The Linguistic Construction of Heterosexual Masculinity in Kenyan Rap Music

Abstract

This paper explores the ways heterosexual masculinity is discursively negotiated, performed and depicted in Kenyan rap music. In particular we investigated whether the Kenyan male rappers articulated the dominant conceptions of masculine heterosexuality or changed such conceptions. The formal linguistic aspects of five Kenyan lyrical texts were analysed using pragmatic resources. The analysis revealed that rappers actively constructed their heterosexual masculinity through evaluating women's bodies, talking about their sexual adventures with women and lastly, emphasising their heterosexual male function.