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Deciphering Moroccan ‘Cool’

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Rap Beyond Resistance

Part of the book series: Pop Music, Culture and Identity ((PMCI))

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Abstract

This chapter situates the discussion by looking at the main cultural, political and economic ecologies of Moroccan youth culture in the 2000s. In 1999, with a new king heading the state, Morocco had the chance to reinvent itself and become an ‘exception’ in the region. In 2003, the narrative of exceptionalism was fractured by several terrorist attacks in Casablanca and the state’s persecution of heavy metal musicians and Islamists as a response to these. This provided a privileged space for hip hop practitioners and fans to become the country’s new image. Rappers as the new ‘cool’ became well known through their performances in state-sponsored music festivals and in the media, and were acclaimed by French-speaking urban elites often critical of the state. This chapter lays the ground for understanding how during the 2000s, the state and the elites, despite their rivalry, capitalized on hip hop culture in their aim of capturing the hearts and minds of urban young people.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deparment of Digital Humanities, King’s College London, London, UK

    Cristina Moreno Almeida

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  1. Cristina Moreno Almeida
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Correspondence to Cristina Moreno Almeida .

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Moreno Almeida, C. (2017). Deciphering Moroccan ‘Cool’. In: Rap Beyond Resistance. Pop Music, Culture and Identity. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60183-0_2

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