Rap Devil versus Rap God: impoliteness in a rap battle

Oğuz E., Işik Güler H.

JOURNAL OF POLITENESS RESEARCH, cilt.21, sa.1, ss.1-43, 2024 (AHCI)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 21 Sayı: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2024
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1515/pr-2023-0033
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF POLITENESS RESEARCH
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, IBZ Online, Communication & Mass Media Index, Index Islamicus, Linguistic Bibliography, Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, MLA - Modern Language Association Database
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-43
  • Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Using a line-by-line analysis of the key conversational instances identified in an asynchronous rap battle between Eminem (in Killshot) and Machine Gun Kelly (in Rap Devil), this study investigates diss tracks as manifestations of impoliteness. As a framework for our analysis, we adopt an overlay of Spencer-Oatey’s rapport management model/principles and Culpeper’s framework of impoliteness strategies/formulae. The results show that both rappers tried to out-diss each other by verbalizing a multitude of insults, curses, dismissals, and more. The paper builds on the relationship between power and impoliteness, the concept of authenticity in rap, prescribed and proscribed language use in hip-hop culture, and displays of identity roles of the rappers. The findings and discussion offer novel contributions to impoliteness research, as the current study is the first to investigate impoliteness in an asynchronous rap battle between two White rappers. In light of the analyses, we define diss track exchanges as asynchronous rap battles characterized by the abundant use of coercive impoliteness for entertainment.