TheAuthenticityofaRapper:
TheLyricalDivideBetweenPersonasandPersons
by
HannahWeiner
AthesispresentedfortheB.A.degree
withHonorsin
TheDepartmentofEnglish
UniversityofMichigan
Winter2014
© March25,2014HannahWeiner
Acknowledgements
Thepastyearhasbeendedicatedtolisteningtocountlesshoursofrapmusic,
researchinghiphopblogs,talkingtoeveryonewhowilllistenaboutexcitingideasabout
KanyeWest,and,naturally,writing.Manyindividualshaveprovidedassistancethathelped
anincredibleamountduringtheprocessofwritingandresearchingforthisthesis.
Firstly,Iamtrulyindebtedtomyadvisor,MacklinSmith.Thisthesiswouldnotbe
nearlyasthoroughinrap’shistoricalbackgroundorinhiphoppoeticswithouthis
intelligentideas.Hishelpfulnesswithdrafts,inclusionofhisownworkine-mails,and
willingnesstomeetovercoffeenotonlydeepenedmyunderstandingofmyowntopic,but
alsomademeexcitedtowriteandresearchhiphoppoetics.IcannotexpresshowmuchI
appreciatedhisfeedbackandSlexibilityinworkingwithme.
IamalsogratefulforGillianWhite’shelpfulnessthroughoutthewritingprocess,as
well.AfterseveralofSicehoursandmeetingsoutsideofclass,shehasofferedinvaluable
insightintotheoriesonsincerityandthe“personal,”andprovidedmewithnumerous
resourcesthathelpedformmanyoftheideasexpressedinmyargument.
Ithankmyfamilyforsupportingmeandofferingmehospitalitywhenthestressesof
thesiswritingoverwhelmedmeoncampus.Theyhavebeensupportiveandasourceoflove
andcompassionthroughoutthisprocessandthepast21years,aswell.Iwanttothankmy
dad,inparticular,forsettingasidetimetocombthroughall50pagesforgrammatical
errors.
IoweagreatdealofthankstoEverettCookforpatientlylisteningtomewhenIonly
wantedtodiscussKanyeWest,Jay-Z,andEminemforlongperiodsoftime.Healsosetaside
timetonotonlyreadmythesisandprovidefeedback,butsupportmeendlesslythroughout
theprocess.
ThanksareespeciallyduetomyroommatesforputtingupwithTheCollegeDropout
andTheBlackAlbumblastingfrommyroomformanyhoursduringthisschoolyear.
IowethankstoCarolineMillerforinterestingmeinitiallyintheideaofrapaspoetry
mysophomoreyearofcollege.I’malsoindebtedtoTessaBrown,whoprovidedassistance
throughTwitterande-mailbyprovidingmewithresourcesIwouldn’thavefound
otherwise.
Lastly,IthankSeanCarter,MarshallMathers,andKanyeWestforbeingweirdand
brilliantmentoresearch.ToMr.Carter,especially:I’vehadthelyricsof“99Problems”
ingrainedinmymindsinceIwas14.TheBlackAlbumwasmygatewaydrugtotheworldof
rapand,boy,amIluckytohavefoundit.
Abstract
“Good”rapmusic,besidesforcontaininganinfectiousanddanceablerhythm,must
includeentertainingandmarketablecontent:rappersmustspeaktoacommonaudience
aboutstoriesorissuesthatengagetheaudience.Inordertoaccomplishthisneedfor
theatricalentertainment,mostrappersestablishapersonainordertofabricatedramaand
caricaturizedcharactersintheirraplyrics.Simultaneously,raphistoryandaudiencesalso
callforauthenticityonpartoftherapper;rappersmustremainassincere,real,andhonest
aspossibleinorderto“keepitreal.”
Thisthesisexplorestheconceptofauthenticityastohowitpertainstorapand
“confessional”lyrics,raisingthequestion,howdoweseparatearapper’spersonafromhis
person?Usingtheoriesofsincerity,authenticity,andauthorshipfromSusanRosenbaum
andMichelFoucault,thethesisinvestigateswhyrappersfeelcompelledtocreatepersonas
andhowtheycreatethemdespiteaneedforhonesty.TheSirstsectionfocusesonthese
theories,bringingintoquestiontheirrelevancetorapandemceeinghistory.Inthenext
section,thesetheoristshelpframeanalysisofJay-Z,KanyeWest,andEminem’spersona
developments,allofwhicharedissectedviatheirlyricsandalbumnarratives.Thissecond
chapterfeaturesheavyevaluationofKanyeWest’sandEminem’spersonas,inparticular,
lookingatpoeticandsemanticanalysisoftheirrapstyles.
Afterexamination,thesethreerappersrepresentanarrayofpersonafunctions.JayZ’spersonaisstatic,secure,yethedoesn’texperimentwithSictionorfabrication;his
personaofa“self-mademan”istiedcloselyandauthenticallywithhis“real”person.Onthe
otherhand,KanyeWestandEminemexperimentwithconceptsofSictionwithinpersonain
differentwaysfromoneanother.Kanye’spersonaconstantlyevolvesanddevelops,forcing
hisaudiencetoquestionwherethelineexistsbetweenSiction(ahyperbolic,extremely
caricaturizedpersona)andreality(isKanyelikethisinreallife?).Eminemraisesthesame
questioninadifferentway:heintroducesthreedifferentcharactersofEminem,Marshall
Mathers,andSlimShady,askingtheaudiencetoSigureoutwhereonestartsandthenext
begins.Bytheconclusion,itisclearthatauthenticityconstrainsrappersintheir
experimentationwithSictioninpersonas,forcingthemtoremain“real”insomeaspectof
theirrap.
CONTENTS
SHORTTITLES………………………………………………………………………………………………………………i
INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………….……………………1
CHAPTERS
1.UnderstandingRappers’PersonaCreations&Purposes……………………………………………...12
1.1.PersonasThroughtheYears…………………………………………………………………………14
1.2.TheStoryofaHustler……………………………………………………………………………..……21
2.AuthenticityinPractice……………………………………………………………………………………….…….27
2.1.TheCruxofMultipleCharacters:Eminem…………………………………………………..…27
2.2“IAmtheNucleus:”KanyeWest………………………………………………………………….…36
CONCLUSIONS.……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..45
WORKSCONSULTED…………………………………….………………………………………………………………50
1
INTRODUCTION
Theconceptofahip-hoppersonaisnotanewnotion.Jay-Zisassociatedwiththe
personaofaself-mademan;Kanye,anarcissisticself-proclaimedgenius;Tupac,a“gangsta”
orthug.Liketheseicons,mostrappershaveadistinguishableimage,similartoabrand.
Theseuniquepersonasapplynotonlytorappers,butalsotopoets,toartists,toactors,and
others.Identifyingoneselfwithasingledetailorstorylinemakesiteasierforanaudience
todigestone’swork,seeingasitallfallsunderonecommonideaorlabel.
Whilethecreationofapersonamaydependonarapper’sartisticreasoning,
personacreationgenerallyalsodependsheavilyonappealingtothemarketand,ona
commerciallevel,workingasagimmick.Thecommoditizationofthehip-hopculturehas
resultedinmoreandmoreofthesepromotionaltools.Somerappersmarketthemselvesas
acertaincharacterinordertoappealtoacorrespondingaudience,creatingdifSicultyfor
theaudiencetounderstandwhat’strueabouttherapperandwhat’snot.InPaulEdwards’
HowtoRap,hedistinguishesthedivisionbetweenrapbasedontruthsorrapbasedon
Siction:rapperAndyCatclaimsinthebook,“Manyclassichip-hopartists,theyusedtomake
[theirautobiography]allup.Theyweren’tgoingoutkillingpeopleeverynight—it’scalled
creativity”(Edwards9).Thisspeakstoamixedagendainrap,inwhichrapperswantto
seemauthentic,butalsowanttoretainalevelofartfulness.Withthisinmind,some
rappers,likeLaurynHillorKanyeWest,relyonfabricatedsettings1tohelpfurthera
messageorpersonadevelopmentwithinanalbum.
1LaurynHillusedsoundeffectsandlyricstocreateaSictionalsettingofaschoolforher
albumTheMiseducationofLaurynHill.Similarly,KanyeWesthasusedthesetechniquesand
skitsinmanyofhisalbums,butmostnotablyinTheCollegeDropout,inordertoconveyhis
Sictionalsceneofauniversitygraduation.
2
Withtheconceptofa“createdpersona”inmind,thereareseveralwordstodescribe
arapper:“author,”“persona,”“speaker,”“person,”and“narrator.”TheseidentiSicationsmust
callforarangeinthepersonaltotheimpersonal,asillustratedinFigure1.Itake“personal”
tomeanwhatis“real,”true,orsinceretothatperson’sautobiographyandbeliefs,andnot
interestedormadeaproductofcommerciality;inthissense,“personal”correlatesdirectly
withauthenticity,wheresomethingispersonalifitistruetohisorherautobiography.
“Impersonal,”then,meanswhatisnotdirectlyrelatedtotheauthor’sautobiographyand/or
beliefs;ifsomethingis“impersonal,”itretainsatoneofobjectivityandalmostlosesits
senseoftheauthorandhisorherpersonality.
Figure1.IdentiSicationsrankedinpersonality,startingwiththemostpersonalandending
withtheleastpersonal.
Person
ThehumanbeingwhocreatestheworkandidentiSieshimselfor
herselfastheauthor,yetexistedbeforetheworkitself.
Author
Theoriginator,creator,and/orwriterofaworkwhoonlyexists
becauseoftheworkandisassociatedinterchangeablywiththe
workanditsideologies.
Narrator/Speaker Thepersonwhodeliversthetexttoanaudienceviawrittenword
orperformance.BothoftheseidentiSications(narratorand
speaker)canworksynonymously.
Persona
Theperformed,self-producedcharacterthataddressesa
“prescribedrole,”theatricallyand/ortextually—analteregothat
distancesitselffromthespeaker.
AlloftheseidentiSicationscanfallunderthetitleof“rapper.”
Arapper’spersonacreationhappensinmarketingstrategies:interviews,public
appearances,andtheperformanceitself.However,rappersmustalsointricatelyweave
theirpersonaintotheirlyrics,almostasiftheyaredevelopingthemselvesasacharacter
throughouttheirwork.Rapisabothanarrativeandlyricformand,asAdamBradley
3
explains,canbecomparedtothedramaticmonologue,whichisa“poemspokenbya
characterthroughapersona(Greekfor‘mask’),ratherthanbythepoetoranunidentiSied
speaker”(PoeticsofHipHop164).So,inlyrics,rappersattempttoestablishwhatever
personatheyhaveperformedforthepublic:presumably,theirwordsmustmatchtheir
actions.
Yet,beneaththesecarefullycraftedpersonasisanunderlyingtension,beginning
withthegeneralaudience’sdesireforsincerityfromanauthor.Forhip-hop,thisdesire
stretchesbacktoitsbirthandtheconceptof“keepin’itreal”—aphrasethatwasreiterated
inraplyrics,grafSiti,fashion,behaviors,andart.Forexample,in1995’s“R.E.A.L.I.T.Y.,”KRSOneraps,“SowhenIkickarhymeIrepresenthowIfeel/Thesacredstreetartofkeepin’it
real”(KRS-One).Theconceptof“keepin’itreal”founditselfinraplyricsmuchlikethese,
wheretherapperexplainshow“keepin’itreal”meanshe’snotlyingorfullofulterior
motives.InKembrewMcLeod’sdiscussionofauthenticitywithinhip-hopculture,he
dissectsthenotionofrealityinstreetculture.Heclaimsthatthephraseof“keepin’itreal”
embodiesayearningforanhonestandsincererapper,onewhoisnotartiSicial,or“soft,
followingmasstrendsbylisteningtocommercialrapmusic,andidentifyingoneselfwith
White,mainstreamculture”(McLeod174).Thus,“keepin’itreal”forarappermeansbeing
truetooneself(hisorherorigins)andcreatingraplyricsthatexemplifythisideal,instead
ofsuccumbingtoa“whitemainstreamculture”thatappropriatesandexploitstruthfor
money.
Anauthenticrappermustalsostaytruetohisorherbiography:Jay-Zcannot(and
doesnot)lieabouthisrisefromragstoriches,andequally,Eminemdoesnotlieabouthis
upbringinginatrailerpark.Inseeminghonestandvulnerableinone’slyrics,rappersbuild
4
credentialandsimultaneouslysubscribetotheconceptofauthenticity.Forinstance,Vanilla
Iceservesasaninterestingcounter-exampleofthis.AlongsidetheBeastieBoys,VanillaIce
(RobertVanWinkle)emergedasoneoftheSirstsuccessfulwhiterapperswithhispopular
hitfrom1990,“IceIceBaby,”andwasabletoturnhispositionasawhiterapperintoa
marketabletrait.However,hisrecordlabel,SBKRecords,describedVanillaIceashavinga
“colorfulteen-agebackgroundfullofgangs,motorcyclesandrough-and-tumblestreetlifein
lower-classMiamineighborhoods,culminatingwithhissuccessinagenredominatedby
youngblackmales”(Hess373).Forsomeonewhohadbeenrappingthrougha“real”hiphopimageinhislyrics,thisbiographytemporarilylenthimcredibility,makinghim
appealingtothehip-hopaudience.However,whenKenPerkinsofTheDallasMorningNews
discreditedVanillaIce’sentirebiography,revealinghegrewupinawealthierDallassuburb,
Ice’srapcareerplummeted.Peoplereferredtohimas“atravesty”and“aone-manjoke,”
andIcequicklybecameadisgracedSigureamongrapcelebrities(Hess373).
