Social Context and Musical Content of Rap Music, 1979-1995

There is a link between the context of production and the content of rap music singles. This research finds that when independent labels owned most of the charted singles, lyrics emphasized features of the local environment and hostility to corporate music production and values. In contrast, the major-label dominated market featured lyrics blending "street" credibility and commercial success in the "hustler" protagonist. I contribute a new finding to research on market concentration and musical diversity: artists' reactions to the market effects musical content.