Iggy Azalea, a white Australian hip-hop artist, uses African American Vernacular English when rapping. Whether this act of "crossing" is cultural appropriation was debated on social media and in the news. The question this paper aims to answer is, if the wider audience on YouTube has a negative attitude towards Azalea’s “crossing”. Considering the extensive media coverage, of which a substantial part was critical of Azalea’s language use during performance, the hypothesis is that the majority of the YouTube audience is negative towards this issue.
But before the data can be analysed, there is essential information that requires to be provided. This information will be given in the next part and it includes Iggy Azalea’s biographical background as well as relevant terms and concepts, namely African American English, the hip-hop nation and its language, and “crossing”. Moreover, the study by Eberhardt and Freeman shall be presented in more detail. Before moving on to the empirical part of this paper, where comments below the music videos “Work” and “Fancy” are analysed, there shall be a short excursion on language attitudes and how to research them. Then, having presented and analysed the results of the study, the findings shall be discussed until finally some concluding remarks are made.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Iggy Azalea’s “crossing” to AAE explained
2.1 Who exactly is Iggy Azalea?
2.2 The African American English variety
2.3 The Hip-hop nation and its language
2.4 The phenomenon of crossing
2.5 Bringing everything together: Azalea’s use of AAE in her music
3. Researching language attitudes
3.1 Language attitudes
3.2 The societal treatment approach
4. Data and methods
4.1 Iggy Azalea’s song “Work” (2014)
4.2 Iggy Azalea’s song “Fancy” (2014)
4.3 Content analysis of Youtube comments
5. Discussion
6. Conclusion
Objectives & Core Topics
This paper aims to investigate public perception of Iggy Azalea's linguistic performance, specifically focusing on whether the wider YouTube audience holds negative attitudes toward her practice of using African-American English (AAE). By analyzing user comments on two of her major music videos, the research seeks to test the hypothesis that the mainstream audience is critical of Azalea's "crossing" behavior, while also exploring how factors such as race, gender, and authenticity influence these public discourses.
- Analysis of African-American English (AAE) usage in hip-hop performance.
- Sociolinguistic exploration of the phenomenon of "crossing" and its perception.
- Empirical evaluation of audience attitudes via content analysis of YouTube comments.
- Examination of the importance of realness and authenticity within hip-hop culture.
- Role of demographics (race/gender) in shaping perceptions of female rappers.
Excerpt from the Book
2.4 The phenomenon of crossing
The term “crossing”, as coined by Professor of Applied and Sociolinguistics Ben Rampton, describes a type of sociolinguistic practice, which can be subsumed under the umbrella term of “code-switching” or “code-alternation” (Rampton 2005: 270). According to Peter Auer,
code-alternation […] covers all cases, in which semiotic systems are put in a relationship of contiguous juxtaposition, such that the appropriate recipients of the resulting complex sign are in a position to interpret this juxtaposition as such. (Auer 1990:71)
However, there is one quite striking difference between the practices of code-alternation and crossing, which lies in the belonging to the target group. While speakers that switch codes usually do this to affirm membership and solidarity to a language group in contrast to outsiders, quite the opposite is the case for crossing. Crossing focuses on the code-alternation of speakers that do not belong to the group associated with the second language and thus cross social or ethnic boundaries. This movement across social or ethnic boundaries then leads to negotiation between the participants, which is required to settle issues of social legitimacy (Rampton 2005: 270-271).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: The introduction identifies Iggy Azalea as a controversial figure in hip-hop and establishes the research goal: to analyze public sentiment regarding her use of AAE.
2. Iggy Azalea’s “crossing” to AAE explained: This chapter provides the theoretical foundation, covering Azalea's background, the nature of AAE, the hip-hop nation's language, and the sociolinguistic concept of crossing.
3. Researching language attitudes: This section details the methodology for understanding how societies react to language varieties, emphasizing the societal treatment approach and public discourse analysis.
4. Data and methods: This chapter describes the selection of the music videos "Work" and "Fancy" and the qualitative coding framework used to categorize and analyze YouTube comments.
5. Discussion: The discussion interprets the findings, comparing the unexpected balance of positive and negative attitudes against the critical predictions derived from existing literature.
6. Conclusion: The conclusion summarizes the research outcome, confirming that audience attitudes are mixed, and reflects on the future of discussions regarding Azalea's persona.
Keywords
Iggy Azalea, African American English, AAE, Hip-hop, Crossing, Language attitudes, Content analysis, YouTube comments, Cultural appropriation, Authenticity, Sociolinguistics, Code-switching, White female rapper, Identity, Realness.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the public perception of the white Australian rapper Iggy Azalea, specifically focusing on whether the YouTube audience perceives her use of African-American English (AAE) negatively due to issues related to linguistic "crossing".
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The work explores themes of hip-hop authenticity, linguistic appropriation, the sociolinguistic concept of "crossing", and how public discourse on social media platforms like YouTube shapes the reputation of artists crossing ethnic and cultural boundaries.
What is the primary research question?
The central question is whether the wider audience on YouTube expresses a predominantly negative attitude toward Iggy Azalea’s use of AAE, challenging the notion of her "realness" as an artist.
Which methodology is employed in this study?
The author uses a content analysis approach, applying a systematic codebook to classify and evaluate 86 user comments found under two specific YouTube music videos: "Work" and "Fancy".
What does the main body cover?
The main body moves from theoretical definitions of AAE and "crossing" to the application of a societal treatment approach, followed by a detailed data-driven analysis of user comments categorized by specific codes like "Acting/sounding African-American" and "Fake accent/authenticity".
Which keywords characterize this paper?
Key terms include Iggy Azalea, AAE, crossing, sociolinguistics, language attitudes, content analysis, authenticity, and cultural appropriation.
How do audience reactions to Azalea’s "fake accent" compare to her "acting black"?
The results show that while opinions on her "acting black" were almost equally split between critics and supporters, the accusations regarding a "fake accent" were significantly more one-sided, with the majority of comments expressing negative attitudes.
Why did the author conclude that the survey results were "mixed"?
Despite the critical academic and media coverage of Azalea, the YouTube comments revealed a surprisingly high level of support, suggesting that many users either do not perceive her behavior as problematic or are unaware of the sociolinguistic nuances surrounding her "crossing".
- Arbeit zitieren
- Anonym (Autor:in), 2019, Is Iggy Azalea’s Use of African-American English Cultural Appropriation? Attitudes towards her “Crossing” on Social Media, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1254827
