Hip hop am Main: Die lokalisierung von rap-musik und hiphop-kultur

Abstract

In this chapter, I examine the cultural significance of rap music and hip hop culture for the youth of certain ethnic minority groups in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. I will consider how groups of youth associated with immigrant populations originating mainly from Turkey and parts of Northern Africa, in particular Morocco, have appropriated aspects of Afro-American hip hop culture and, moving beyond a point of straightforward imitation, are now beginning to re-work it to act as a mode of expression for a range of local issues. In particular, hip hop is being used as a medium for the expression of issues relating to racism and the problem of national identity often experienced by the younger members of ethnic minority groups in Germany. In considering this process of localisation, I will also look at some of the grass roots resources which the Frankfurt rappers have been able to draw upon. In particular, I will suggest that the Frankfurter Rockmobil, a mobile, youth-orientated music project, has played an crucial role in providing the resources which have enabled hip hop to become a localised form of cultural expression.