Hip-hop music has long been an expressive medium used by individuals from marginalized areas in Sweden to address social issues and shape their identities. Through interviews with Swedish hip-hop artists and analysis of lyrics, this bachelor thesis explores the self-expression of the artists and how they express their views of society. It focuses on how social problems are expressed and understood, as well as on how the artists view the depiction of contemporary Swedish hip-hop music in media. Additionally, the study investigates how hip-hop artists themselves perceive the significance of their music lyrics. Furthermore, I explore the impact of music on the identity of hip-hop artists from marginalized areas, as perceived by the artists themselves. To gain a comprehensive understanding, the ethnographic study employs semi-structured interviews and participant observation with four non-ethnically Swedish hiphop artists who live or have grown up in disadvantaged areas in Sweden.

I C-­?uppsats ser fo?rfattaren na?rmre pa? hur fans tolkar och diskuterar rockgruppen kents la?ttexter. Tanken a?r att so?ka efter teman som de flesta fans tycks identifiera och sedan, med hja?lp av Laclau och Mouffes diskursteori se na?rmre pa? hur tolkningarna skiljer sig a?t, trots ett gemensamt ?grundtema.? Till syftet ho?r a?ven att se pa? vilka sa?tt dessa diskussioner och tolkningar ga?r att sammankoppla till identitet och identifikation.Tre tydliga teman gick att finna bland fansens tolkningar: ka?rlek, ensamhet/uppva?xt samt la?ngtan och dro?mmar. Samtliga tre teman tycktes tolkas i huvudsak med antingen en negativ eller positiv grundsyn, da?r samtliga teman/fenomen a?ven gick att sammankoppla med varandra.