The criminalization of the sound of the mass

an analysis of alagoano rap from the perspective of cultural criminology

Abstract

This article seeks to critically analyze rap from Alagoas, under the bias of cultural criminology and the criminalization of poverty. This musical genre, which has roots on the outskirts of large urban centers, carries with it an eminently countercultural character, which is why, not infrequently, it is often criminalized, both in relation to its musical productions, and about its composers and performers. The article presents an interpretation and a re-reading of rap songs produced in the Alagoas, basically using the hypothetical-deductive method, essentially from the point of view of neoliberal policies of social control, as will be explained. In addition, the emphasis of development will be on the problem of the poor-black-slum dweller triad, with a view to observing it as a kind of tool (formal or informal) of control through cultural production, where one sees in its exercise a practice of resistance to the historical marginalization imposed by the more affluent social strata, whose actions are generally aimed at excluding this part of society from the attempt to ascend to the dominant class.