Gangster rap as children’s culture

The main intention with this study has been to analyze which social identities and versions of the world young people construct within Swedish gangster rap and how to see this from a child cultural perspective. In addition, my goal was to analyze what functions the rappers and their songs assume in relation to their young audience. The analysis shows that the positions young rappers occupy in the songs are strongly linked to their need to gain status within their group. In addition, it becomes a peer culture where they create and share their identities and versions of the world. It is also through music that they question the authority of adults. It can also be seen that their poor childhood means that crime becomes, apart from rap, the only way they perceive to rise economically and socially. But the price for these achievements is high.