VanillaIce’sstoryisrifewithracialimplicationsconcerningappropriationofblack
musicalformsbywhites.Yet,italsorevealstheimportanceofautobiographywithinrap
lyrics,differingfromothergenreorartformswhereanartistdoesn’tnecessarilyfeel
directedorcontrolledbyhisorherpersonalpast(intermsoftheirpersona)whencreating
theirwork.“ThemajorityofMCsliketowritefromreal-lifeexperience—either
autobiographicallyricsaboutthingstheyhaveactuallyexperiencedorlyricsatleast
generallyinspiredbysituationsthey’veencountered”(Edwards5).Rappersdothisfor
manyreasons,butspeakingtruthfullyaboutautobiographicalexperienceslendsthema
credibilitythat’sdifSiculttobuildinotherways.
5
AsVanillaIce’sstoryshowsandMickeyHessargues,“hip-hoplyricsarerootedin
autobiography”(374).Thus,itbecomesclosetoimpossibletocompletelydisregardthe
rapperasanauthor,i.e.,totaketherapasitsownentityseparatefromtherappers’beliefs,
thoughts,orlife.Yet,isthisonlyonasuperSiciallevel?Rapsometimesrelieson
autobiographies,butrapperssometimestakecreativelibertiesindevelopingtheir
personas.Bythis,Imeanthat,insomecases,arappersonamaytakeshapeonitsown
separatefromtheperson,askingtheaudiencetounderstandtheraplyricsasreadbya
speakerwhoisactingasacharacterdistinguishablefromtherapper.Thisrevertstothe
conceptofpersonasastheiroriginal,Greekmeaningofspeakingthroughamask2rather
thanbythepoetorrapper.Doaudiencesimmediatelyseethepersonaasdifferentfromthe
person?Andifso,dotheyassociatethepersonawiththeworklessthantheywouldifthe
personhadactedasthespeaker?Thesequestionsbegintosetupbinaries,obscuringthe
graymatterinbetweenfrom“persona”to“person.”Further,thisauthenticity,or“sincerity,”
createsconfusionaboutwhoisactuallyspeakingwithinatext,whetherit’sapoemorarap
(orarapreadasapoem).WhenEminemrapsaboutautobiographicaleventsthathave
happenedinMarshallMathers’life,howarewesupposedtoseparatethepersonafromthe
person?Further,whydowefeelaneedtodistinguishtheseparationbetween“persona”
from“person?”
Inthesamewayaudiencesofpoetryhavedifferentexpectationsthanthoseof
Siction,audiencesofrapcometoexpectthatraplyricsaretruthful—andiftheauthor/
rapperisnottellingthetruth,thentherappermakesthatclear.3Rappers,generally,must
2MentionedinthereferencetoAdamBradley(page2).
3Thewayscertainrappersintroducedifferentvoices,characters,orskitsthatmakeaclear
distinctionbetweenrealityandSiction.
6
catertotheiraudiences’expectationsinordertobecommerciallysuccessful.Inthisway,
sincerityandauthenticitybecomenotsomuchachoiceasanexpectation.Thisiswhythe
mostcommerciallysuccessfulrappershaveawell-formedpersonathatdoesnotcontradict
theirperson,unlikethewayVanillaIce’spersonawasentirelydisprovedbyhistrue
autobiography.Successfulrappersareabletomaintainaninterestingpersonthatfuels
theirpersona;theymaintainanimpeccablebalanceofauthenticityanddrama.Thisis
perhapsmadeevenmoreinterestinginthetensionbetweenthepersonaandtheperson.4
But,tocallarapperanauthorimmediatelybringsseveralissuesintoquestion:the
factthatrapisn’talwaysawrittenwork,thefactthatrapperssometimesdon’tevenwrite5
theirraps,andthefactthat“author”bringssomesenseofliterarinessalongwithit.What
onetypicallyassociateswithauthorshipiscontainedinitsdictionarydeSinition,wherean
author“originatesorcreates,”orexistsas“thewriterofaliterarywork”(“Author”).These
deSinitionsholdcontrastingconceptsintherealmofrap—theSirstexplanationholdsa
vaguenotionofauthorspurelyascreators,whilethesecondexplainsauthorsastiedto
literature.Asacompromise,Iwillunderstand“author”todescribeonewhocreatesawork
thatcanbeunderstoodaswrittentext.BydeSiningauthorshipinthisway,Iallow“rapper”
toequateitselfwith“author.”
Instantly,thismayseeminaccurateoroverlytolerant,asifthisdeSinitionwasmade
solelytoallowarappertobeunderstoodasanauthor—mydeSinitiondoesallowforthis
categorization.Undeniably,rappersarethecreators,originators,andinsomeform,the
4Withthis,I’mthinkingaboutTupac.Asaperson,hethrivedintellectually,performing
Shakespeareplaysathishighschool.However,hecreatedarappersonaofbeingathug
whopartakesincriminalandviolentacts.
5Asinphysicallywritetheirlyricsonpaper.Somerappers,likeJay-Z,gainstreetcredibility
forfreestylingorkeepingtheirrhymesintheirhead.
7
writersofrap,despiteitswrittenvalue.Rapisperformed,yetitisnotexclusiveto
performance,asAdamBradleyandAndrewDuBoisdemonstratethroughthepublicationof
theAnthologyofRap.Whenplacedinaliterarycontext—ananthology,poeticanalysis,etc.
—rapcanbeunderstoodasawrittenwork.Jay-Zevengoessofarastoclaim,“rapis
poetry”(Jay-Z18).Regardlessofrap’sliterarymerit,rapperscreaterap,andthus,are
authorsoftherap.
Theseissuesofauthorshipbecomeincreasinglyrelevantwhenconsideringrappers’
creationofpersonas,andhowtheirlyricsreSlectcontrastingpersonalitiesfromtheperson
whoactuallyuttersthewords.Weseethishappencountlesstimesingreaticonsofrap.
Tupac,forexample,becomesanincreasinglycomplexexampleofapersonacounteringa
personwhen“hissometimesmisogynistlyricsarecontrastedwithhisodestowomenin
someofhissongsandpoetry”(Hess403).Incaseslikethis,thesheerintricacyofTupac’s
personalitycanitselfbecomethefocusofinterestandcelebrity,whiletheraptalentand
lyricsfallsecondary—similartohowthepoetSylviaPlath’ssuicideincreasedherwork’s
popularity. Atpointsthroughouthip-hophistory6,listenersbegintovaluethecreationofa
personaoverthecontenttheauthorhascreated.KanyeWest,forinstance,receives
attentionfromthemedia,citedbyCNNinanarticleregardinga“paparazziattack”as“apop
culturelegendforhisoutsizedbehavior,whetherit'sinhisprofessionallife,hispersonal
lifeorbothatthesametime”(Duke).Thismeanstheauthorhascreatedatensioninhis
lyricsthroughtherepresentationoftherapperorthespeaker.Thiscanbepurposeful,like
6Infact,thismayhaveimmediatelybeganwithNWA,whenthelifestyleofgangstarap
becameanalogoustotherapitself,andpeoplelistenedbecauseofthenoveltyofits
proclaimed“thuglife.”
8
whenJay-Zclaimedinhisbook,Decoded,“TherearesometimestwoJay-Zswhenyoulook
atmymusic”(Jay-Z129).Inothertimes,thepersonacandevelopthroughoutalbums,as
seeninKanyeWest’sorTupac’sworks.Thus,wemustbegintoexaminethepointwherewe
equatethespeakerofeachrap—the“nigga”who“hadtostrong-armaho”—withthe
author:Jay-Z(ifthatconnectionhappensatallforthereader).
WecanturntoMichelFoucault,aswellasRolandBarthesandevenT.S.Eliot,who
speakdirectlytotheconnectionbetweentheauthorandhisorherworks.Foucault,in
particular,discussesthepersonalpronounsandothergrammaticalsignsthatare
impossibletoignore;howisonesupposedtoavoidassociatingJay-Zwiththenarratorof
“99Problems”whenheuses“I”and“myself”?Foucaultanswers:
Everyoneknowsthat,inanovelofferedasanarrator’saccount,neithertheSirstpersonpronounnorthepresentindicativerefersexactlytothewriterortothe
momenttowhichhewritesbut,rather,toanalteregowhosedistancefromthe
authorvaries,oftenchanginginthecourseofthework.Itwouldbejustaswrongto
equatetheauthorwiththerealwriterastoequatehimwiththeSictitiousspeaker;
theauthorfunctioniscarriedoutandoperatesinthescissionitself,inthisdivision
andthisdistance(Foucault385).
Foucaultaddressesthedistancebetweenalterego 7andauthor,yetintermsofdeSinition
andrelationtothe“personal,”hisuseof“author”(inthisquote)feelsparticularlyliberalin
thesensethat“author”referspurelytothepersonwritingthework—thereisnodivision
between“author”and“person.”Indoingthis,heunintentionallycreatesascopeof
authorshipinregardtohow“personal”thecontentis.However,this“division”between
speakerandauthorthatFoucaultmentionsbecomesmuddiedwhenwe’renotspeakingtoa
blatantSictitouscharacterlocatedinanobviouslySictionalwork.Rap,generally,isn’t
thoughttobeSictional,sothedistancebetweentheSictitiousspeakerandtheauthor
7Thisworkssynonymouslywith“persona”inthesensethey’rebothfabricatedand
distancedfromtheauthor.ThedeSinitionandsynonymsareaddressedinFigure1.
9
functionisn’tsoclear.Thisispartiallywhatmakestheideaofpersonawithinrapso
intriguing:rappers’personascansometimesfeelSictionalizedorexaggeratedtothepointof
caricature,yettheymustsomehowmaintainasenseofrealism.8
Foucaultfurthercomplicatestheideaofauthorshipinhisdescriptionof
characteristictraits;hisfourthdescriptionclaimsthattheauthorfunction“doesnotrefer
purelyandsimplytoarealindividual,sinceitcangiverisesimultaneouslytoseveralselves,
toseveralsubjects—positionsthatcanbeoccupiedbydifferentclassesof
individuals”(Foucault386).Inthisdiscourseofauthorship,the“selves”refertothevarious
charactersthatcanbeinhabitedbyvoices(anauthorialvoiceoranyotherkind)duringa
songoralbum.Thus,oneisleftwiththepossibilitythat“severalselves”maybespeakingat
onceduringarap,eventhoughtherapperusestheseselvesunderthesame“I”or“myself.”
Eminemaddressestheconceptofseveralsubjects/selvesbyofferingthreedifferentnames,
andconsequently,threedifferentidentities:MarshallMathers,Eminem,andSlimShady.9
ForbothFoucaultandT.S.Eliot,“author”10constitutes“nota‘personality’toexpress,
butaparticularmedium”(Eliot42).11Inthisway,theauthordetacheshimselforherself
fromtheemotionsoreventsexpressedinthework.IfwetakeEliot’sdeSinitionof
“personality”toincludethe“person,”thenalongwithitcomestheperson’sautobiography
andtheirconfessions.Withrap’sbraggadocioanddependenceonautobiographiesinmind,
8Thisideawillbediscussedinlaterchaptersintheanalysisofseveralrappersonas.
9EminemwillbediscussedinChapter2.
10InEliot’scase,hespeaksofapoet,whichassumesthesametitleofauthor,yetspeaks
particularlytopoetry,thesameway“rapper”speaksparticularlytorap.
11Personality,forEliot,meanspersonalemotions,themeasureofhow“interesting”
someoneis,“Having‘moretosay’”(Eliot42).
10
toseparatethe“personality”fromtherapper,asdescribedbyEliot,wouldinmostcases
resultinfalsiSiedcontentinarap.So,FoucaultandEliot’sconceptsofauthorshipmaynot
necessarilyapplytorap,atleastinthesenseof“personality”andtheauthor’sdetachment
fromthework.EvenwhenrapperslikeKanyeWestandLaurynHillproducealbumswith
heavilystagedandperformedsongs,mostaudiencemembersbegintoreadpastthe
productionandperformanceaspectsofit,noticingthatthe“person”is,indeed,blatantly
wearinga“mask”.DothesecreationsofSictionalsettingsandcharactersdepictthemas
authorsoftheirwork?Further,doesthecreationofSictionwithinrapseparatetheperson
fromthepersonawithintheidentiSicationof“rapper?”
