Representations of Rap Music in Cinema: Forms of Resistance and Reconciliation in Casablanca Beats

Abstract

Sinema, toplumsal dönüşümün aktörleri olan gruplarla etkileşim kuran ve toplumsal gerçeklik ile yakından bağlantılı bir sanattır. Baskın kültürler içerisinde sesini duyuramayan gruplar altkültürler aracılığıyla kendilerine alternatif bir alan açarak baskın kültüre karşı bir direniş geliştirebilmekte veya onunla uzlaşma yoluna gidebilmektedir. Dolayısıyla, altkültürler her ne kadar bir direniş biçimi gibi algılansa da bazen toplumla uzlaşma yolunda işlevsel olabilmektedir. Alternatif bir ifade biçimi olarak altkültürler birçok farklı ülkede üretilen son dönem filmlerde kendisine bir temsil alanı bulabilmektedir. Bu çalışmada, rap alt-kültürünün sinemada nasıl temsil edildiği incelenmektedir. Bu amaç doğrultusunda, Fas Sineması’nın son yıllarda dikkat çeken örneklerinden biri olan Kazablanka Ritimleri (Ayouch, 2021) filmi Kasıtlı Örneklem yoluyla seçilmiştir. Kazablanka Ritimleri’nde (Ayouch, 2021) genç karakterler arasında dinamik bir rap alt kültürünün ortaya çıkışı ve bu yol ile gençlerin kendilerine bir kaçış hattı oluşturarak normatif değerlere karşı bir faillik oluşturmaları ele alınmaktadır. Bu çalışmada, rap müzik alt-kültürel pratiklerin Kazablanka Ritimleri (Ayouch, 2021) adlı filme nasıl yansıdığı, Raymond Williams’ın “egemen”, “kalıntısal” ve “doğmakta olan” tanımlamalarıyla ele aldığı kültür çerçevesinin rehberliğinde Betimsel Analiz yöntemi kullanılarak incelenmiştir. Çalışmanın sonucunda, ilgili filmde genç karakterlerin alt kültürel pratikleri yoluyla özerk bir ifade alanı buldukları, grup aidiyeti oluşturdukları, toplumsal belirlenimlere meydan okudukları ancak diğer taraftan ise baskın kültürü dönüştürerek onunla bir uzlaşma çabasına girdikleri saptanmıştır.

Keywords

• Fas Sineması
• Alt Kültürler
• Rap Müzik
• Baskın Kültür
• Yükselen Kültür

Representations of Rap Music in Cinema: Forms of Resistance and Reconciliation in Casablanca Beats

Abstract

Cinema is an art connected to social reality, interacting with groups that are actors of societal transformation. Groups that cannot make their voices heard within dominant cultures can develop a resistance against the dominant culture or find a path of reconciliation with it through subcultures, thereby creating an alternative space for themselves. Therefore, although subcultures are often perceived as a form of resistance, they can sometimes be functional in the path towards reconciliation with society. As an alternative form of expression, subcultures can find an opportunity of representation in recent films produced in many different countries. This study examines how rap subculture is represented in cinema. With this aim in mind, the film Casablanca Beats (Ayouch, 2021), which is one of the noteworthy examples of Moroccan cinema in recent years, has been selected as an example. Casablanca Beats (Ayouch, 2021) addresses the emergence of a dynamic rap subculture among young characters, and how through this path, they create a lifeline for themselves by forming a resistance against normative values. In this study, the reflection of rap music subcultural practices in Casablanca Beats (Ayouch, 2021) is examined using the Descriptive Analysis method guided by Raymond Williams' framework of the “dominant”, “residual”, and “emerging” cultures. The results of the study reveal that in the film, young characters find a space of autonomous expression through subcultural practices, form group identities, challenge societal determinants, but on the other hand, they are also observed to engage in efforts to reconcile with the dominant culture by transforming it.

Keywords

• Morroccan Cinema
• Subcultures
• Rap Music
• Dominant Culture
• Emergent Culture

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