Lojalitet i ett orättvist samhälle

Moralisk ambivalens i svenska gangsterraptexter

Abstract

This article explores constructions of morality in Swedish drill lyrics from 2017-2021 and the way society is being depicted through those constructions. The analysis shows that a collectivistic morality is emphasized in the texts through expressions of loyalty and sacredness in relation to one’s social group – a group depicted as socially and economically marginalized and stigmatized. The loyalty and sacredness draw a boundary between the social group and the rest of the society, whereby the society as a whole comes forth as being unequal. At the same time, a tension is expressed in the lyrics between individualistic and collectivistic morality: to choose individual success, or, to remain loyal with one’s social group and the shared experiences of hardship.