Inordertorespondtothesequestionsofauthenticitywithinrap,Iframethese
questionsintheSirstsectionofmythesisbystartingtoanswerthetheoreticalquestions
regardingauthorship,sincerity,authenticity,andthedivideofpersonaversusperson.By
usingSusanRosenbaum’sideasofsincerity12toframemydiscussionofrapandhip-hop
culture,Iamabletoaddressthesmallerintricaciesthatappearwithinthebiggerquestion:
identitiesshapedbylyrics,personas,andconfessions.Inordertounderstandcharacter
developmentofapersonathroughlyrics,IusesomeofRosenbaum’s,Foucault’s,andEliot’s
ideasofsincerity,authorship,andpersonalityasaframework,distinguishinghowlyrics
alonecanbegintoshapeapersonaseparatefromaperson.Thisbothsupportsandis
supportedbytheclaimthattherewouldbenopersonaifthereweren’ttheactualrap13(its
words,phrases,pauses,rhythms,tonalities,songstructure,etcetera).Thissectionalso
12AsunderstoodinRosenbaum’sProfessingSincerity.
13AlsosupportedbyJudithButler’stheoryofperformativity,where“performative”is“the
discursivemodebywhichontologicaleffectsareinstalled”(Ugwu).
11
discussesrappers’stagenames,howthesenamesrelatetoarappers’personaandthe
historyofrappersonas.
ThenextsectionexempliSiespreciselyhowrappersdeveloptheirpersonas,asI
simultaneouslyaddressissuesofsincerityandhowtheselyricsshouldberead.However,
insteadofaddressingrappers,ingeneral,Ianalyzethelyricsoftworapperswhohave
createduniqueyeticonicpersonasthroughtheirlyrics.14KanyeWestandEminemSind
theirplacewithinthissectionasIpaycarefulattentiontothepersonadevelopmentand
theiruseofconfessionallyricsinordertoillustratetheconclusionsthatwerereached
withinsectionone.
AswefollowthepersonadevelopmentsofKanyeWestandEminem,it’sworth
rememberingthattheserappersaregenerallyregardedfortheirpersonasalone.Inthe
samewaymostassociateSylviaPlathwithhersuicideinsteadofherpoetry,mostalso
associatetheserapperswithpartsoftheirpersonthathavebeenexploitedorconfessed
sincerelyinordertocreateapersona.Wemustnotethattherearedifferencesbetweenthe
personaandtheperson,andthesedifferencestieintohowtherappertoyswiththeconcept
ofauthenticitythroughouthiswork.
14Inadditiontotheirperformances,marketingstrategies,interviews,andcelebrity,yetI
willmainlyfocusonthelyrics.
12
CHAPTERONE
UnderstandingRappers’PersonaCreationsandPurposes
Rapisaperformance;itsprimaryfunctionasamusicalgenreistoentertain.So,the
creationofcharacters,skits,andtheatricsinrapmakessense,sincepartofthehuman
conditionistoSindenjoymentinplotandcharacterdevelopment.Rappersinclude
Sictionalizedsettings,characters,andpersonasintheiralbumsasapartofentertainment
andkeepingupwiththetheatrics. 15
ThistensionofauthenticityandSictionrevealsdifSicultiesthatrappersfaceintheir
technique.Arappermuststrikeabalancebetweenappearingauthenticandtrustworthy,
andsimultaneously,entertaininghisorheraudiencewithinterestingnarrativesand
characters.“Performance”and“authenticity”workasparadoxesinthissense:performance
indicates“acting”foranaudience,while“authenticity”impliesasenseof“realness,”with
whichthespeakerdoesn’tfeeltheneedtoperformforanaudience.
Asaresponseofthesechallenges,andsometimesasastrategy,weoftenseethe
collapseofthepersonauntotherapper16.Thismeansarapper’screatedpersona,basedon
fabricatedsettings,skits,characters,etc.,blurswithhisorher“person”—hisorherreal
self,orhisorherwork.Atsomepointsinarapper’swork,weseethecreationofthe
personarepresentedinanarrativearcormeta-narrativelyinlyrics.So,how,intheirlyrics,
15ThemajorityofthisconstraintofSictionandcreationSindsitsrootsinthepackagingand
marketingintheconsumeristsociety—rapmusicis,afterall,awayforrapperstomake
money.Nonetheless,IdonotwanttofullyignoretheseissuesofcommodiSication,
consumerism,andculturalappropriation;instead,I’dliketofocussolelyontheideaof
personas,Siction,andcharacterdevelopmentbasedonthelyrics.
16Meaning“author.”RefertopastFigure1forthedeSinitionoftheseterms.
13
dorappersartfullycreatepersonasthatarebothmarketableandinsomecases,entirely
Sictionalized,yetappearauthentic?
Onewayrapperscreatepersonasisthroughtheuseof“confessional”lyrics,i.e.
wordsthatexposepartsofarapper’sautobiography,inturn,makingtheaudiencesensethe
author’svulnerability.Intheseconfessionallyrics,wecanseeaparallelbetweenthe
confessionalpoets,whomDavidHavenBlakedeSinesasthe“groupofpoetswhointhe
1950sand1960sbegantominetheirownlivesandpsychesasthebasisoftheirart”(Blake
717).Inusingfactuallyaccurateautobiographicalexperiences,rappersandpoetscan
appearauthenticinthattheyaren’tblatantlyinauthentic—theyaren’ttotallyuntruthful.
Thepoets’orrappers’truthsabouttheirlives,becausetheyseemtobeinextricably
connectedtoauthenticityandsincerity17,includethemselvesinanartist’sworkthrough
confessionallyrics.
Yet,theterm“confessional,”asHavenBlakegoesontoexplain,“hasalwaysbeen
vagueandraisedanumberofquestionsabouttheauthenticityofexperienceinrelationto
thepoet’spersona”(Blake717).Becauseofthevaguenessandquestionsofauthenticity,
thisiswherearappermaystruggletocreateapersona.Forexample,ifarapperrelieson
purehonesty(“authenticity”inthatregard)yethashadafairlyuneventfulorinexperienced
life,thenthepersonawillreSlectthat.However,ifarapper,hashadanarduousand
dramaticlife,heorshecanutilizethatdramaandmakeitentertainingwithouthavingto
necessarilylie.Then,therappercanexploithisorherownlifeandexaggerateitfor
marketingpurposes,oruseitpurelyfortherhetoricalpurposeofauthenticity.
17Although,weseethat“authentic”doesn’tnecessarilymeantrue.
14
15
1.1.TheAnatomyofanEmceeName:PersonasThroughtheYears
Throughoutthehistoryofrap,thefunctionofpersonashasshiftedfromdidactic
purposes,beingusedascaricaturesandfabricatedcharactersinordertoconveymoral
messagesinnarratives,tomoredramaticpurposes,beingusedrealisticallytoexpress
socialcommentaryandcritiques.Thesepersonashavechangedintermsofcontent,lyrics,
andmediarepresentation,butwecantraceandbetterunderstandthetransformationof
personas’functionforrappersbyanalyzingtheprogressionofemceeandrappernames.
In1973,JalaluddinMansurNuriddinreleasedHustler’sConventionunderthe
pseudonym“Lightnin’Rod.”18WhileHustler’sConvention“isn’trapbydeSinition,itemerges
asaprimitiveformofrap”asNuriddinusesrhythmicspokenwordandsoundeffectsover
livebackgroundmusic(Smith).Infact,Nuriddin’sprofessionalwebsiteusestheURL
www.grandfatherofrap.com,referringtohimselfandtheLastPoetsas“thepioneersof
today’srap”and“theSirstrapgrouptobeacclaimedbythepeople(Nuriddin).Hustler’s
ConventionpresentsaseriesofrappedskitswhereLightnin’Rodneverspeaksashimself
(neitherJalalNuriddinnorhispersonaofLightnin’Rod),rather,heimpersonatestwo
hustlers,SportandSpoon(andotherswithwhomtheyinteract).Nuriddinadoptsdifferent
voices,usingvariousintonationsandtropesinordertoconveyachangefromonecharacter
orscenetoanother.Inabout30minutes,Nuriddincaricaturespersonasofhustlersand
pimps,separatinghimselffromtheworksotheaudienceunderstandsthefabricated
qualityofthecharactersandfurther,themoralinstructionbehindthenarrative:attheend
18NuriddinwasamemberoftheLastPoets,agroupofwriters,poets,andmusiciansfrom
HarlemWritersWorkshopinNewYorkwhoarosefromtheblackcivilrightsandblack
nationalistmovement.
16
ofthealbum,thetwohustlers’livesnolongerappearglamorousorsuccessful,instead,as
thesongtitlesexpress,the“ShitHitstheFanAgain”andtheyare“Sentencedtothe
Chair.”(Lightnin’Rod).
Nuriddin’sintonationchangessuggestachangeinvoiceand,thus,achangein
characterand/orpersona.ThistechniqueismimickedbyrappersafterHustlersConvention;
thesamewayactorschangetheirinSlectionwhenchangingcharacter,rapperschangevoice
pitches,tones,andaccentsinordertoconveyaswitchfromonepersona/charactertothe
next.Theshiftnotonlyindicatesachangeinpersona,character,andvoice,butalsosigniSies
aparticularattentionpaidtoauthenticityandSiction.Whenarappershiftsvoices,hecalls
attentiontothefactthatheisspeakingasapersonaorcharacterpurposelydistancedfrom
thepersonand/orauthor.InHustlersConvention,Lightnin’Rodcreatesanimmediate
distancebetweenpersona/characterandauthorin“Sport,”wherehesays,“Theycalledme
Sport”(Nuriddin).Inlatersongs,theaudienceunderstandstheSictionalizationinthework
basedonNuriddin’svoicechanges,assumingheisnotsubscribingtoacontractof
autobiographicalauthenticitybecauseheisinforminghisaudience,“Thisisnotmyvoice.”
Thistechniqueisconstrainedbytherapper’svoicecapabilitiesandisonlyunderstood
throughanauralunderstandingofrap.
However,voiceswitchescanoccurinwaysotherthanachangeintone,accent,pitch,
andenunciation:whenarappershiftsvoices,characters,orpersonas,theirrapstylemay
switch,aswell.WhenEminemrapsinhissong“Stan,”heemphasizespersonalpronouns
(whenrappingasSlimShady,switchingfromrappingasthecharacter“Stan”)morethanhe
normallydoesinothersongs,placingextrastressesonthepronouns“us,”“me,”and“you”
inthelines:
17
“Andwhat’sthisshitaboutusmeanttobetogether?
Thattypeofshit’llmakemenotwantustomeeteachother
Ireallythinkyouandyourgirlfriendneedeachother
ormaybeyoujustneedtotreatherbetter”(CurtainCall).
TheselinescontrastwithStan’slyricsandemphasis,wherehestressesSirstandsecond
personpronounsinordinately.Eminem’sstylechangeindicatesacorrespondingchangein
speaker.Similarly,dialecticaldeviationsmaysignifyvoicechanges.Forexample,Eminem’s
linesin“TheRealSlimShady”indicateadeviationfromourspeaker,Eminem/SlimShady,
andhe’sattemptingtospeaktemporarilyas“feministwomen:”“I’msickofhim/Lookat
him,walkingaroundgrabbinghisyou-know-what/Flippingtheyou-know-who.”“Yeah,but
he’ssocutethough”(MarshallMathersLP).Inthesong,Eminemnotonlychangesthe
inSlectionofhisvoice,butifEminemwasspeakingashimself(whetherit’shispersonaor
hisrealself,MarshallMathers),hewouldhavesubstituted“you-know-what”and“youknow-who”foritsprofanecounterparts.
Moreover,Lightnin’Rod’sname(JalalNuriddin’spseudonym)emphasizesthe
didacticidealshedemonstratesinHustlersConvention.“Lightnin’”maybeaplayon
“enlightenment,”highlightingtheunderstandingthatSportandSpoonreachinthelines,
“Ithadcostme12yearsofmytime
torealizewhatanickelanddime
hustlerIhadreallybeen
WhiletherealhustlerswererippinoffBens
Fromtheunsuspectingmens
Whoareprogrammedtothinktheycanwin”(Lightnin’Rod).
Thehustlersundeniablyreachamomentofepiphanyorenlightenment,understandingthat
thegloryofagangsterlifestyleisshort-livedandcomeswithaconsequence.However,
“Lightnin’Rod”mayalsorefertothedictionarydeSinitionof“apersonorthingthatattracts
negativefeelings,opinions,etc.,therebydivertingthemfromothertargets”(“Lightning
18
rod”).Inthissenseoftheword,“Lightnin’Rod”isdrawingnegativeattentiontothehustler
lifestyleinordertocreateamoralizingnarrative.
Nuriddin’scaricaturizedpersonasofhustlers,whowere“runningthroughbitches
likeragstoriches,”haveundeniablyaffectedandinspiredthepersonasoflaterrappersof
pimpsandplayers.Evenwithinthenamesoftherapperswhohaveadoptedthesepersonas,
wecandetectwhattypeofimageorpersonalitytheartistwantshisnametoconvey.For
example,GrandmasterCaz’snametakesaformulalikeotheroldschoolrappersofthe
GoldenAge;“Grandmaster”isboastful,implyingskillfulnessandexperiencewithemceeing.
“Caz,”ontheotherhand,isshortfor“cassanova,”aseductiveandpromiscuousmaleSigure.
