Strength in Numbers: How Young Artists Navigate Racial Stereotypes in the Rap Industry

“Record company people are shady.” This modest claim from Q-Tip reflects the complex dynamics of race and class in the history of rap music, especially from the perspective of young artists of color looking to navigate the early stages of their careers. While the American music industry was built in parallel with the racist ideologies of reconstruction-era America, rap music reflects the legacy of this troubled history. Common stereotypes of blackness are often perpetuated by record label executives and reinforced by hip-hop’s listener base through stereotype threat, and young artists feel pressure to conform to these stereotypes to advance their careers. Initially, Lil Nas X seemed to represent a sea change for the industry, in which rappers could break out into the mainstream without confining themselves to a single character archetype. Just a few years after the release of “Old Town Road,” though, it became clear that his position as a pop-rap-country crossover artist was an anomaly. In the age of TikTok and post-Ferguson America, how do young rappers navigate the constantly changing racial, class, and political structures of the music industry? In this chapter, I reflect on ethnographic work conducted with student members of the “Rap Collective” at Albright College—a performing ensemble that I direct—to outline how emerging artists navigate the complex dynamics of the rap industry. Using insights from interviews and collaborative creative work with student artists, I argue that building character archetypes through storytelling, marketing, and branding provides a platform for young rappers to challenge problematic racial stereotypes that have plagued the industry for years. While existing scholarship has considered the significance of (mostly white) listener’s conceptions of race, as well as how racial dynamics can be heard in the music itself, I prioritize the perspective of young, DIY artists who have yet to break into the rap business. As such, this chapter offers a unique look into how black and Hispanic rappers shape, and are shaped by, preconceptions of what’s expected of them to “make it” in the industry.