Vol. 7, Iss. 2, 2013

Complete issue as PDF

Orchestrating Hip-hop Culture Online: Within and Beyond the Middle East

10 Nov 2013

Orchestrating Hip-hop Culture Online: Within and Beyond the Middle East
Anders Ackfeldt Editorial This current issue of CyberOrient brings together academics active at Scandinavian universities focusing on hip-hop from different aspects and fields. From different perspectives the authors seek to make sense of the impact, functions and dynamics of Middle Eastern and/or Islamic representations in hip-hop music online, both within and beyond the Middle East.

Editorial

Muslimhiphop.com: Constructing Muslim Hip Hop Identities on the Internet

10 Nov 2013

Muslimhiphop.com: Constructing Muslim Hip Hop Identities on the Internet
Inka Rantakallio Article Although music is not clearly permissible (halal) nor prohibited (haram) in Islam, many young Muslims today make hip hop music and also portray Muslim identities in their lyrics. The article discusses a case study of how Muslim identity and Muslim hip hop are constructed discursively on an American web site entitled Muslimhiphop.com. The site features Muslim artists from multicultural backgrounds from several different countries. The…

Article

Hanouneh style resistance. Becoming hip-hop authentic by balancing skills and painful lived experiences

10 Nov 2013

Hanouneh style resistance. Becoming hip-hop authentic by balancing skills and painful lived experiences
Andrea Dankic Article The aim of this article is to examine the dialogically constructed authenticity between an independent hip-hop and reggae artist and her audience and how this construction in turn influences the music-making process, art production and artist identity. It is argued that authenticity is constructed by the artist deconstructing the expected connections between on the one hand particular cultural belongings, lived experiences and ethnic origins, and…

Article

“I Am Malcolm X” – Islamic Themes in Hip-hop Video Clips Online

10 Nov 2013

“I Am Malcolm X” – Islamic Themes in Hip-hop Video Clips Online
Anders Ackfeldt Article The Internet provides a space for new interpretations and conversations concerning religious practices to take place without the direct interference of religious authorities. The intention of this article is to highlight one vivid aspect of this development, Islamic themed hip-hop video clips distributed online. The visual aesthetics, the selection of pictures (or no pictures), themes and storylines supplementing the musical message can be used to…

Article

”I Wanna Be a Dark-Skinned Pork Roast” – and other stories about how ‘dark’ Danish rappers negotiate otherness in their marketing and music productions

10 Nov 2013

”I Wanna Be a Dark-Skinned Pork Roast” – and other stories about how ‘dark’ Danish rappers negotiate otherness in their marketing and music productions
Kristine Ringsager Article This article explores processes of experienced otherness as it is represented in stories told by Danish rappers with Middle Eastern background. Referring to stories about ‘being stopped’ the article illustrates how these rap artists, because of their visible otherness, are forced to navigate in a discursive landscape that affects their becoming of subjects as well as rap artists. The article discusses how otherness experienced in…

Article

Global Story

10 Nov 2013

Global Story
Mark LeVine Comment Hiphop has long been described as a quintessentially globalized music. Similarly, it has been understood as a unique window into the lives', fears and dreams of young people across the Arab and larger Muslim worlds for most of the post-September 11 era. Since young Tunisians revolted against long time dictator Zine El Abidin Ben Ali to the music of El General (or so the story…

Comment

Review: Religion and Hip Hop

10 Nov 2013

Review: Religion and Hip Hop
Kalle Berggren Book Review The book under review brings together the category of religion, Hip Hop cultural modalities and the demographic of youth. Bringing postmodern theory and critical approaches in the study of religion to bear on Hip Hop cultural practices, the book examines how scholars in religious and theological studies have deployed and approached religion when analyzing Hip Hop data.

Book Review

Review: Turkish Metal – Music, Meaning and Morality in a Muslim Society

10 Nov 2013

Review: Turkish Metal – Music, Meaning and Morality in a Muslim Society
Johan Cato Book Review The book is divided into seven chapters that deal with a variety of topics related to heavy metal, Turkey and Islam. The topics include questions concerning gender, nationalism, media coverage and satanic panic. The book is based on a broad range of materials, which include in-depth interviews with musicians and metalheads active on the scene, interviews with journalists and documentary analysis in the form of…

Book Review