Hip-hop: a marketplace icon

Abstract

ABSTRACT Hip-hop has evolved from a social and musical niche to a mass phenomenon and a key element of American pop culture with a global reach. Meanwhile, rap music and hip-hop culture are also a commercial success story in which the materialistic American Dream has once again come true. How did this former ghetto phenomenon become today’s marketplace icon, whose once marginalized performers are now pampered by luxury brands and work as successful businesspeople and investors? Drawing on previous research on youth and subcultures and introducing the concept of “mainstream subculture,” this paper outlines the development and commercialization of American hip-hop culture over four decades from 1979 to 2019. Ongoing discussions about the preservation of urban authenticity and concerns about a (sub-)culture “selling out” are also taken into account. The article concludes with a prognosis for the future of hip-hop culture and the industry in the United States.