Introduction
Despite the talk about ‘globalization’ that has increasingly been picking up momentum since the latter parts of the last century, there are significant differences between different societies throughout the world (O'Connor, 2004). Social class, cultural identity, religious beliefs, childbearing, and parenting, just to name but a few work differently in different parts of the world (Hiebert, 2002). From the Natives in North America, the Taiwanese in the Far South East Asia, Latinos in the Caribbean, and the Ashanti and the Zulu in Africa, to the Aboriginals in New Zealand and Australia, people’s ways of life are just so different in every community in innumerable ways. For example, in any given country such as France, the United States of America and Mexico, the education system and cultural identity are different in each. This difference between humans is what defines the culture – the proper, unique, sophisticated, and refined way of acting – of communities (Hiebert, 2002). This perception helps to clarify the heterogeneity and the dissimilarity we see today between people of different societies (or cultural backgrounds or nationalities). Therefore, it is imperative to take into account these differences between people as it is handy in understanding the ‘Americanness’, or the ‘Frenchness’ or the ‘Saudiness’ and so on of a person. However, within the mainstream culture there exist several other ‘smaller cultures’ commonly known as Sub-cultures. One such subculture within the mainstream American is the Gangsta Youth Subculture. This paper, therefore, explores the collective issues of the Gangsta sub-culture, and members of this culture express them.
Discussion
For starters, a youth sub-culture in its most basic meaning denotes a culture that is primarily youth-based set aside from other cultures with distinct and unique behaviors, interests, and sense of style (Williams, 2007). According to Council of Europe (2003), members of a youth sub-culture often indicate their membership by majorly making distinctive and in most cases unique and exclusionary symbolic choices such as grooming – primarily styles of clothing and physical body appearances like hairstyles. However, Williams (2007), notes that shared interests, choice of language, dialect, slang, and music preferences can be significant identity factors. As pointed out, culture helps not only to define but also to identify whom a person is, given the structural contexts, constraints, and opportunities which face all humans. Because society presents to all individuals, different sets of circumstances, and culture offers the way in which we make sense of them through our daily activities of life, the youth sub-culture in more or less the same way offers the youth an identity. Such an identity, however, falls outside the social institutions of the family (parentage), school, home, and even work (Williams, 2007). A perfect example of such a scenario is considering two American babies. One is born to a rural, poor white family and the other is born of mixed race (such as Asian American) to a middle-class family in one of the metropolis. While both of these babies are born into the mainstream American society, the culture that each will experience at home, in the neighborhoods, at school, and throughout their lives are likely to differ in several important ways. These differences manifested in the behavior of so many American Youths when the Gangsta culture started hitting the American Society in the mid-1980s following the emergence of Rap music in the latter parts of the 1970s (Lewis, 2016).
According to Kubrin (2005), rap music is a smaller segment of the larger Hip Hop cultural system that comprises breakdancing (and all of its derivatives) as well as graffiti art, and rapping itself. It first emerged within a smaller circle of aspiring New York entertainers in the Upper Manhattan and South Bronx neighborhoods (Blanchard, 1999). It gained prominence when Masters of Ceremonies (MCs) at private parties discovered how to use ‘rapping idioms’ between songs to keep dancers on their feet. In the mid-1980s, Rap music gained further prominence due to the works of rappers such as Ice-T, the DMC Rap Group, and Schoolly D (StJacques, 2014). In the early 1990s stretching from the late 1980s, gangsta rap underwent commercialization and received recognition throughout the US and globally due to the arrival of the West Coast rapper, Tupac Shakur and the East Coast big hit Biggie Smalls. Despite the Rap popularity in the 1980/90s, the Gangsta sub-culture has its roots in the late 1960s from rappers such as the Bloods and the Crips (StJacques, 2014). Other notable gangsta rappers include N.W.A (Niggaz Wit Attitudes), Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dog, just to name but a few (StJacques, 2014).
As a sub-culture, Gangsta Rap promoted Gangsta lifestyle by bringing together a sub-culture of young people with social troubles. These youngsters aspired to use Rap to shape a better future for themselves and the community from which they arose (O'Connor, 2004).
