Talking back: linguistic exploration of female artistes' 'responses' to patriarchy and stereotypes in Nigerian hip-hop.

Patriarchal tendencies are normative in hip-hop culture, necessitating contemporary calls for gender equality and wholesome gender representations. These have encouraged a 'talking back' where the marginalised re-appropriate established norms and consciously recreate their identities. Interrogating lyrics and videos of popular female Nigerian hip-hop artistes, we explore female agency and discuss how these artistes combat patriarchy and achieve linguistic reclamation of feminine identities. The Multimodal Social Semiotic Analysis framework is complemented with Womanism – an Africa-rooted strand of the feminist movement. The 'talking and taking back' were catalogued under four classifications: reactions and responses to female denigration and assault; combating patriarchy through challenging and reinventing gender roles; re-appropriation of pejoratives and assertion of stereotypes; and the use of sexual expressions, slurs, and slang in the renegotiation of female agency. These findings are important in a strongly patriarchal Nigerian society where female voices do not enjoy significant propagation. The re-creations and 'responses' assert female agency and consolidate the advocacies for equality and equity in gender relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Contemporary African Studies is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)