Reality rhymes - Recognition of rap in multicultural Norway

In this paper we examine the role of Hip Hop and rap lyrics in the reevaluation and legitimization of a new multiethnolectal speech style developed in multiethnic and multilingual environments in Oslo, Norway. This speech style, commonly referred to as “Kebab-Norwegian”, has been met with negative attitudes not only from the establishment but also in mainstream media. However, attitudes seem to be changing, partly due to the efforts of rappers from immigrant backgrounds who promote themselves as users and propagators of the new speech style. They take a clear stance against the prevalent idea that “Kebab-Norwegian” poses a threat to the Norwegian language. In our paper we present on-going research on some of the most recent high school textbooks where lyrics from these performers have been included, and we also consider the strategies of promotion employed by some of the publishing houses.