Tila ja paikka suomalaisissa räp-musiikkivideoissa

This article explores the conventions of visualizing Finnish rap music in 112 music videos released between1998 and 2010. All individual scenes were first classified according to their site and location. The subsequentspatial categories were then set against the origins of hip hop culture, its localization to Finland, and thecommercialization of the scene. I argue that there are three distinct ways of arranging spatial settings inFinnish rap music videos. The first emphasizes the alleged authenticity of artists and filming locations. TheFinnish context and artists’ autobiography create significant frameworks for these visualizations. The secondtype relies on generic spatial arrangements, so that links to actual locations are cut off. The audienceneeds to possess a cultural understanding of hip hop’s roots in order to interpret these representations.The third category brings forth imaginary spaces, i.e. digital, animated and staged settings. While rap musichas spread globally, it is shown that in contrast to many other fields in popular culture, rap is a diversifiedfield that deliberately mixes local elements with migrating musical practices