However,inmostofGrandmasterCaz’sraps,hedoesn’tspeaktothepersonaofahustleror
pimpthatwemaythinkoftoday.Hisraps,generally,boastofhisraptechniqueor,likeinthe
song“TooMuch,”offeramorallesson.Hecriticizesthedanger,violence,anddrugs
associatedwiththestreetlife,rappinglineslike,“Causethere’stoomanyshootingsandnot
enoughasskicks/Yeah,toomanygangsters,andtoomanythugs/ToomanyG’s,toomany
hoods,andtoomanydrugs”(GrandmasterCaz).Hispersona,althoughalludingtostreetlife
andhousepartiesinhislyrics,nevershowsthroughasanoverlydesirablelife,asconveyed
in“TooMuch.”Instead,hispersonaseemstoperformamoralfunctionsimilartothe
charactersinLightnin’Rod’sHustlersConvention.Inbothoftheseworks,therappertakes
onapersonaofagangsterorhustlerandeventuallyshowcasesthedownfallofthat
lifestyle.
Atthestart,emceeing,asJeffChangmentionsinCan’tStopWon’tStop,wasabout
“distinguishingyourselfandyouroriginalityabovethecrowd.Itputyouonarelentless
questtoprovetothemthatyouwerebigger,wilder,andbolder”(Chang111).Otherold
19
schoolrappershavenamesthatusesimpleandbraggingtacticsbut,intheirraps,they
don’tattempttoglorifyorglamorizetheirpersona’slifeonthestreets.Onecanseethisin
theuseof“cool”(“kool”or“ice,”asinbeing“coolasice”)inrappers’pseudonyms,likeKool
MoeDee,DJKoolHerc,LLCoolJ,andIce-T.The“kool”inKoolHercreferstothecigarettes,
whichweretypicallyadvertisedtoAfricanAmericansasbeing“cool,”hip,andfresh.Similar
totheseadvertisementsandthegrafSiticulturethatcameoutofthesamepartsofNewYork
City,Changclaimsnameswerecreatedandusedto“beknownamongsttheirpeers,tobe
recognizedfortheiroriginality,bravado,daring,andstyle”(Chang74).Inthebeginningof
rap,namesspoketruetothisdesire:rapperswantedtousehyperbolicphrasesintheir
titlestoexpressjusthowcooltheywere.
MelleMelandGrandmasterFlashandtheFuriousFivefallintoasimilarcategoryof
usingpersonasforamoralisticpurpose,speciSicallyinthesong“TheMessage.”Whilethe
group’snamedidn’tcontainablatanthyperbole,GrandmasterFlashandtheFuriousFive
originallyfocusedondrawingacrowdattheirperformances.Itwasn’tuntil1982,about
Siveyearsafterthepeakofphenomenaliketheb-boydance,grafSiti,MCing,andDJKool
Herc,thatthegroupreleased“TheMessage.”Whilemaintainingtheirpersonasofhustlers,
theysimultaneouslyofferedaconsciousandmoralisticmeaning,rappingabouttheharsh
realitiesofstreetlife.Their“message”wasaboutcondemningthehustlerlifestyle,yetit
subtlyoffersanti-authorityviews,alludingtothefailingeducationsystem(“Gotabum
education”),SinancialauthoritySigures(“Thebillcollectors”),andtherecession(“doubledigitinSlation”).Preciselywheredothefunctionofpersonastransform,fromserving
moralisticpurposesofdenouncingahustlerlifestyletoservingdramaticpurposes,often
romanticizingthegangsterlifestyle?
20
Intheprogressionofrapfromearlyemceestogangstarap,thehip-hopculturewas
lookingforvoicesfortheirgeneration—voicesthatwerefoundinrappers,who
commoditizedhip-hopculture.Run-D.M.C.hademergedasaninSluentialrapgroup,
popularizinghip-hopcultureandrapforwhitepeople:rappingaboutstreetlifeand
representingstreetstyleintheirclothing.However,theirlyricsintheirSirstsingle,“It’sLike
That,”followedtheconsciousrappingtraditionof“TheMessage;”thelyricshadmoral
instructionsandmessagesaboutsocialinjustice,followingtheethicalreasoningbehind
Run-D.M.C’sname:“Run”comesfromRussellSimmons’pseudonym,Rev.(shortfor
Reverend)Run.EventhoughsomeofRun-D.M.C.’slyricscondemnedthehustlerlifestyle
(and,inaway,sodidtheirname),theirclothing,on-stageandperformedpersonasdidnot
correlate.Theycommoditizedstreetclothingandstylesynonymouswiththehustler
lifestylenotonlyintheirmannerofdress,butalsoinsongslike“MyAdidas.”
FollowingRun-D.M.C.andsubtletendenciestowardanti-authoritativeviews,
gangstarapstartedwithSchoollyDandIce-TbutwaspopularizedingroupslikePublic
EnemyandN.W.A.UnlikeRun-D.M.C.’sname(orearlyemceesnames),thenamesofPublic
EnemyandN.W.A.adoptedpunkideals.BillStephney,whoworkedwithDefJam,believed
“PublicEnemy”“perfectlySittheirunderdogloveandtheirdevelopingpolitics”and
expressedalevelofBlackradicalismandBlackcollectivitythathadmaterializedinthe
‘80s. 19BothPublicEnemyandN.W.A.(whichstandsforNiggazWitAttitudes)expressed
gangstarapnotionswithintheirnamesaswellasintheirlyricsandpersonas.Thegroup
tookRun-D.M.C.’swardrobeandelaboratedonpreconceivedanti-authoritativenotionsin
songsthatcementedthoseideals,rapping,“Fuckthepolicecomingstraightfromthe
19Intermsofnames,rapperslikeAfrikaBambaataa,TheRoots,andQueenLatifah
incorporateAfricannationalismandZuluNationconceptsintotheirrappseudonyms.
21
underground/AyoungniggagotitbadcauseI’mbrown”(N.W.A.).Songslike“Fuckthe
Police”from1988notonlyhadaharsherandfastertempo,butthelyricsthemselves
representedarecklesspersonaofwhattheyperceivedasa“NiggaWitAttitude.”They
cursedwithoutreconciliation,gloriSieddrugsandcrime,andrappedagainstauthority.
Notlongafter,2PacandTheNotoriousB.I.G.20rosetoprominenceintheearly-to
mid-1990s,furtherexemplifyingthegangstaraplifestyleintheirrapand,eventually,in
theirsuddenmurders.Butaftertheserapperswerelivingouttheirpersonainreality
(makingthemselves“authentic”,inthatregard),otherrappersweren’ttakingonpersonas
orstagenames—theyweren’t“speakingthroughablatantmask,”sotospeak.LaurynHill,
KendrickLamar,TalibKweli,evenKanyeWest21:noneoftheserapperschangedtheir
namessoastotakeonapersonaseparatefromtheirperson.Seemingly,whenLaurynHill
raps,herlyricsandconveyedpersonalitystaytruetoherrealbeliefs,opinions,and
mannerisms.
Perhapstheselaterartistssawtheissuesofauthenticitythatarisewithtakingona
stagenameand,eventually,persona:forexample,2Pac(aplayonhisname,Tupac
Shakur22)grewupstudyingacting,poetry,jazz,andballet,andeveninhisrapalbums,often
revealedasenseofvulnerabilityinsongslike“DearMama”and“Changes.”But,these
momentsofexposurecontraststarklywithhispuregangstarapsongs,like“Str8Ballin’”
and“Strictly4MyN.I.G.G.A.Z.”Notoriously,Tupacwasshotandkilledinagang-related
20While2PacandNotoriousB.I.G.didn’thaveoutlandishnames,NotoriousB.I.G.’s
pseudonymspoketohistruephysicalsize:heweighedasmuchas300to380pounds.
21KanyeWestisacomplicatedexampleofthis,andhewillbediscussedinmoredetaillater
on.
22However,hisgivennamewasLesaneParishCrooks,accordingtoseveralcoronerreports
afterhisdeath(1996).
22
battle.DidTupac/Lesane,thepreviouslyintellectualandartisticallycuriouspersona,
undertakethegangstapersonaof“2Pac,”leadingultimatelytohisdeath?Perhapshisstory,
muchlikeNotoriousB.I.G.’s,servedasawarningtolaterrappers:thepersonashouldn’tbe
dangerous,norshoulditconSlictwithyourrealperson.
Fromthere,rapperslikeLaurynHillandTalibKweliunabashedlyrappedas
themselves,forgoinganyblatantcaricaturizedpersonasand,inthemeantime,remainedas
transparentaspossible.Similarly,rapperslikeNas,Eminem23,Dre,andAndre3000didn’t
necessarilyrapasthemselvesandkeeptheirname,buttheydidn’ttakeonfull-Sledged
alter-egos,either.Alongthesamelines,rapnameslike“LilKim,”“LilWayne,”and“TheFat
Boys,”whichareself-deprecatingandnon-boastful,followperformancetraditionswhere
thenameismodestbuttheperformergoesontopleasantlysurprisetheaudience.These
artistsmayhaveunderstoodtheneedtostillactinapersona,butensuredthatitstayed
closetotheirperson,blurringthelinesbetweenpersonaandperson.WhenwehearDr.Dre
rap,isherappingasAndreYoung(hisgivenname),orisheacknowledgingthefactthat
mostofhisrapsareghostwritten,eventhoughheretainscontroloverlyricalthemes?
Choosingastagenamethatcloselyresemblesone’srealnameallowsarappertopreservea
partofhertruepersonandthus,maintainalevelofauthenticity.
1.2.TheStoryofaHustler:Jay-Z
AlthoughTupacandNotoriousB.I.G.’sdeathswerecatastrophicinthehip-hop
community,Jay-Z(SeanCarter)emergedonthescenewithVol.2…HardKnockLife,
cementinghisstatusasarags-to-richesstoryinhip-hop.Jay-Z’sothermoniker,“J-Hova,”
23Eminemisanothercomplexexample,becausehehasseveralothernamesheusestoact
asothercharacterswhilerapping.Hewillbediscussedinchaptertwo.
23
“Hova,”or“Hov,”referstoJehovah,implyingJay-Z24istheself-proclaimedgodofemcees
andrappers.Hispseudonymimitateshispersona—thatofaself-madesuccessfulman
whoseprioritieshaverightfullyshiftedfromdrughustlingtohisfamilyandentrepreneurial
ventures.Inaway,thestoryofhispersonaechoestheearlyemcees’caricaturizedmoral
narratives:youcanworkyourwayuponthestreetbutattheendoftheday,drugs,
hustling,and“runningthroughbitches”don’tmeasureuptoasuccessfulandhappylife.JayZ’ssong“30Something”from2006’sKingdomComedemonstrateshismaturity:“Y’allroll
blunts,IsmokeCubansallday…Y’allgotopartiestoicegrill/Igotopartiestopartywith
nicegirls”(KingdomCome).
Relativetothegangstarapimage,Jay-Z’scurrentpersonaexempliSiesagreaterlevel
ofmaturityandreSinement.Onhisearliest1996album,ReasonableDoubt,Jay-Zrapped,“I
talkjewelsandspitdiamonds,”boastingofhisrappingskilland“cashmerethoughts,”but
alsopossiblycallingattentiontothefactthat,justayearorsoearlier,hewassellingCDs
outofhiscar(ReasonableDoubt).But,inhis2013album,MagnaCartyHolyGrail,Jay-Z
raps,“spentallmyeuros/ontuxesandweirdclothes…Idon’tpopmolly/IrockTomFord,”
clearlybraggingofhiswealthandsuccess(MagnaCartaHolyGrail).Jay-Z’salbums
highlighthisrisefromragstoriches,braggingabouteverythingpossiblealongtheway:if
“Hova”can’tbeaGodofmoney,thenheisaGodofraptechnique,andviceversa.
However,Jay-Z’spersonaaddressesthecomplicationsbetweentwoverydifferent
worlds:theworldonthestreets,livingwithviolence,drugs,andothercrime,andtheworld
ofTomFord,diamonds,andMaybachs.Thus,Jay-Z’s(persona’s)storyisthatofthehustler
24Thename“Jay-Z”comesfrommembersofhiscommunityreferringtoCarteras“jazzy.”
Thisleadstothequestion:arestagenamesgivenorchosen?Iftheyaregiven,howdoes
thataffecttherapper’sidentityandpersona?
24
whodiditright—theself-mademan.“WeheardMelleMel’shit“TheMessage…”andwe
heardaboutRun’sbiglongCaddy,butwhatwasmissingwaswhatwashappeningin
betweenthosetwoimages—howyoungcatsweresteppingthroughthebrokenglassand
intotheCaddy.Themissingpiecewasthestoryofthehustler”(Jay-Z10).Fromhavingonly
“cashmerethoughts”toowningactualcashmereandthingsofvalue,Jay-Zacknowledges
thehardworkinvolvedingettingtohisSinancialstatusinlyricslike,“That’swhytheycall
me‘Hova’/I’mfarfrombeingGod/ButIworkgoddamnhard”(Jay-Z144).So,although
Jay-Zinsistsonbraggadocio,healsofocusesonlegitimizinghisboastfulnessandsuccessin
hislyrics.
