The appropriation of African American Vernacular English and Jamaican Patois by Nigerian hip hop artists

Abstract

The present paper deals with multilingual practices as they have emerged in Nigeria's vibrant hip hop community. Apart from English, the most important strand in the multilingual fabric of Nigerian hip hop lyrics is Nigerian Pidgin. In addition, several more indigenous languages are used regularly. The focus of the present study, however, is on the use of two foreign varieties, namely African-American Vernacular English (AAVE) and Jamaican Creole or Patois (JC). Borrowing from AAVE and JC is a useful strategy for Nigerian artists to authenticate their performances by international standards. In principle, multilingual practices, including use of dialects and languages which are not natively spoken in a community, fits in well with the hip hop aesthetic. However, as will be shown, some AAVE and JC elements are borrowed without a full understanding of their linguistic and cultural context or transformed in an effort to adapt them to a new local context, which also runs the risk of undermining authenticity. Borrowing from AAVE and JC proves most problematical on the level of grammar.Brought to you by | Carleton University OCUL Authenticated Download Date | 6/25/15 12:08 PM

Migration, media, and the emergence of pidgin‐ and creole‐based informal epicentres

“…This is rather different from sub‐Saharan Africa, where Patois has gained its surprisingly high profile in the absence of any significant in‐migration from Jamaica – and almost exclusively due to the music industry and the media. Thus, Akande (2012) documents considerable uptake of Patois lexis and grammar among Nigerian hip hop artists. Blommaert (2005, pp.…”

Global reggae and the appropriation of Jamaican Creole

“…One major finding is that hip‐hop artists tend to either use African‐American Vernacular English (AAVE) features (see Alim, and Morgan, for African American hip‐hop artists) or local features, such as broad Australian features (O'Hanlon, ). Akande () and Lee () show that Korean and Nigerian hip‐hoppers ‘cross’ (Rampton, ) into AAVE to enhance their international credibility (Akande, , p. 238). Eberhardt and Freeman () who analysed white Australian rapper Iggy Azalea's hip‐hop performances find that her use of AAVE features is similar to a native speaker, which enables her to successfully commodify African American culture in language performances (Eberhardt & Freeman, , p. 310).…”

“…Crossing into Jamaican Creole is a phenomenon that can also be detected in hip‐hop. In his study Akande () finds that, in addition to the Nigerian Pidgin English baseline, Nigerian hip‐hoppers cross into AAVE and Jamaican Creole in order to authenticate their performance and make it more appealing to a global audience (Akande, , p. 251). Jansen and Westphal () who carried out a qualitative analysis of Rihanna's song Work (2016) observe that the singer of Barbadian heritage deploys features of standardised American English, possibly AAVE, and Jamaican Creole, which emphasises the co‐existence of different varieties and styles in her music.…”

Hybridity as authenticity in Nigerian hip-hop lyrics

“…In another study, Akande (2012b) argues that 'If rappers drawing on foreign and local linguistic resources combine imitation and creative adaptation in an imaginative way, this will not undermine the authenticity of their performances. However, if language material is borrowed with insufficient understanding of its original context of use, the result may be problematical.…”

“…As I have shown elsewhere (Akande 2012a(Akande , 2012b, when NHH artistes borrow elements from AAVE and Jamaican Patois (JP), they do not always have a full understanding of both the linguistic and cultural contexts of the borrowed elements. As I have shown elsewhere (Akande 2012a(Akande , 2012b, when NHH artistes borrow elements from AAVE and Jamaican Patois (JP), they do not always have a full understanding of both the linguistic and cultural contexts of the borrowed elements.…”