Rap Gangsta was thus a form of youth expression that highlighted the challenges they faced in their neighborhoods. During the early days, rappers and rap groups used their art and lyrical mastery to describe the harsh realities of life in the inner city. Unlike the modern Rap music that is commonly exuberant in tone and upbeat, the pioneering rap of the 1980s displayed a strong sense of racial and socio-political consciousness that later metamorphosed to express a strong sense of ethnic militancy (Kubrin, 2005). This racial consciousness is best exemplified by the Gangster Rap Group Public Enemy, which through the inspiration of the black race leaders such as Malcolm X, turned their music into calls that supported black power (Kubrin, 2005). Such subject matter inherent in most gangsta rap and extension the gangsta lifestyle has historically caused lots of controversies. On one end of the debate, criticisms from community leaders, political figures, and religious leaders have often pointed fingers to the gangsta lifestyle. These individuals accuse the sub-culture codes of behavior, messages, and lifestyle of promoting profanity, sex, violence, crime, street gangs, drug and substance dealing and abuse, materialism, and disorderly conduct among other criminal pursuits (O'Connor, 2004; Council of Europe, 2003).
On the other end, however, gangsta members contend that critics unfairly single out and purposely target the clique because the subculture, through their lifestyle, music and other artistic forms of expressions, reflects the grave challenges that the society does not adequately address in the public fora (Council of Europe, 2003). They assert that a majority of their critics comes from figures too oblivious to understand the content of their art or who lack the desire and the drive to hear and act on the challenges persistent in the communities that gave forth the sub-culture (Metcalf, 2012). Therefore, within the precipice of its members, gangsta culture is a lifestyle and an underground youth movement that has transformed into a vehicle for exposing the numerous critical issues that are contradictory to the façade of an American dream (culture).
Today, Gangsta subculture uses youth artistry to raise awareness of the severity of inner-neighborhood issues such as domestic violence, gender equity, and advancing the rights of the girl child with female rappers like Queen Latifah and MC Lyte being on record for speaking about the advancement of the black woman in the mainstream American society. Gangstas argue that in their world, there exists the emotions and communal perspective of a community whose suffering and challenges are too often disregarded and belittled by the society of which they are part (Lewis, 2016). For black rappers, gangsta culture acts as an outlet for expressing themselves about the various wrongdoings perpetrated against their kind in underprivileged quarters without the fear of victimization. Because a good number of them include strong violence, drug connotations, nudity, materialism, sexual perversion, and male dominance to tell their stories, gangsta culture continues to spark controversies (Metcalf, 2012).
People belonging to this subculture usually reside in or live around major urban inner cities in the U.S and often belong to a clique that transcends most of the traditional characterizations used to define other music-led youth sub-cultures. Gangstas frequently adopt a particular pose and code of dressing. They wear casual designer sports clothes, jeans, trainers that are often oversized and bowler caps worn the ‘wrong way’. It is also common to see gangstas adorn durags, walking boots, and display large flashy jewelry (necklaces, earrings, rings, and bracelets) and watches (Lewis, 2016). This code of dressing (also known as the urban fashion) and style through labels and brands complements the attitudes and expressions of gangstas and is a significant influence on young people. Even though the hip hop style adorned by the gangsta subculture has changed significantly over the course of its history, today, it is a prominent part of secular fashion. Throughout the world, the gangsta subculture is widely promoted by brands such as FUBU, Nike, Jordan, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Roca Wear, and Adidas among other clothing lines and fashion labels (Kubrin, 2005; Lewis, 2016).
Conclusion
Through their daily activities such as emceeing, rapping, and graffiti drawing, the gangsta subculture has developed as an articulation of an affirmative ‘youth otherness,’ which although has in several occasions spurred controversy, has been a vehicle for voicing social ills prevalent in underprivileged societies. As a centrifugal force, gangsta culture, through the hip-hop music, dance, art, gesture, and fashion, has been emulated by youths of most ethnicities, social class, and nationalities. Even though Rap music and other forms of expression of gangsta subculture such as fashion have undergone numerous transformations over the years, gangsta culture still attracts and commands significant following throughout the world. In most societies, nationalities, and ethnic backgrounds just like in America the combined effects of communal changes such as unemployment, isolation from mainstream cultures, poverty, and other socio-economic inequalities have been significant contributors to the growth of this subculture among the youths.
References
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