Further,atrarepoints,Jay-Zutilizes“confessional”lyrics,revealingthegapbetween
hispersonaandhisperson(SeanCarter).In“MomentofClarity,”heraps,“SoPopIforgive
you/ForalltheshitthatIlivethrough/Itwasn’tyourfault/Homieyougotcaught/And
tothesamegameIfought/ThatUncleRaylost”(Jay-Z134).Unlikehislesspersonallyrics
thatmentionthematerialityinhislife(brandnamesandotherreferencestohislifestyle),
theselinesfeelexceptionallypersonalandconfessionalbecauseoftheircontentand
sentimentality.Jay-Zrevealshimselfinamorevulnerablelightbydescribinganatural
hardshipofthehumancondition:deathofafamilymember.Additionally,theselyricsfeel
choppierandmorehard-hittingthanotherlyricsfromthesamesongwherethecontent
revealslessofhispersonallife:“Weasrappersmustdecidewhat’smostimportant/AndI
can’thelpthepoorifI’moneofthem/SoIgotrichandgaveback/Tomethat’sthewinwin”(Jay-Z136).Incomparison,thepreviouslyricsdiscussingJay-Z’s(Carter’s)personal
experiencewithhisfather’sdeathhavesharperrhymes(you/throughandfault/caught/
fought/lost)andcarryaseverityintheconsonance.Inaway,theserhetoricaltechniques
25
helpconveyJay-Z’svulnerabilitybyusinghardrhymestoconveyemotionalpainandloss.
Inmomentsofexposurelikethis,Jay-Zusesconfessionallyricstodemonstrateauthenticity.
InmomentsofconfessionwithinJay-Z’slyrics,hiscaseofpersonaversuspersoncan
becomparedwithSylviaPlath’s,raisingthequestion:howdoestheaudiencedifferentiate
betweenSylviaPlath’sperson—onethatistypicallyassociatedwith(andromanticizedas)
amanicdepressive,suicidalpoet—withherworkasapoet?AsPlath“confesses”raw
emotionsandmomentsthatcanbedirectlyrelatedtoherautobiography(and,ultimately,
hersuicide),readersbegintoreadherpoetrystrictlythroughherperson.WithinJay-Z’s
rap,ashe“confesses”(likeinthelyricsabouthisfather’sdeath),he“establishesacontract
offactualaccuracy…amoralcontracthemustuphold”(Rosenbaum198).Theaudience,
then,expectsahighleveloftruthfulnessandauthenticityinPlath’spoetryandJay-Z’srap,
voidofdramatizationandexaggeration,sotheybegintoreadherpoetryintermsofPlath’s
suicideandtheybegintolistentoJay-Z’smusicaccordingtohishardships.
Yetincomparingthetwo,therearisesthelensofthepersonalandconfessionaland
howtheyrelatetosincerity—allofwhichareideasthathavebeendiscussedinpoetrysince
theintroductionofAnneSexton,SylviaPlath,andRobertLowell,yethasnotbeenexplored
inraptothispoint.BetweenSictionalizingone’sautobiographyandstayingentirelytrueto
it,thereliestheissueofexploitingpartsofone’slifeinordertocreateagreaterappealto
anaudience(which,undeniablyhaspositivecommercialconsequences).Further,
exploitationofone’slifeandcreationofpersonascreatesaconfusion,intentionalornot,
betweenthepublicpersonaandtheartistasaperson.
InherbookProfessingSincerity,SusanRosenbaumarguesthat“sincerityinthe
romanticandpostromanticlyricinmanywayswasaproductofcommercialculture:poets
26
whomadealivingfromtheirwritingsoldthemoralpromisethattheirlyricsweresincere,
andengagedthisconSlictintheirwork”(Rosenbaum4).Thiscommercialriseofsincerity
carriesovertorap,aswell,creatinganxietiesaboutthecommercialnatureofsincerity
withinraplyrics:audiencesareunsurewhatisactuallysincereandwhatisprofessedas
sincerepurelyforthesakeofmoney.Thework,i.e.thelyricsandrapthemselves,seemingly
becomesynonymouswiththelifestyleoftherapper,yetaudiencesmayquestionwhether
that“collapse”issincereormotivatedbymoney.
Essentially,Jay-Z’spersonamanagestoremainauthentic—hedoesn’tlieabouthis
past—however,hislyricsneverfeelextraordinarilypersonal.That,forJay-Z,hasactedasa
pointofsuccess:hislyricsmainlydiscusshislifestyleandhislifestory,butallofitfroma
safedistance.Hisformer“streetself”isreferredtobyanowwiserJay-Zinlineslike,“Ifelt
likelifewascheatingme,fortheSirsttime/inmylifeIwasgettingmoneybutitwaslike
myconsciencewaseatingme/WasthisalessonGodwasteachingme?Washesaying
that?”(Jay-Z124).Hishustlerpersonaisdiscussedfromadistanceasifhe’sacharacter
usedformoralpurposes,similartoLightnin’Rod’sHustler’sConvention,exemplifyingthe
moralhardshipsofahustler’slife.Thisisonlymadepossiblebyhispoetics;Jay-Zkeepshis
audienceinterestedstylistically,makingitpossibletokeepthedistancebetweenthe
personaandtheperson.Bykeepingtheaudienceinvolvedinthelyrics’style,Slow,rhythm,
andrhymes,thelistenerfocusesontheformalaspectsoftherapratherthanthecontent.
Thus,Jay-Zdoesn’trequireaninordinateamountofconfessionallyricsorpersonal
informationrelayedthroughhislyrics;theaudienceintriguehappensatapoeticand
stylisticlevel.Theyfocuslessonthemessagethanthewayitsounds.Jay-Zdoesn’tneedto
27
resorttodramaticortheatricgimmicksbecausehisSlowremainsintactand,asaresult,so
doeshisauthenticity.
28
CHAPTERTWO
AUTHENTICITYINPRACTICE
2.1.TheCruxofMultipleCharacters:Eminem
Eminemisauniquerepresentationofmixedpersonas,createdpurposefullyand
cleverly.Perhapsheismostinterestingbecausehehasthreecarefullycraftedpersonas,
whereasmostrappersmerelyhaveonemainpersona(i.e.KanyeWest)oronemain
personaseparatedfromtheirperson(i.e.Jay-ZseparatedfromSeanCarter).
EminemisthestagenameforMarshallMathers,awhiterapperfromDetroit,andit
alsotendstobethemainpersonaoridentitythattherapperusesinhisalbums.Eminem’s
alterego,SlimShady,appearsinnearlyeveryalbumbyEminem,andactsasanovertly
SictionalizedversionofEminem.Ifwerankthesepersonasoridentitiesinthematterof
authenticityor“realness,”MarshallMathersisthemost“real”versionoftherapper:hehas
notevenchangedhisname,andidentiSieswiththebiographicalhistoryoftheperson(i.e.
grewupinDetroit,hasadaughternamedHailie,etc.).Eminem,then,isalessrealistic
versionoftherapper,sincehechangedhisnamefromhisoriginal.Lastly,SlimShadyexists
asthemostSictionalizedversionoftherapper;whenrappingasSlimShady,Eminemtends
torapwithadifferentstyleandaboutdarker,moreviolent,andmoretwistedsubject
matter.
InallofEminem’salbums,therapperincludesmultipleskitsinvolvingotherartists;
theskitsactasintroductionsordisclaimersregardinghischaractersandpersonas.Infact,
29
onEminem’sSirstalbum,hisSirsttrackisaskitintroducinghismaterial,25claimingthe
contentonthealbumisnotEminem’s,norisitMarshallMathers:“Thisisapublicservice
announcementbroughttoyouinpartbySlimShady.Theviewsandeventsexpressedhere
aretotallyfucked…SlimShadyisnotresponsibleforyouractions”(TheSlimShadyLP).He
setsthealbumuptobeaworkbySlimShady,althoughhereferstohimselfinthirdperson
—atotaltwistonwhattheaudiencemayexpect,leavingthelistenerunsureofwhois
actuallyrapping.Hisskits,likethisbriefone,oftenintroduceSictionalscenesorcharacters
tothesongorthewholealbum,creatingasenseofuncertaintywhenheiswearingthe
maskofSlimShady,orexposinghimselfasMarshallMathers.OnSlimShadyLPand
MarshallMathersLP,heevenintroducesaseparateSictionalcharacterofKenKaniffinhis
skits(titled“KenKaniff”inbothalbums).Intheseskitsandinothersongs,Ken26appears
asahomosexualwhomocksEminem’ssongs.
Withtheseskitsinmind,Eminemprovestobeanintriguinginvestigationintovoices
andhowtheyshapeourideaofpersonas.AsmentionedinChapterOne,Eminemmanages
tomakeavoicechange—andthus,acharacterswitch—onseveraldifferentlevels.Hecan
changehisstyle,asexpressedinthelyricsin“Stan”whereheplacesdifferentstresseson
variouswords.Healsochangeshispitchoraccent,playingwiththeideaofcharacterization
andSictionwithinrap.Theaudienceunderstands,uponhearingthesevoicechanges,that
Eminem(orSlimShadyorMarshallMathers)ispurposelyalternatingcharacters,
25Manyrappersuseskitsasintroductionstotheiralbums,acquaintingtheirlistenerstothe
contentontheiralbum,usingtheskitasanopportunityforadisclaimerortosetthescene
(Sictionalorreal)forthealbum.
26InSlimShadyLP,KenisplayedbyDetroitrapperAristotle.InMarshallMathersLP,Kenis
playedbyEminem.
30
performingaone-manshow.Byacknowledgingthis,Eminemmanagestoremainauthentic
whilesimultaneouslychannelingfabricatedaspectsinhissongs.
So,despitethetitlesofsomeofhisalbums’thatreferencehispersonas(SlimShady
in1999,MarshallMathersin2000,TheEminemShowin2002,andMarshallMathers2in
2013),Eminemrarelystaysinonecharacterorpersonafortheentirealbum,which
complicatesanunderstandingofEminem,SlimShady,orMarshallMathersasdeveloping
characters.Infact,sometimesitischallengingtokeeptrackofEminem’spersonaswithin
songs.Inhisdebutalbum,SlimShady(whichimplieshewillberappingasthatparticular
persona),hissong“MyNameIs”hasthelyrics,“99percentofmylifeIwasliedto/Ijust
foundoutmymomdoesmoredopethanIdo/ItoldherI’dgrowuptobeafamous
rapper/Makearecordaboutdoingdrugsandnameitafterher”(TheSlimShadyLP).These
lyrics,becausetheymatchbiographicallywithMarshallMathers’,confuselisteners:hecalls
himselfSlimShady,afabricatedalterego,yetSlimShadyidentiSieswithMarshallMathers.
ForEminem,thecollapseofthecreatedpersonaupontherapperhappensimmediately:
listenerscannotseparateEminemfromMarshallMathers,orseparateeitherofthesefrom
SlimShady.
Inthisscenario,itcanallowEminemmorefreedominthemediatowaverbetween
intenselypersonalandincrediblyoffensive.27Inhismoreseriousmoments,hereminisces
onhisabusivepast,whileinhismorelightheartedmoments,heinsultscelebritiesand
jokesabouthomosexuality.Thisstrategyalsogiveshimfreedominmarketingandfrom
critics:ifhislyricsoffendpeopleordonotcontainartisticmerit,Eminemcanmerelyblame
hisalterego,SlimShady.
27OrhemaybelieveitallowshimthisSlexibility.Inactuality,themediadoesnotrelievehim
ofhisresponsibilitytonotoffendothers.
31
Withallthemixtureofpersonaswithinsongsandalbums,itisdifSicultto
distinguishEminem’sidentityasarapperorindividual.Incountlesssongs,Eminem
attemptstoblatantlyidentifyhimself,expressinghislikes(anddislikes),hisactions,and
whoheisasaperson/rapper/individual.Herapsin“TheWayIAm”,“I’mnotMr.N’Sync,
I’mnotwhatyourfriendsthink/I’mnotMr.Friendly,Icanbeaprick…AndIam,whatever
yousayIam/IfIwasn’t,thenwhywouldIsayIam?”(MarshallMathersLP).Inthissong,
Eminemimpliesthatdespitehisattemptstoidentifyhimself,hisidentityultimately
dependsonhislisteners.Hequestionslisteners,andveryblatantlyusesthelanguageof
identiSication“Iam”toforcereaderstoquestionhischaracter.
However,in“WithoutMe,”Eminemraps,“Everybodyonlywantstodiscussme/So
thismustmeanI’mdisgusting/Butit’sjustme,I’mjustobscene/NoI’mnottheSirstking
ofcontroversy/IamtheworstthingsinceElvisPresley/Todoblackmusicso
selSishly”(TheEminemShow).Thissongsurfacesinthenextalbumnearlytwolaterand
thereisachangeinEminem’srappingstylebetweentheSirstpassagefrom“TheWayIAm”
andthesecondpassagefrom“WithoutMe.”Eminem’srhymesin“TheWayIAm”aren’t
perfect:“N’Sync,”“think,”“Friendly,”and“prick.”Yetin“WithoutMe,”heseemstobe
emphasizingrhymes,usingmoreinternalandperfectrhymes(rhymesareshownin
matchingboldface,italics,orunderline):
Everybodyonlywantstodiscussme/SothismustmeanI’mdisgusting/Butit’s
justme,I’mjustobscene/NoI’mnottheSirstkingofcontroversy/Iamtheworst
thingsinceElvisPresley/TodoblackmusicsoselGishly.”
