Midfielders, MCs, and Mediascapes: Soccer and Hip-Hop's Global Hope for the Third World

Abstract

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected due to the cultural and economic trends that we have collectively labeled "globalization," various localized communities and their respective cultural phenomena have collided with unprecedented vigor. This paper explores two such phenomena-the international communities of soccer and of hip-hop-and documents thae role that these forms play in the globalized world. Both in their marketing and through the various ways in which different groups have interpreted them. If they are to be understood as a means by which the Third World can transcend longstanding social boundaries, can we truly say that globalized media is accurately representing these ideals? Drawing extensively on a wide variety of scholarship concerning both of these cultural forms, this essay attempts to consider this question.