Blurred Lines An Analysis of Hip-Hop Cultural Appropriation in the Modern Age

Abstract

Cultural appropriation has remained a point of contention over the past decades, especially in the field of music. It is no longer rare to find a white face not only in the audience of a rap concert, but also at the forefront of the genre. This crossover of white artists into predominantly and historically black music genres is occurring at a faster rate than ever. Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus have opened many discussions about cultural appropriation after a risqué performance on the stage of the Video Music Awards in 2013. Claims of racism and inauthentic appropriation began to circulate about the boundary breaching artists resulting in major questions of present day cultural appropriation in general. Upon examination of the reactions to four white artists that have crossed over into “black” music spheres: Eminem, Robin Thicke, Justin Timberlake, and Miley Cyrus, this paper finds that not only has crossing this boundary become more mainstream in modern day but also that the raw talent initially required for such a breach has lessened over time.