Greek hip hop: Local and translocal authentication in the restricted field of production

This article illustrates how hip hop practitioners in Athens, Greece legitimate hip hop as an authentic musical form within the restricted field of cultural production. First, this article outlines how fields of cultural production operate. Second, this article illustrates how the data for this project were collected. Third, this article highlights how past and current struggles within the field shape how authenticity is defined. Fourth, this article highlights the discursive techniques used by hip hop practitioners to position rap music as aesthetically superior to the commercially successful genres of new wave laika, “hip pop,” corporate American hip hop, and Greek pop. Fifth, I illustrate how hip hop practitioners use two competing processes of aesthetic legitimation: local authentication and translocal authentication, within the restricted field of cultural production. Finally, I conclude with some suggested avenues for future research.

► Hip hop & rap music are good for refining theories of cultural production. ► Both are also good for examining processes of legitimation and authenticity. ► I deal with hip hop practitioners in the field of restricted production. ► I show 2 forms of aesthetic legitimation (local vs. translocal authentication).