Authorship construction and identity negotiation: A case study of Chinese Hiphop singer GAI

Abstract

Hip-hop culture, as one of the most popular youth cultures around the world, has followed a distinct developmental trajectory within China. Due to the conditioned incorporation, authorship construction and identity negotiation of hip-hop singers became a serious topic among scholars. As a highly representative hip-hop singer in China, GAI has gone through a complex career development. When he was underground, his revolt style was controversial amoung the public; after winning the championship of The Rap of China, his transition to China Chic and Jianghu Flow gains even more controversies about the “keep it real” hip-hop tradition; when he was further incorporated by mainstream, not only his authorship but also his construction of identity became more obscure. This article conducted a case study of GAI by searching comments of his fans and audiences and the interview of himself. Using textual analysis and critical discourse analysis, this article analyzed GAI’s famous works and the key comments and interviews. This study argues that the authorship of Chinese hip-hop singers is the outcome of the continuous construction and encoding by multiple power structures. The identity of Chinese hip-hop singers is being constantly constructed through media platforms, cultural governance, and audiences.