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Is Rap a Backing Track To Murder?
A reasoning born from personal experience
Gunshots echoed through a modern seaside development in central Stockholm. The blood coating the bitter pavement belongs to Einár, 19, one of Sweden’s most popular rappers. Now, merely another tragic addition to the rise in fatal shootings that have plagued the small democracy for years.
Einár was not a gangster per se. He “banged on wax” and died because injecting himself into the lives of hardened criminals inevitably came at the price of being treated like one. But not before leaving a footprint of self-proclaimed gangsterism for the new generation to bang their heads to.
The captivating antihero persona seen in rap videos is only the tip of the iceberg, underneath which a dark, treacherous, and often deadly foundation exists.
Broken Identities
The search for identity, or the struggle with its absence, often serves as a common underlying cause for young men from working-class backgrounds who drift towards the fringes. They discover fragments of themselves in the corners of inner-city tenements or amidst the towers of the outer ghettos, all in pursuit of a sense of sovereignty.
These crumbles form the bedrock of their kingdoms, and should anyone attempt to breach their walls…
