by Sam Salvador
Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, Kevin Abstract, Lil Wayne, Post Malone, 21 Savage…the list goes on and on. Why do so many rappers refer to themselves as rockstars in their music? Let’s explore several possibilities and ultimately answer the question: are rappers allowed to call themselves rockstars?
The first possibility is that rappers are speaking metaphorically when they use the moniker. This renders the question mute when Post Malone sings in “Rockstar,” “I been popping pillies, man I feel just like a rockstar.” But how often is it overtly a simile? Certainly, that defense wouldn’t work when Playboi Carti and Lil Uzi directly state “I’m a rockstar” dozens of times in wokeuplikethis*.
Being a philosophy major, I deemed it necessary to take a step back and examine our axioms. What does it mean to be a rockstar, and what is the etymological history of the term? A rockstar, of course, is a well-known rock musician. Rock music is characterized by, most typically, a 4/4 backbeat, snares, sonic volume, electric guitar, powerful vocals (often in a blues or folk-derived A-B-A-B-C-B chorus structure), and rhythmic, power drums as its backbone. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the term rockstar was first used by Cleveland-based DJ Alan Freed in 1957. Its popularity began to spike in 1982, based on my analysis of textual occurrences in the media.
So, does rap music share these musical characteristics? Lil Wayne’s Rebirth album in 2010 makes a deliberate effort. It has a 3.3/10 on Metacritic, panned widely by critics and audiences. However, you’ll notice a weird, almost sparse audio mix that seems to overemphasize Wayne’s autotuned vocals. You can find the occasional good example, such as Lil Uzi Vert’s “Werewolf (Feat. Bring Me The Horizon).” You’d be wise to point out, though, that the rock elements are largely carried by BMTH, not Vert.
Maybe you can be a rockstar based on lifestyle alone? If their songs are any indication, surely at least some of these rappers go on benders that can rival Ozzy, Mötley Crüe, Slash, or Steven Tyler. I’m at least amenable to the idea. But can I live like a roofer, fisherman, or school teacher? I could, I guess. But nobody talks like that. Imagine if a rockstar called themselves a rapper. Could it be a case of cultural appropriation one way but not the other?
