Origins of European Hip-Hop: Deutscher Hip-Hop

Next up in my series ‘Origins of European Hip-Hop’, I’ll take a look at a fragmented and divided hip-hop scene in Germany. Whilst in both France and Italy artists had ideological differences, and both scenes had significant political impacts, no scene in Europe had the kind of political backdrop and contrast of musicians than that in Germany. From Nationalist movements to Turkish rebellion, this post will piece together the development of hip-hop in a country still feeling the effects of the Second World War.

Origins of European Hip-Hop: Rap Italiano

As I continue to take a look back at the dissertation I wrote a few years ago on the developement and impact of hip-hop in Europe, I now move onto my second country, Italy. In the last post I looked into Francophone Rap, a budding hip-hop scene in France, which produced artists such as MC Solaar and IAM, and the film ‘La Haine’. Not too far away though in the Southern regions of Europe, an entirely different hip-hop scene was beginning to emerge, one that would have a big political impact.

Origins of European Hip-Hop: Francophone Rap

After looking through some of my old work, I stumbled across the disseration that I wrote for my final project at university back in 2016, and decided to give it another read. Lockdown boredom may have reached new heights, and brought me to an educational read which I enjoyed more than I thought I would. Perhaps as it brought back the memories of writing it, which with the benefit of time and rose-tinted glasses seemed great, but the sleepless nights and Red Bull driven researching weren’t. Whilst I’ve ditched the Red Bull, and seem to be sleeping fine, going back down memory lane and the same rabbit holes as I orginally had, seem like the perfect distraction to another stressful time, as we are in now. As you may have ascertained from the title of this post, my disseration was about European hip-hop, in particular the development and impact of the genre in France, Italy and Germany during the 1980s and 1990s. In that, I waffled on about Globalisation, Americanisation and the history of hip-hop, but I’ll save you from the academic jargon, and dive right into the various scenes themselves.

Feature: Top 10 Music-Related Things to Watch During Lockdown

The current situation with COVID-19 has left the world in lockdown, with venues closed and tours cancelled or postponed, a lot of  artists have been forced to find new and innovative ways to stay connected wth their fans, such as live streaming performances from their home, going back through the archives and releasing footage of previous shows, or hosting Q&A’s and listening parties. Like many, I’ve had the extra time on my hands to watch a lot of these performances, and found it interesting to see the various ways in which bands and artists are approaching these difficult times.

Dissertation: European hip-hop: an in-depth analysis of the development of hip-hop in France, Italy and Germany during the 1980s and 1990s

Abstract:

This dissertation will provide an in-depth analysis into the development of hip-hop in three European countries: France, Italy and Germany, during the 1980s and 1990s. Drawing from the ideas of important theorists such as Andre Prevos, Tony Mitchell, Mark Pennay, and Dietmar Elflein, and a variety of relevant online articles, documentaries and films, it will show how each country adapted the musical idioms and styles of American hip-hop to create unique offshoots. Discussing the key artists within each country, and how hip-hop impacted on society. The key theories of Globalisation and Americanisation will be used to show how hip-hop arrived into Europe from America, and an overall background of the birth and growth of hip-hop from the depravity of the New York projects will also be given.

Read in full here: European hip-hop: an in-depth analysis of the development of hip-hop in France, Italy and Germany during the 1980s and 1990s

First published: May 9, 2016

Where?: For academic purposes BA (Hons) Popular Music Journalsim 2015/16 – Southampton Solent University