Thisincreaseinrhymesmakeshistonemoreaggressive,assertive,andconSident:he’sable
toestablishhisidentityviahiscontent,andidentifyhiscontentviaastrong,emphaticform.
32
Further,Eminemisabletodistinguishhisidentityfromotherrappersnotonlyinthe
content,butintheform,aswell.AdamBradleyclaims,“Eminem,forinstance,hadto
conceiveabunchofnewrhymingwordstodescribetheexperiencesofaworking-class
whitekidfromatrailerparkinDetroitwhorisestosuperstardom.Whoelsewouldthinkto
rhyme‘publichousingsystems’with‘victimsofMunchausensyndrome’?”(PoeticsofHip
Hop56).Inuniquerhymes,rapperscreateanidentityforthemselvesbasedonstyleand
technique.Thisdistinctionofone’sstyleandthestrengtheningofone’srhymescanafSirm
theircontent.So,inEminem’scase,ifheisattemptingtoovertlyidentifyhimselfas“notthe
Sirstkingofcontroversy”and“theworstthingsinceElvisPresley,”hisrhymeshelpuphold
andsustaintheseclaims.
Evenintermsoflinguisticandgrammaticalcontent,Eminemclaimshisidentityby
subjectinghimselftoaconversation.Thesemattersofidentityandindividualitythat
Eminemattemptstoclaimforhimself,“areconstitutedassubjectsthroughthediscursive
formation,aprocessofsubjectioninwhichtheindividualisidentiSiedassubjecttothe
discursiveformationinastructureofmisrecognition”(Hall20).Literally,intermsof
grammar,Eminemsubjectshimselftodiscourse,attemptingtorecognizeandmisrecognize
himself:heclaimswhatheis“I’mdisgusting…I’mjustobscene,”yet,healsoclaimswhat
he’snot,“I’mnottheSirstkingofcontroversy.”Intheselines,Eminemtalksabouthimselfas
asubject,invitingdiscoursetoidentifyhimselfasasubject.
Nonetheless,intermsofhispersona,healsoidentiSiesandsubjectshimselfby
naminghimselfthreetimes:Eminem,SlimShady,andMarshallMathers(andinsomecases,
afourth:KenKaniff).Innaminghimselfthreetimes,Eminemsupposedlybringsupthree
differentpersonas,allpresumablyclassiSiedwithinasingleidentity,subject,orauthor.
33
Foucaultdiscussesauthor’snamesin“WhatisanAuthor?,”claiming,“anauthor’s
nameisnotsimplyanelementindiscourse(capableofbeingeithersubjectorobject,of
beingreplacedbyapronoun,andthelike);itperformsacertainrolewithregardsto
narrativediscourse,assuringaclassiSicatoryfunction”(Foucault381).This“classiSicatory
function”meanstodesignateallworksunderacertainname,identifyingthemwiththe
author.An“author”(or“rapper”),then,doesn’tnecessarilyconnoteaspeciSicindividual,
andinstead,itcanconnoteseveralnarrators,selves,andsubjects,whichmaybeinternal
(withinthespeaker)orexternal(thecontextorenvironmentofthespeaker).Allofthese
confusethedescriptionbetweentheauthorandtheindividual.However,howdoesthis
changeinEminem’scase,wherehehasthreedifferentnames?Doesthisassumethree
differentauthors,selves,narrators?Orthreedifferentindividuals?Howdoweorganizehis
works,wheretheyarealllabeledunder“Eminem,”yetheadoptsdifferentnames
throughouttheworks?
Perhapsitisitmostlogicaltostartansweringthesequestionsintheparticularcase
ofEminembyanalyzinghispersonathroughouthiswork,lookingforacreationofa
character,personadevelopment,andconsistencyofscenes,skits,orpersonalities
throughouthisalbums.Asstatedbefore,Eminem’spersonacollapsesimmediatelyontohis
selfasarapper—thedesignationbetweenauthorandindividualcollapsesbasedonlyrical
representation.However,aswithanyartistorwriter,theauthor’sidentitybuildsbasedon
hiswork:changesinstyleandcontentcanrevealmaturation,changesinphilosophy,and
developmentoftheauthor’srole,letalonethecharactersthathe,himself,hascreated.
Inhisbook,Eminemaddresseshisthreepersonae,claiming,“Let’sJustsay‘Just
Don’tGiveaFuck’isSlimShady.Eminemis‘LoseYourself,’and‘Mockingbird’isMarshall.I
34
thinkthosearethemostblatant,extremeexamples”(Eminem36).Interestinglyenough,
thesesongshappensequentially:“JustDon’tGiveaFuck”wasreleasedin1999(SlimShady
LP),“LoseYourself”wasreleasedin2002(asasingleforEminem’sSilm,8Mile),and
“Mockingbird”wasreleasedin2004(Encore).Thisseemstoshowaneventualprogression
fromSlimShadytoEminem,toMarshallMathers.Yetthisdictatesnotonlyaprogressionin
thename,butalsoinpersona:froman“outrageousandanticvoice,Silledwithpopcultural
referencesanddescriptionsofabsurdindulgence,”to“ahungrybattlerappervoice,”tohis
givennameandmoreconfessionalvoice”(AnthologyofRap611).
Whileeachpersona(andthedevelopmentitself)requiresanalysisand
understanding,theword“confessional”seemsstriking,mainlyinitsrelationshipto
confessionalpoetryandpoets,i.e.SylviaPlathandRobertLowell.Theissueofpersonaand
authorshipisnotspeciSictorap;inconfessionalpoetry,thecollapseofapoet’spersona
untotheirworkisutterlyunmistakableandunavoidable.Thisconnectionseems
increasinglyinteresting,too,basedontheparallelsbetweenrapandpoetry.28The
differencesbetweenpersonaandperson,authorandindividual,orpersonaandindividual,
becomeincreasinglyimportantwhenanalyzingconfessionalworks.
BothpoetssigniSicantlyaffectedthemovementofconfessionalpoetry,butPlath’s
relationshipofauthortoindividualareuniquelyrelevanttotheconceptofpersonaand
characterdevelopment.IntheprefacetoPlath’sAriel,herdaughterwrites:
Itwasasiftheclayfromherpoeticenergywastakenupandversionsofmymother
madeoutofit,inventedonlytoreSlecttheinventors,asiftheycouldpossessmyreal,
actualmother,nowawomenwhohadceasedtoresembleherselfinthoseother
28Thisclearlyleadsintoabiggerdiscussionabout“whatispoetry?”and“whatisrap?,”as
wellastheconversationaboutrap’smerittoclaimaliteraryclassiSicationlike“poetry.”I
wanttoavoidthesediscoursesbecauseIamnotarguing,necessarily,thatrapisliterature
—instead,I’dliketosimplypointoutthesimilaritiesbetweenthetwoartforms.
35
minds.Isawpoemssuchas“LadyLazarus”and“Daddy”dissectedoverandover,the
momentthatmymotherwrotethembeingappliedtoherwholelife,toherwhole
person,asiftheywerethetotalsumofherexperience(Plathxvii).
Here,notonlydoweseethecreationofpersonabytheauthor,butwealsoseethecreation
oftheauthor’spersonafromtheaudienceandcritics,aswell.These“inventors,”by
perceptionandanalysisoflyrics,29havethefreedomtoshapeapersonabasedonbiological
eventsoractions—forPlath,thateventishersuicide.
ForreadersofPlath,toseparateherworkfromhersuicidecan,atsomepointsmay
seemimpossible.In“Daddy,”shewrote,“Iwastenwhentheyburiedyou./AttwentyItried
todie/Andgetback,back,backtoyou./Ithoughteventheboneswoulddo”(Plath).While
blatantlydarkanddespondent,asreaderswhoknowPlathdidtryandtodieandwas
eventuallysuccessful,itmayfeelignoranttonottakePlath’ssuicideintoaccount.
Similarly,weseethestruggleinseparatingMarshallMather’stumultuousearlylife
fromtheselyricswhenEminemraps,“Mom,Iloveyou,butthistrailer’sgot/Togo,Icannot
growoldinSalem’slot/SohereIgo—it’smyshot,feetfailmenot/Thismaybetheonly
opportunitythatIgot”(AnthologyofRap621).TheselyricsmaySlagrantlymentionhispast,
allowingEminemtorapas“I”—thesubject.Here,weidentifyMarshallMatherswith
Eminem,thespeakerwhoclaims,“IcannotgrowoldinSalem’slot.”Thisundeniablyforms
hisidentity,actingsimilarlytoconfessionalpoetry:readers/listenerscannotseparatethe
confessionswithinthelyricsfromthebiographyoftheauthor.
Withthisinmind,despitehisfabricatedpersonaofSlimShady,evenwhenhefalls
intothispersona,heraps,“Admitit,fuckit,whilewecomingoutintheopen/I’mdoing
29And,naturally,themediaandrepresentationoftheauthorinthepublicsphere.Again,
thistakesawayfromthepowerofthelyricsthemselvesandlendsitselftoasociologicalor
culturalanalysis,insteadofananalysisfocusedonthelyrics.
36
acid,crack,smack,coke,andsmokindopethen/MynameisMarshallMathers,I’man
alcoholic(‘Hi,Marshall’)/Ihaveadiseaseandtheydon’tknowwhattocallit”(SlimShady
LP).ByopenlyclassifyinghimselfasMarshallMathersandclaimingalcoholism(which,at
somepoints,Mathershasstruggledwith),itbecomesmoredifSiculttoseparatehis
confession,albeitaggressivelyworded,fromtheindividualandthebiographyoftheauthor.
Eminem’sstruggleforauthenticityexistsonalevelotherthanhisalteregosand
variouspersonae;asawhitemaninagenrethatisa“blackform,”30heneededtoprove
himselfraciallyandsocioeconomically,too.Yet,EminemdeSiedtheseracialbarriers
becausewhilehip-hoporiginallyemergedasastrictlyblackform,hewasabletoconfront
theconceptsofauthenticitythataretiedtoAfricanAmericanrhetoric“inwhichthe
authoritytospeakisnegotiatedthroughclaimstoknowledgegainedthroughlived
experience”(Hess375).Thus,inhisactualauthenticityofhisclaimsandbeliefsinhis
lyrics,hewasabletobypasstheoriginalstandardofraceinordertogainauthorityand
credentialsasawhiterapper.
ThesetrulyauthenticclaimsinhislyricsarethoseconcerningMarshallMathers’life:
hisupbringinginatrailerpark,hisdifSicultiesraisinghisdaughter,hisrelationshipwithhis
mother,hisdrugaddictions,andotherstruggles.EventhoughEminemcreateslayersof
masksandpersonasatophisrealperson(MarshallMathers),heisabletosuccessfully
createafabricatedpersonabecauseofhissincereperson.WhenherapsasMarshall
Mathers(orfromMarshallMathers’experience),theaudiencedoesn’tquestionthe
autobiographicaleventsorclaimsbecausetheyareproventobetrue.Similarly,whenhe
30MickeyHess,in“Hip-hopRealnessandtheWhitePerformer,”claims“Hip-hopmusicisa
blackform,giventheinvolvementofAfricanAmericansinitscreation,andbecauseits
conceptsofauthenticityaresotiedtotherootsofitsculture”(375).
37
rapsasSlimShady,theaudienceunderstandsthatMarshallMathershasputonthemaskof
hisalter-ego.And,whenthesepersonasarenotentirelyclearinhisrapping,theaudience
stilldoesn’tquestionhisauthenticity;instead,theaudienceunderstandsitasEminem’s
complexcharacterdisplayedintherap.
2.2.“IAmtheNucleus:”ThePersonaofKanyeWest
ThedescriptionofaKanyeinfatuatedwithhimself,hismoney,andhisstatus
shouldn’tstrikehislisteners—oranyhip-hopfan,forthatmatter,asanewconceptby
2013.Braggadociohasremainedoneofthemostprominenttopicsinraplyrics.Yet,Kanye
hasbroughtanewtwisttotheideaofself-inSlation—oneofacomplexspeakerwhois
awareofpoliticalandsocialissues.ButKanyepresentshimselfasmuchmorethana
consciousyetself-aggrandizingrapper:hepurposelytoyswiththeconceptofmasking
himself,forcingtheinabilityofhisaudiencetotellwherehispersonendsandhispersona
begins.UnlikeotherrapperswhoSindapersonatoconveyandstickwithit,asMolly
LambertfromGrantlandclaims,“RatherthangettingstuckinanyonestaticKanyepersona,
he’sallowingthe“KanyeWest”personatocontinuallyevolve”(Lambert).So,themain
questionsforKanyeare:whatisKanye’spersona,howcanweunderstanditsevolution,and
isitauthentic31?
