Doing Hip-Hop Masculinity Differently

Kanye West’s challenge to the conventions of contemporary hip-hop is nowhere more apparent than on his fourth album 808s & Heartbreak (2008). ¹ An intriguing object of enquiry for scholars of popular music, the album sets itself apart from many others in the world of mainstream rap for a number of reasons: the lyrics are emotionally expressive and exposed, the music is sung rather than rapped, and the videos represent the lived experiences of pain and hardship that the album’s title so clearly communicates. That said, West’s challenge to the conventions of contemporary hip-hop is made manifest in other ways as well. Indeed, we argue that 808s & Heartbreak can be seen as a critical reflection on the politics of black masculinity within the context of American celebrity culture. More specifically, we claim that the album is constituted by two key themes: first, sadness and vulnerability in the face of loss; and second, emptiness and isolation as a consequence of stardom. Paying close attention to how these themes are brought into being by the album, we show that West complicates the hypermasculine representations of black males that pervade the world of mainstream popular music.