The cost of being "real": black authenticity, colourism, and Billboard Rap Chart rankings

Research on black authenticity identifies "oppressive othering" and "white standards of beauty", particularly lighter skin tone, as key components. Few studies disentangle which of these two theoretical components matter the most for a particular outcome. Rap music, whose lyrics...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Ethnic and racial studies 2018-09, Vol.41 (11), p.2085-2103
Main Author:	Laybourn, Wendy M.
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	African Americans Alcohol Artists Attractiveness Authenticity Beauty Billboards Black authenticity Black people Black white relations Charts colourism Content analysis controlling images Graphs hip hop Hip hop music Imagery Lyrics Music Otherness Race Racial identity Rap music Ratings & rankings Skin color Songs
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	Research on black authenticity identifies "oppressive othering" and "white standards of beauty", particularly lighter skin tone, as key components. Few studies disentangle which of these two theoretical components matter the most for a particular outcome. Rap music, whose lyrics are often categorized as authentic expressions of blackness, offers an intriguing case to compare the effects of "oppressive othering" (as alcohol and drug lyrics) and "white standards of beauty" (as the rap artist's skin tone) on national music charts. Analysing artists' skin tone and lyrical content of songs ranked on Billboard Rap Year-End Charts from 2007 to 2011, results show that lighter skin tone is significantly and positively related to higher chart rankings. Alcohol and drug lyrics, however, had a non-significant effect. Implications are discussed in relation to the effects of the commodified imagery of "authentic" blackness in the new digital era of music.
ISSN:	0141-9870 1466-4356