WhenaudiencesSirstmetKanyeWest(his2004debutalbum,TheCollegeDropout),
heimmediatelyrappedhisintentionson“AllFallsDown,”saying,“Weallself-conscious,I’m
justtheSirsttoadmitit”(AnthologyofRap706).Yetunderneaththisself-consciousnesslies
ahyper-self-awareness,onethatunderstandstheironyinhismessages.AsBradleystates,
31Or,wherecanweSindtheseparationbetweenhispersonaandhisperson?
38
“theironyofthesecommentsisapparentinlightofKanye’snotoriouslyoutsizedego,and
yethedoesprojectacommonpersonaintimesinhisrhymes,evenifheasapersonisfar
fromit”(PoeticsofHipHop706).FromKanye’sSirstalbum,then,audiencesbegintocredit
himwithauthenticitybecausehehasappealedtotheaudience’sexpectationsof
authenticityandsincerity.Inrevealinghimselfasself-conscious(withtheformalelements
tovouchforhisinsecurity32),Kanyepresentshisvulnerability.
Hisadmittanceofhisself-consciousnessisoneofthefewplaceswhereaudiences
senseKanye’svulnerabilityand“confessions.”Fromthenon,hisconfessionscomeinless
“personal,33”yetmoresocially-andpolitically-awarestatements.Kanyeisabletomakethis
transition,however,becauseofhisimmediateauthenticity.AsRosenbaumclaims,Kanye
hasestablished“factualaccuracy”withinhislyricsbecausehehasuseda“biographically
groundedvoice”(Rosenbaum198).Thus,eventhoughKanyeisn’tclaiming
autobiographicalevents(otherthanthecollegedrop-outaspect),heconveyssincerity
throughhisexposuretohisemotions.Becausehecreatesthatstandard—the“contract,”as
Rosenbaumcallsit—theaudienceentersthemindsetofbelievability:regardingKanye’s
lyricsasauthentic,albeitimpersonal.
Kanyerepresentsacomplicatedandintricatepersona,despiteitsstrengthinthe
media;herepresentsahypocrite.Attimes,heusesironytoconveyasplitmessageabout
oursociety’sobsessionwithconsumerism,materialismandracism.Whileattemptingto
32Theun-rhymingandrhythmictechniqueinthislinesoundsovertlyawkwardinthesong
inordertoreSlectthethemeitself,displayingavulnerableKanye,becausetheyarenot
groundedinastrong,rhythmic,rhyme-orientedfoundation.Theselyricsdon’thavethe
formalstrengthofperfectrhymesorperfectlymeteredlines,thus,theycanpossiblyconvey
Kanye’sauthenticity.
33ReferringtomydeSinitionof“personal”meaning“true,real,andsinceretoone’s
autobiography.”
39
displaythemoralwrongnessinconsumerculture,hefallsintoconsumeristandmaterialist
conventionsinbothhislyricsandinhisreallife.Thismessagespansfromhisearliest
album,2003’sCollegeDropout,whenheraps,“DrugdealerbuyJordans,crackheadbuy
crack/andthewhitemangetpaidoffofallofthat/ButIain’tevengon’actholierthan
thou/‘Cause,fuckit,IwenttoJacobwithtwenty-Sivethou’”(AnthologyofRap706).And
again,in2013’sYeezus,whenheraps,”IthrowtheseMaybachkeys/Iwearmyheartonthe
sleeve/Iknowthatwethenewslaves/Iseethebloodontheleaves”(Yeezus).Inbothof
thesepassages,KanyeidentiSieshimselfasacriticoftheconsumerculture,while
simultaneouslybuyingintoit.Hip-hopscholarTessaBrownasksinherarticle,“Yeezy
Rising,”“He’sstillpreachingthesamesong.We’reallparticipatinginthesystemsthat
enslaveus.‘Notforsale,’hisvideosays.Ofcoursehe’sforsale.Butaren’tyou?Aren’twe
all?”(Brown).Then,isKanyethehypocriticalpreacher 34?
Ifhe’soutwardlyandobviouslyhypocritical—which,heabsolutelydemonstratesin
mediaportrayal,stagepresence,interviews,andlyrics—then,ishestillauthentic?George
Ciccariello-Maherclaims,“WhatdoesWest’sapproachtothismaterialismofconspicuous
consumptionindicate?Strikingly,herecognizesfromtheverybeginningtheinauthenticity
ofsuchaposition,thecontradictionitentails”(Ciccariello-Maher387).Hepurposely
createsamuddiedpersona—oneconSlictedbyhisownbeliefs,thusmakingitdifSicultfor
othersto“label”himorcategorizehimunderaspeciSicidentity.Yet,althoughCiccarielloMaherclaimsthistactictobeinauthentic,BrownarguesthatWest“isawareofthe
34RegardingKanye’soff-stagerepresentation,Browngoesontoargue,“RichardRoeper
toldKanyeto“stopbitching….nobodyembracescapitalism,consumerismandcrass
commercialismmorethanKimandKanye.””Yes,KimKardashian’spartner’snewvideo
debutedonWrigleyField,onaPradastore,onthetonyCrownFountain.ButBigMoney’s
complicityinthedebutof“NewSlaves”wasn’tironic,itwasthepoint”(Brown).
40
dynamicsofhiscelebrity”andtheperceivedinauthenticity,usingthisasatoolforwhatwe
canimaginewillbehispersonadevelopment—justanotherreasonforhisaudiencetobuy
intoKanye,whoisforsale(Brown).
However,settingandalbumnarrativesremaininterestingaspectsinKanye’s
developmentofhispersona,andtheyplayalargepartintheconvolutednatureofhis
character.Tobeginwith,TheCollegeDropoutinitiallylocatesitselfatacollegegraduation:
backgroundvocalsandstringssetthescene,asdoesanarratorwhoordersKanyetosing
somethinghopefulandinspiringforthegraduatingclass.Immediately,Kanyeraps“We
Don’tCare,”asongwithamixedmessageabouttakingprideinastreeteducation,ignoring
authority,andinstead,becomingaself-mademanwithoutasolideducation.
In“AllFallsDown,”hisSirstverserapsaboutawomanwhodropsoutofcollege,and
inthisstorytelling,headoptsanauthorialvoice.Hispersonaatthispartmimicsthatof
Lightnin’RodfromHustlersConvention:he’stheonetellingthestoryinadidacticmanner.
Westraps,“Shehadhairsolongthatitlookedlikeweave/Thenshecutitalloff,nowshe
looklikeEve/Andshebedealingwithsomeissuesthatyoucan’tbelieve/Singleblack
femaleaddictedtoretailandwell…”(TheCollegeDropout).Here,Kanyedemonstratesa
sardonicandcriticalvoice,conveyinghiscontemptforthefemalecollegedropout
character.Wecansensethisdisdaininhisdictionandthenarrativedevelopmentfromthe
beginningofthestanza,butalsointhewaytheword“well”trailsoffattheendoftheverse,
suggestingthattheaudienceshouldhaveapreconceivednotionofKanye’sdisapproving
opinion.
Yet,KanyeWestdroppedoutofcollege,himself,soarewemeanttoapplythese
criticismstoKanyeasaperson,aswell?WheredoweseparateKanyeasapersonfrom
41
Kanyeasapersona?Thisissuefollowsasimilarliteraryquestionof:wheredoweseparate
anauthor’sbiographyfromtheirwork?Bradleyclaims“raplyricsaresocloselyboundto
theimageandidentityoftheperformerthattheveryideaofadistinctionseems
counterintuitive…Perhapsitistheassumptionofrealitybehindthelyrics”(PoeticsofHip
Hop76).Thisassumptionisn’tarbitrary;asmentionedbefore,McLeodprovedthatrappers
tendtorefertothemselvesandclaimtospeakfromexperience,andRosenbaumarguedfor
the“contract”ofauthenticitythataudiencessubscribeto.Thus,Kanyefurthersthetension
betweenreality/personandSiction/personawiththeadditionoftheSictionalsettingofa
collegegraduation,forcingtheaudiencetomakeaconsciousdecisionastowhetherornot
theysubscribetoKanye’sdidacticism—or,toKanye’smessage,ingeneral.
Alongtheselines,Kanye’snexttwoalbumsdealtwithathemeofeducation:Late
Registrationreleasedin2005andGraduationreleasedin2007.LateRegistration
incorporatesSictionalskitsinvolvingafakeblackfraternity,“BrokePhiBroke.”Kanye
createsfraternitybrotherswhoenjoylivingwithoutmoneyorconsumeristpossessions
and,eventually,theyexpelhimfromthefraternityforindulginginthese“luxuries.”This
SictitiousgroupismeanttohighlightKanye’ssociallycompetitive“madgrab”toward
materialthings,afeaturethattypicallydeSines“success”inoursociety.Kanyeplayswith
theSictionalscenesinordertodisplayhisownauthenticityincontrast;hedemonstrates
themaskofSictionthatoverlaysthealbum,yetsimultaneouslyspeakswithoutamask,
addressingbeliefsthat,presumably,arehisown.
UnlikeLateRegistrationandCollegeDropout,Graduationiscompletelydevoidof
skitsandinstead,delvesintointrospection.Eachsongcarriesauniquenarrativeinwhich
KanyeSits,eitherdirectlyastheprotagonist,orallegorically,likein“BarryBonds,”where
42
BondsservesasametaphorforKanye’sabilitytocreatehip-hophits.Kanyedirectly
addresseshiscreationofhispersonain“EverythingIAm,”rapping“Ineverbeaslaidback
asthisbeatwas/Inevercouldseewhypeoplereacha/Fakeassfaçadethattheycouldn’t
keepup…EverythingI’mnotmademeeverythingIam”(Graduation).Intheselinesand
generallythroughoutthealbum,Kanye’sintrospection,revelatorypersonalnarratives,and
useofemotionblendhispersonawithperson,blurringthelinesbetweenKanyeasacreated
characterandKanyeasaperson.TheselinesfeelparticularlyconfessionalforKanye
(especiallycomparedtohislater,morepoliticalwork).Theyhintatsinceritybecausethey
expressemotionsinalessdeclarativeandaggressivemannerthanwhattheaudienceis
usedto,relativetohisotherlyrics.Again,inmomentslikethis,hereclaimshisauthenticity,
awareoftheaudience’sexpectationsandthecontractoffactualaccuracytowhichhehad
submittedhimself.
AssumingKanye’suseofSictionalsettingsisdeliberate,wemustturntoward
Kanye’smostrecentalbum,Yeezus,whereheagainabandonstheuseofSictionalskitsand
settings.However,Kanyecreatesalessovertsettingwithhisuseofmusicandsampling;his
albumseeminglytakesplaceinadark,industrial,andelectronicmusicalbackground.With
thisinmind,Kanye’slyricsinthiscontextlikenhimtoahostile,undergroundleader.
Becauseofthis(hismysteriousandoutlandishsetting),hispersonadevelopmentfeels
entirelyblatantandtheatrical,toeingthelinebetweeninauthenticandauthentic.The
audiencecannotseparateKanye’sfarcicalperformancefromwhatshouldbeperceivedas
authenticorsincere.
Hisprevioussoloalbum,MyBeautifulDarkTwistedFantasy,displayedseemingly
authentic,confessional,andvulnerablelyricslike,“I’dratherbebymyfuckingself/Till
43
abouttwoa.m.,andIcallback/AndIhangupandIstarttoblamemyself/Somebodyhelp”
(MyBeautifulDarkTwistedFantasy).InaninterviewwiththeNewYorkTimes,Kanyelater
referredtothisalbumashis“long,backhandedapology…Iwaslike‘Letmeshowyouguys
whatIcando,andpleaseacceptmeback”(Caramanica).Ifitwasbackhanded,most
listenersandfansdidn’tcareordidn’tunderstand;weagreedtothecontractof
authenticity.Kanyefeltauthenticinhisconfessionallyrics,soweacceptedhisapologyand
signedthecontractonceagain.
In2013,KanyeWest(sometimesreferredtoas“Ye”)releasedthealbum,Yeezus.The
albumtitleimmediatelysparkedcontroversybecauseofitsreligiousimplications,andthis
attentioneventuallydrewalargeamountofcriticalanalysisonhislyricsandrapping
technique.Yetmorethanthat,thetitleitselfaccomplishedaperformativefunction;the
audiencebegantoexpectaneccentricandinSlatedKanyetoworkasthenarrator.In
particular,hissong“IAmaGod”servedasamelodramaticenunciationofKanyeasa
narcissisticandgreedycaricature.Inthesong,heraps:
Iamagod
Hurryupwithmydamnmassage
Hurryupwithmydamnménage
GetthePorscheoutthedamngarage
Iamagod
EventhoughI’mamanofGod(Yeezus).
Kanyedistinguisheshimselfasalowercase-ggod35 ,whilestillelevatinghisstatusabove
mortal,powerlesshumans.Hedemandsluxuriestowardwhichheseeminglyfeels
lackluster:hismassage,hisménage,hisPorsche.Therepetitionof“damn”andtherhymes
of“God,”“massage,”“ménage,”and“garage”aremeanttostressfeelingsofdiscomfortand
35Thisisnotonlyunderstoodwhenreadingthelyrics,butheisnotreferringtohimselfas
uppercase-g“God”becauseheusesthearticle“a”beforetheterm.
