EN
TR
FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL: GLOCAL IDENTİTY AND HYBRİDİZATİON İN AHİYAN’S TURKISH RAP
Abstract
This study examines the music of Ahiyan, a Turkish rap artist, within the frameworks of glocalization, hybridization, and cultural hybridity theories. By comparing Ahiyan’s works with Turkey’s previously hybridized genres such as folk music, art music, arabesque, Anatolian rock, and Turkish pop, the study reveals the role of melodic structure, lyrical themes, visual strategies, and digital platforms in the production of glocal identity. The fusion of modes such as Hicaz, Nihavend, and Kürdî with trap beats and global rap aesthetics is interpreted as a digital-age reflection of the hybridization practices of arabesque and Anatolian rock during the 1960s and 1970s. Themes such as “exile,” “belonging,” and “loneliness” in Ahiyan’s lyrics parallel the emotional narratives of arabesque music shaped by migration and urbanization, while also intersecting with the protest and identity-based traditions of global rap. Moreover, the coexistence of traditional and modern imagery in his videos is analyzed as a visual embodiment of Bhabha’s concept of the “third space.” Digital platforms (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music) serve as essential networks facilitating the glocal circulation of Ahiyan’s music, discussed through Robertson’s theory of glocalization and Appadurai’s concepts of mediascape and technoscape. Ultimately, Ahiyan’s music unites the legacy of Turkey’s hybridized genres with the aesthetic and technological possibilities of the digital age, producing a new form of glocal identity performance that offers an innovative model for both young Turkish musicians and the global music scene.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
Turkish
Subjects
Musicology and Ethnomusicology
Journal Section
Research Article
Early Pub Date
December 10, 2025
Publication Date
December 31, 2025
Submission Date
November 2, 2025
Acceptance Date
December 5, 2025
Published in Issue
Year 1970 Volume: 8 Number: 4