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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01c247ds19z
Title: From Cornel West To Kanye West: Exploring Black Nihilism and Hip-Hop
Authors: Groves, Gregory
Advisors: Espenshade, Thomas J.
Department: Sociology
Class Year: 2013
Abstract: This thesis builds upon the work of Kubrin’s (2005) content analysis of hip-hop. Exploring Cornel West’s theory of black nihilism, Kubrin coded platinum rap albums released between 1992-2000 in order to quantitatively examine the genre’s prevalence of nihilism, along with the additional themes of violence, materialism, and misogyny. Interested in whether the past decade has experienced both a shift within the thematic landscape of hip-hop and the social landscape of black America, I replicate Kubrin’s coding scheme and analyze platinum rap albums released between 2002-2012. My results show a statistically significant shift in both the decreased references to nihilism and the increased references to materialism. I therefore dedicate a significant portion of my thesis interpreting the sociological implications within my findings.
Extent: 99 pages
URI: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01c247ds19z
Access Restrictions: Walk-in Access. This thesis can only be viewed on computer terminals at the Mudd Manuscript Library.
Type of Material: Princeton University Senior Theses
Language: en_US
Appears in Collections:Sociology, 1954-2020

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