Sharing Hip-Hop Cultures: The Case of Nigerians and African Americans

Abstract

This article utilizes hip hop to examine the cultural space shared by Nigerians and African Americans in spite of the vast geographic distance. The common approach to music making and appreciation creates a virtual shared space where these musicians and listeners exchange ideas and styles. This article traces out the boundaries of this shared cultural space in the contemporary black world by focusing first on African and African American hip hop artists who have sampled from the music and political energy from their counterparts on the other side of the Atlantic. The connection between culture and language is essential to an understanding of the power of hip hop as a universal language. So we ask the question, is hip hop speaking the same language to these two distinct groups of young black people? What is the terrain of the shared space and how do the artists and the audiences navigate within the boundaries of this virtual haven? Ultimately, this article will offer suggestions about how the process of hip hop music making and consumption impacts concepts of black identity, politics, and power in Africa and America.