Hip-hop music is a genre that is closely associated with the African American community. Hip-hop emerged in the late 1970s and early 1980s as a tool for African Americans to confront social and racial injustices. Therefore, the genre has been dominated by black rappers. Its authenticity is linked to representations of black identity. However, notable white rappers have emerged who have navigated their place within hip-hop culture by responding to this black model of authenticity. White hip-hop artists such as Eminem, Vanilla Ice, and Beastie Boys have used various strategies to establish their legitimacy in a genre that is mainly associated with the African American community. Therefore, hip-hop music has evolved from a genre dominated by African American rappers to include white artists.
Hip-hop originated from the south of the Bronx in the early 1970s, and was used for conveying rebellion and discontent by the African American community. Thus, it emerged from cultural centers that were largely poor and urban. It is this origin and prevalence in black communities that led the American public to associate the genre with a certain demography. However, the entrance of rap music into the marketplace of style and ideas offered opportunities for other artists who did not fall into the stereotypical background to adopt the musical style. It is the increase in the number of white consumers of hip-hop music, which is not a new trend considering that gangsta rap became increasingly popular and profitable among white urban youth. As the conception of what constituted hip-hop music changed, rap music became accessible and other races and social classes.
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The profitability of hip-hop music also contributed to the emergences of different typologies of rap music associated with the white demographic. These include the “angry white by” that is typified by Eminem, the “college frat rapper” such as Mac miller, and the “socially conscious or egalitarian” such as Macklemore. These classed of rap music come from a market that is oriented towards certain consumer demographics since hip-hop, just like any other industry, depends on interests, not morals.
The evolution of hip-hop from a genre that is mainly associated with back poor people in urban centers to a mainstream genre encompassing other races was also caused by the need to adapt to the tastes of the white wealthy population. The industry had to create music with catchy beats, enunciated flow, and relatable stories for its white fans. From the early 1990s, the industry acknowledged that white urban teenagers were the main consumers of its music, and it responded by emphasizing on traits that appealed to urban white men. Thus, market demands contributed to the accommodation of other races such as whites to make hip-hop more profitable.
The other reason for the evolution of hip to accommodate other races was the need to move away from the glorification of violence, substance abuse, and objectification of women, which were common in early rap music. These are not the qualities demanded by the middle class white population. The commercialization of the industry, coupled with the need for themes that resonate with its main audiences, which the urban white youth. It is in this context that rappers such as Lil Dicky have emerged who portray their middle class background. Therefore, race is an important theme in hip-hop music, and the commercialization of the industry has contributed to the emergence of white rappers.
