Politicization of Russian Rap Musicians: Discourse Analysis of Music Texts (2018-march 2021)

The study is devoted to the politicization of Russian rap artists from 2018 to March 2021. Despite the wide popularity of rap music, there are practically no studies in Russian political science and cultural studies related to the Russian rap discourse and its politicization. That is why the purpose of the study was to describe the political messages of Russian rap artists regarding the political situation in Russia. To study this phenomenon, a discourse analysis method was chosen based on the methodology of the British linguist Norman Fairclough. The empirical base of the study consisted of 8 rap artists and their musical compositions containing messages and theses of political coloring. The result of the study was that in the Russian rap discourse there is a tendency to politicize rap artists and their work, where the opposition cohort of performers is especially politicized. Topics in the discourse of politicized rap artists were identified, to which the main attention is drawn. It also revealed the discursive strategies used by Russian rap artists to reinforce their political messages.