African hip hop as a rhizomic art form articulating urban youth identity and resistance with reference to Kenyan genge and Ghanaian hiplife

Abstract This study argues that hip hop, as a global phenomenon, is a complex assemblage of narratives and metanarratives, many of which are not necessarily direct, structured or causative. Applying Deleuze and Guattari’s concept of the rhizome, this study attempts a ‘mapping’ of hip hop in Africa through case study analyses of genge from Kenya and hiplife from Ghana. This representation helps in demonstrating and appreciating the complexity, multiplicity, fluidity and hybridity of African hip hop.