44
confusionamonghisaudience;hisdebaucheryandjadedfeelingssethimapartfromwhat
we’dexpectfromaGod:modesty,patience,andappreciation.Inmomentslikethis,the
audiencemayrecognizeKanyewearingthemaskofhispersona,speakingthroughit.
However,thisdoesn’tfeelentirelypalpablebecause,unlikeEminem,Kanyedoesn’tchange
voices,contentmatter,ornames.Thus,thedivisionbetweenhispersonaandpersonfeels
ambiguous,yetthedevelopmentofhispersonaisincrediblyapparent.
Thispersonacreation,whetheritbetheKanyeasagodortheluxurious,over-
indulgentKanye,feeltheatricalyetpurposeful.Yet,hispersonacreationisnotasobviousas
theSlimShadymaskthatEminemuses:hedoesn’tutilizeastagenameorchangevoices
throughouthisrapalbums.Kanyeforceshisaudiencetoquestionwhetherornothehasput
onamaskofanoutrageous,fabricatedpersona.Inthisway,weunderstandthathisuseof
theconfessionalmaypurelybeadevicetosubscribetohiscontractofauthenticity—away
toblurthelinesofKanye’spersonandpersona.Hesomehowmanagestodevelopan
ostentatiouspersonathatisunaffectedbywhomhis“person”is.Kanye’spersonaand
personfullymesh,seamlesslybecomingoneandthesameforhisaudience.Becausethis
happens,theaudiencerecognizestheauthenticityofhispersonathroughthesincerityof
theperson.
However,duringhis2013tourforYeezus,Kanyedonnedaliteralmaskwhile
performing,beggingthequestion:why?Perhapsthemaskwasanattempttohidethe
“person”sothatwecanonlyseehispersona—thatis,forceustoseehisliteralpersonaof
KanyeWest,theonewhoisrapping,andnotKanyeWest,theperson.Heunderstandsthat,
inGreek,“persona”means“mask,”andheissubsequentlychallengingourexpectations,
forcingustoquestionhisauthenticity.So,whenhescreamseerilyandvulnerablyin“Black
45
Skinhead,”wehavetomaketheconsciouschoicewhetherweassociateitwithhisperson’s
cryforhelp(asheaskedforinhispreviousalbum)orhispersona’scryforattention.Or,we
couldassociatehisscreamswithhisinterviewwiththeNewYorkTimes,whereheclaims,
“Iwanttotellpeople,‘IcancreatemoreforthisworldandI’vehittheglassceiling.’IfIdon’t
scream,ifIdon’tsaysomething,thennoone’sgoingtosayanything”(Caramanica).So,even
thoughhe’swearingamask,washisonstagescreamareferencetoacryforattentionor
help?Regardless,whomarewehelping:hisperson(theunmaskedKanye)orhispersona
(themasked)?
ViewingKanyedevelopasacharactermeanstotakeintoaccounthisuseofSictional
settingsandnarratives.Hehasprogressedfromtheleaderofacollegiategraduatingclass
toaleaderofanundergroundmovement,fromaself-deprecatingcollegedropouttoan
outspokencorporate/anti-corporateking,andfromacommonmantoaself-aggrandizing
andnarcissisticcaricature:a“god.”Kanye’sauthenticvoiceisunwaveringthroughouteach
albumandifweviewhisalbumsfromstarttoSinish(fromCollegeDropouttoYeezus)asa
narrativeinandofitself,weseetheclashofcharacters—bothSictionalandreal.
46
CONCLUSIONS
Likemostothersongtraditions,rapisn’tcategorizedas“Siction”or“nonSiction.”
However,besidetheoccasionalrapalbumfeaturingastronglycaricaturizedpersonaor
Sictionalizedsetting,therehasyettobearapalbumfeaturingpurelySictionalvoicesor
characters:adramatic,theatricalrapalbum.Whyisthis?Istheretrulyenoughtosaybased
onrealitythatrappershavenoneedtodelveintoexplorationsofSictionalanddramatic
characters?Or,perhaps,isthereaconstraintontheircommunication:formand/or
authenticity?Thethreerappers(Jay-Z,Eminem,andKanyeWest)Ihaveanalyzedhelp
clarifypotentialresponsestothesequestionsbasedontheirexperiencesdealingwith
authenticityandSiction.
Asexplainedbefore,Jay-Z’spersonahasremainedfairlystaticthroughouthiscareer.
UnlikeKanye’sorEminem’s,alteregosoranevolutionofcharacterdonotcomplicateJayZ’spersona36 .Rather,thepersonaofHovaenduresasaself-mademanconcernedmostly
withwealthanditscorrelations;weseethatalthoughhispersonaissometimeshyperbolic
initsbraggadocio,itrarely,ifever,discussesconsciousorconfessionalmatters.Similarly,
hisraptechniqueandstyleechohispersona:hisstyleissmooth,slow,simple,clear,and
ultimately,powerful.Hispersonaisnotconcernedwithissuesofauthenticity:Jay-Zrapsin
thespacebetweenpersonal/confessionalanddramatic/Sictional.
Eminem,ontheotherhand,toyswithbothspacesofpersonalandSictional.
Althoughhispersonasremainsteadilyangryandrebellious,withthreeseparatecharacters
36AsmentionedinChapterOne,Jay-Zhasshiftedhisfocusfromgettingrichtobeinga
smartbusinessmanandmoneymanager,evendelvingintosensitivesubjectswithhis
daughterandwife.
47
to“mask”himself,hemanagestorapauthenticallywhilesimultaneouslyplayingwith
Sictionalconcepts.Hislyricsandrappingtechniquehighlightshisnuancedperformancesof
hiscreatedpersonas,forcinghisaudiencetoquestion(andpayparticularattentionto)
whenandwhyheswitchesfromSlimShadytoEminemtoMarshallMathers.
Further,KanyeWestprovidesaperpetuallyrichandevolvingpersonawhodeals
steadilywiththeconceptsofSictionandauthenticitywithinthatonepersona.Lessblatantly
thanEminem,heforceshisaudiencetoquestionwherethelineexistsbetweenSictionand
reality,andifit’spossibletoremainauthenticwhenexploringbothrealms.Thepersonais
hardtoseparatefromKanye’sperson—herarelyreferstopersonalandconfessional
aspectsand,instead,buildshispersonaaroundtheimpersonal(yet,notnecessarily
inauthentic).
However,intermsofanunlimitedspanofcreativepossibilities,thesepersona
creationsfeelparticularlylimited.Therehasyettobeanalbumthatfullyaddressestheline
betweenSictionandreality,completelydisregardinganyconceptsoforcontractsto
authenticityatall.Thereis,ofcourse,theprobabilitythat,purelyinrealityalone(in
remainingtiedtoauthenticity),rappershaveenoughmaterialtodiscussintheiralbums.
Yet,thereareissueswiththisclaim.Firstly,rappersakintoKanyeWestandEminemhave
alreadystartedexperimentingwithexpandingoutsideofreality,crossingoverintoSiction.
Secondly,Jay-Z,arapperwhodoesnotextendintotherealmofSictionand,instead,deals
solelywithreality,hascontinuedtorapsimilarlyricsyearafteryear.Hismostrecentalbum,
MagnaCartaHolyGrail,receivedexceptionallypoorreviewsfromcriticsandfansalike,
encouragingJay-Ztoreturntoretirementandstoprappingthesamestoryofarags-toriches,self-mademan.
48
Thesepersonas,whilecomplex,aren’tnecessarilyuniqueintheirstories,especially
Jay-Z’sstoryofwealthandKanye’sstoryofnarcissism.Infact,asawhole,thesethreehave
genericpersonasintermsoftheirstories.Whatmakesthemuniqueisnotonlytheirselfdirectedirony,buttheirtreatmentoftheirpersonaethroughouttheirrapcareer:it’snot
whatthey’resaying,buthowthey’resayingit.Intheirownway,theyeachexperiment
stylisticallywithhowtoconveytheirstoryuntil,presumably,theyrunoutofwaystheycan
dososuccessfullyandauthentically.Thepersonas,then,actasvehicles(basedonwhat’s
real/authenticintherapper’sexperience)fromandwithinwhichhecanrap.Whenthese
personasarepredictableandformulaicandaudiencesnolongerlistenforthemessage,
then,theylistenfortheSlow,style,rhymes,andoriginalexpression.
But,howmanytimescananaudiencehearthesamestoryinsimilar37waysbefore
theybecomeboredofthemonotonywithinthegenre?Howmanytimescananaudience
hearJay-Z’sstoryofself-determinationbeforeitfeelstrite—likewisewithKanye’s
narcissismandEminem’srecurringangerthatemergesinbothMarshallMathersandSlim
Shady,aswell?Certainly,ifthenarrativedoesn’tchange,thelyricsconstrainedbythat
narrative38don’tvarymuch,either.Thus,isitpossiblethat,onsomelevel,rappersare
inhibitedbythelimitationsofauthenticity?By“limiting”and“inhibiting,”Idonotintendto
setupabinarybetweenauthenticityandconventionality.However,thisisaquestiontobe
raisedwhenrapalbums39andrappersgenerallystayawayfromentirelySictionalalbums,
especiallywhenrememberingthatrap(or,recordedrap,rather)istiedtoprimitiveforms,
37Similarinthatrappers,generally,donotswitchgenres.
38Meaning,inthiscase,therapper’sautobiographicalstory;hisorherlifenarrative.
39Speakingtocommercialrapalbums.Thereareincredibleamountsofundergroundhip
hopalbumsthatIhaveyettodiscover.
49
likeHustlersConvention,wherethecompletealbumincludesarapperroleplaying,stepping
intorolesofvariouscharactersinordertosuccessfullyconveyanarrative.AfterHustlers
Convention,therehavebeennorapalbumsthatemulateaSictionalstorywithfabricated
charactersperformedbytherapper:why?
Rapalbumshave,sinceHustlersConvention,reliedonlyricmodesratherthan
dramaticones,followingAristotle’sconceptsofnarrative,dramatic,andlyricpoetry40:
“Dramatic poetry is never in the voice of the poet; all of its lines are created to be spoken by
actors personifying characters. Narrative poetry may be told in the poet’s voice but may also
contain dialogue spoken by characters. Lyric poetry—supposedly—is always in the poet’s voice”
(Smith). ThismaybeonereasonwhyrappershavedeviatedfromtheLightnin’Rod
conventionofSictionalnarrativestoldthroughcharacters.Andit’sapossibleexplanation
forwhythedramaticmodehasn’tbeenexploredmuchintermsoffabricationandwhythe
roleofadramaticpoet,whoneverrapsinhisownvoice,hasbeenignored.When
consideringthedramaticpossibilities,thenextquestionwemustraiseis:whywastherea
switchfromadramaticmodetoalyricmode?
Theanswercanpossiblybefoundintheinvestigationofidentityandperformance,
asdescribedbyJohnBrockwaySchmor,thathappensrightaroundthetimeofthe
emergenceofhip-hopandrapintoacommercializedscene:
“Itisthiscrisisofidentity,asanexhaustedproblem,whichformsthecommonfocal
pointofconfessionalperformanceinthe1980s.Combiningdramaticconfessionandsolo
theatricality,confessionalperformanceofthe1980spurposelyconfuses
conventional
distinctionsbetweendramaticSictionandtheatricalevent,between characterandactor,
butespeciallybetween‘trueselfandidentity’”(Schmor159).
40AndfollowingMacklinSmith’sapplicationofthesemodestorapmusic.
50
Itisthisseparationandconfusionbetweenthe“trueselfandidentity”thatSchmor
referencesthatmayhavefueledtheneedforauthenticityandlyricmodewithinrap—the
samewayitencouragedconfessionalmodesinpoetry.
Perhapsitisnotamatterofidentitycrises;it’spossiblethatrappersare,andalways
havebeen,awarethattheytietheirrappersonatightlytotheirselvesandtheirperson.Rap,
fortheartistsmakingthemusic,maybeentirelyaboutreality,regardlessofwhetherit’sa
skewedandwarpedversionofrealitythattheyconveyviapersonas.Rappersmaysee(and
perpetuallywanttosee)rapasonlyaformutilizingpurelylyricandconfessionalmodes,
keepingit“human,”asJay-Zwrites:
“Butthisisoneofthethingsthatmakesrapatitsbestsohuman.Itdoesn'tforceyou
topretendtobeonlyonethingoranother,tobeasaintorasinner.Itrecognizes
thatyoucanbetruetoyourselfandstillhaveunexpecteddimensionsandopposing ideas.
Havingadevilononeshoulderandanangelontheotheristhemostcommon
thing
intheworld.Therealbullshitiswhenyouactlikeyoudon'thave
contradictionsinside
you,thatyou'resodullandunimaginativethatyourmind
neverchangesorwanders
intostrange,unexpectedplaces”(Jay-Z25).
Ifrapisawayforrapperstostayhumanandworkouttherealcontradictionsinsidetheir
selves,thenrapmaystayauthentic,tyingpersonastopersonsandconfusingthe
distinctionsofthetwoidentitiesalongtheway.
51
52
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i
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