Kumulative Dissertation, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, 2021

One of the hip-hop networks that has gained influence in Arab countries since 2011 has emerged around the Arabic language and culture. This (new) "Arabism" manifests itself in various forms: The Arab(ic) rap scenes that are the subject of this study include rappers who rap in Arabic, rappers of Arab ethnicity who express themselves in other languages, and rappers who belong to local hip hop scenes in Arab countries. This study focuses on the role of Arabic language and Arab culture as a unifying element. The question of the role of Arabism in these communities serves as a starting point for the study to ask more specific questions about mechanisms of community formation and the construction of group identity. This thesis addresses the related questions at three different levels. The first level is networks between artists, collaboration, mutual musical influence, and connections to other regions and countries. The second level is language use, the role of Standard Arabic, the languages and scripts of music production and reception. The third level is intertextual references that link rap to other forms of Arabic literature and culture. Methodologically, the work relies on ethnographic and netnographic field research, active participation in the field and in social networks, interviews with artists, song and battle rap text analysis, and social network analysis. It is organized as follows: First, key theoretical concepts are explained. Ensuing is a brief overview of hip hop culture and Arab(ic) rap. Then, three case studies focusing on different aspects of Arab rap are presented before a final conclusion is drawn.