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Language, Localization, and the Real: Hip-Hop and the Global Spread of Authenticity

2007; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 6; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/15348450701341246

1534-8458

Alastair Pennycook,

Linguistic Variation and Morphology

Abstract This article addresses the relationship between the call for authenticity, its relocalization in other contexts, and the use of English. Hip-hop forces us to confront some of the conflictual discourses of authenticity and locality, from those that insist that African American hip-hop is the only real variety and that all other forms are inauthentic deviations, to those that insist that to be authentic one needs to stick to one's “own” cultural and linguistic traditions. The global spread of hip-hop authenticity provides an example of the tension between a cultural dictate to keep it real and the processes that make this dependent on local contexts, languages, cultures, and understandings of the real. Looking at various contexts of localization, this article suggests that the horizons of significance that constitute what counts as locally real open up useful perspectives on the local and global use of languages. The multiple realities of global hip-hop challenge ortholinguistic practices and ideologies, relocating language in new ways that both reflect and produce local language practices. Key words: hip-hopmultilingualauthenticitylanguage ideologyidentity ACKNOWLEDGMENT I thank my coeditor for this special issue, Samy Alim, and two anonymous reviewers for extremely helpful feedback on an earlier draft of this article. I also thank Tony Mitchell, with whom I am working on a joint Australian Research Council (ARC)-funded project, Local Noise: Indigenizing Hip-Hop in Australasia, for his constant assistance and generosity. Thanks too to the ARC for funding both that and my other project, Postoccidental Englishes and Rap, from which much of the data in this article is drawn. Notes 1The feeling of existence or being. The term is from Jean-Jacques Rousseau. 2My translation from the German. 3Lyrics from “Just a lil' bit,” featuring Warren G, from 360° (2002). 4Interviews in this article were drawn from the Australian Research Council-funded project Postoccidental Englishes and Rap. 5Too Phat are Malique Ibrahim (Mista Malique) and Johan Ishak (Joe Flizzow). 6The Malay term rojak, meaning mixture or salad—typically a mix of pineapple, cucumber, tofu, and jicama in a belacan sauce—is used commonly to refer to the multicultural and multilingual mixture of Malaysian society. 7Underground Indonesian rap artists Balcony and Homicide (2003) use both Indonesian and English in their lyrics. 8It is interesting to note, however, that Teh Tarik Crew's name is derived from the popular Malay Teh Tarik (“pulled tea”) served at local tea stalls, while Too Phat use the U.S. term phat. 9“If I Die Tonight,” featuring Liyana, 360° (2002). The track is a reference to, and includes a sample from, 2Pac's “If I Die 2Nite”(1998, rerelease, Me Against the World, Jive records).