Australian Indigenous Hip Hop: The Politics of Culture, Identity, and Spirituality

263 Pages·2017·2.866 MB·English

by  Chiara Minestrelli

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Australian Indigenous Hip Hop
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6 Hip Hop outside of the U.S. North American context has been largely mute
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9 for far too long. Yet, Hip Hop remains a powerful force throughout the
0 globe. What Minestrelli has provided here is a window into the strong and
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2 current culture of Hip Hop within Australian contexts. This study examines
at the related history of Hip Hop within an indigenous context and provides

o] the reader with an area of Hip Hop that is developing and connected to rich
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e roots. Minestrelli’s work stands to be a cornerstone text in the field of Hip
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D Hop Studies.
n —Daniel White Hodge, North Park University, USA
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a, This book investigates the discursive and performative strategies employed
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r by Australian Indigenous rappers to make sense of the world and establish
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f a position of authority over their identity and place in society. Focusing on
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a the aesthetics, the language, and the performativity of Hip Hop, this book
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f pays attention to the life stance, the philosophy, and the spiritual beliefs of
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y Austral ian Indigenous Hip Hop artists as ‘glocal’ producers and consum-
it ers. With Hip Hop as its main point of analysis, the author investigates,
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er interrogates, and challenges categories and preconceived ideas about the
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i critical notions of authenticity, ‘Indigenous’ and dominant values, spiritual
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U practices, and political activism. Maintaining a ‘peopled,’ or collaborative
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y ethnographic endeavor, the author utilizes qualitative and ethnographic
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d methods of data collection and analysis. Collaborators and participants shed
e light on work and their views in relation to representations of ‘Indigenous
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a identity, politics and spirituality.’ Looking at the Indigenous rappers’ local
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nl and global aspirations, this study shows that, by counteracting hegemonic
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narratives through their unique stories, Indigenous rappers have utilized rap
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D music as an expressive means to empower themselves and their audiences,
entertain, and revive their Elders’ culture in ways that are contextual to the
society they live in.
Chiara Minestrelli holds a Ph.D. in Australian Indigenous studies from
Monash University (2015). She is visiting professor in the Africana Studies
Program at Lehigh University. She has published on Australian Indigenous
literature and Linguistics and Australian Indigenous Hip Hop.
Routledge Studies in Hip Hop and Religion
Edited by Anthony B. Pinn and Monica R. Miller
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6 1 Australian Indigenous Hip Hop
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9 The Politics of Culture, Identity, and Spirituality
0 Chiara Minestrelli
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Australian Indigenous
Hip Hop
The Politics of Culture, Identity,
and Spirituality

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Chiara Minestrelli
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First published 2017
by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
and by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa
business

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1 © 2017 Taylor & Francis
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2 The right of Chiara Minestrelli to be identified as author of this work
h has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the
c
r Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
a
M All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced
6 or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other
1 means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and
9 recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without
0
: permission in writing from the publishers.
3
2 Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks
at or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and
] explanation without intent to infringe.
o
g Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
e
Di Names: Minestrelli, Chiara, author.
n Title: Australian indigenous hip hop : the politics of culture, identity,
a and spirituality / by Chiara Minestrelli.
S Description: New York ; London : Routledge, 2017. | Series: Routledge
a, studies in hip hop and religion | Includes bibliographical references
ni and index.
r Identifiers: LCCN 2016028555 | ISBN 9781138658714 (hardback :
o
f alk. paper)
i
al Subjects: LCSH: Rap (Music)—Political aspects—Australia. | Rap
C (Music)—Social aspects—Australia. | Aboriginal Australians—
f Music—History and criticism. | Hip-hop—Australia.
o
y Classification: LCC ML3917.A8 M56 2017 |
t DDC 782.4216490994—dc23
i
s LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016028555
r
e
v ISBN: 978-1-138-65871-4 (hbk)
i
n ISBN: 978-1-315-62063-3 (ebk)
U
[ Typeset in Sabon
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6 To my whole Family and all the Freedom Fighters around
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9 the world
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Contents
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6 Acknowledgments ix
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: Introduction Culture on the Stage of History: The
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t Past Is Present in ‘Indigenous Hip Hop’ 1
a
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o 1 “The Black from Down-Unda”: Contact Zones and
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e Cultures of Black Resistance 35
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n 2 “2 Black 2 Strong”: The Politics of Blackness
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S and Identification 76
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n 3 ‘Indigenous Hip Hop’: The Politics of Identity
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f and Representation 109
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C 4 “Know Our True Identity”: Indigenous Articulations
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o of Identity through Kin, Place, and Spirituality 160
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si 5 Hip Hop and Australian Indigenous Youth: New Modes
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e of Political Participation 197
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i
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U Conclusion ‘Indigenous Hip Hop’: History in the Making 234
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d Index 247
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Acknowledgments
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6 The realization of this book was a long process of passion, love, faith,
1
9 struggle, collaborations and trust. This project stems from the support
0 of many people. First of all, this research was made possible thanks to
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2 Dr. Karen Hughues who believed in the project when it was just an idea
at and a hope. I want to thank the whole Monash Indigenous Centre at
o] Monash University, all the amazing people there (thanks Bev) and particu-
g
e larly my supervisor Prof. John Bradley. I own him a big debt for his sup-
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D port, patience, care, and precious advice, during and after my doctorate.
n Much appreciation to my secondary supervisor, Prof. Barry Judd, and his
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S beautiful family for their friendship and for letting me live with the ghost!
a, I am extremely grateful to the series editors, Professors Anthony Pinn and
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r Monica Miller, for choosing my work as the first book of their Hip Hop and
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f Religion series. In particular, this book would not be here without the sup-
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a port, enthusiasm, and mentorship of Prof. Monica Miller. She has made all
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f this possible and I could never thank her enough for all her hard work and
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y for pushing me to higher standards. I also want to thank the Africana Stud-
it ies and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Programs at Lehigh for hosting me
s
er and giving me the opportunity to learn and grow professionally. My grati-
v
i tude goes to Prof. James Braxton Peterson and all the colleagues in the Afri-
n
U cana Studies Program. Lehigh University also provided me with a fantastic
[
y office in the Religion Studies Department, where I met amazing academ-
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d ics and friends. It has been an extremely formative experience at all levels.
e A very special thought goes to ‘freedom Fighter’ Robbie Thorpe, the essense
d
a of a true warrior. His passion and love of justice permeate his whole life
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nl and particularly the struggle for Indigenous rights. Without his assistance,
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this book could have never been written. Robbie has assisted me with his
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D knowledge, experience, and inerest in Hip Hop and its power. I am grate-
ful to Robbie, as well as the many other amazing people who made it pos-
sible and whose support meant a lot to me. In particular, I want to thank
Gary Murray, Nathan Lovett-Murray, Selwyn Burns, Bart Willoughby, all
the fantastic musicians I had the pleasure to talk to. Also, a shout out to
Richard Michallef, the Fitzroy and Collinwood Parkies, 3CR Community