Different in Hiphop : A Study on Childish Gambino Identity Creation

Sammanfattning: The essay is based on Toby S. Jenkin's (2011) previous research on creating identity within the hiphop culture. By linking to the theories Identity (Hammrén & Johansson, 2009) and Representation (Hall, 2013) as well as using the analytical methods for text and visual form, Childish Gambinos identity has been analyzed. In order to understand how identity is formed, studies on earlier research have also been used. The purpose of the paper was to investigate how Childish Gambino shapes his identity and if he falls into the bin as a stereotypical rapper.The result of the paper shows that in text and speech, the artist expresses himself as a stereotypic rapper. In the visual, Childish Gambino stands out as odd from what is considered masculine and stereotypical to an African-American artist (Hall, 2013). It is his outer preferences that create his trademark as an artist (Centeno & Wang, 2017). Through that, Childish Gambino creates a new form of identity within the hip-hop culture. This suggests that music videos have had a very significant impact on Childish Gambino's artistry and work, because it is through the visual he may express himself differently (Railton & Watson, 2011).