthcare, and more.

Published

2021-11-01

How to Cite

Hubschman, B. (2021). Hip-Hop’s White Audience: Tracking the Perspectives and Ramifications of Hip Hop’s Listeners. Elements, 15(1), 11–16. https://doi.org/10.6017/eurj.v16i1.14055

Issue

Section

Articles