Foster B Brian
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, Carolina Population Center.
Issues Race Soc. 2014;2(2):25-47.
Youth express diverse desires for their educational and occupational futures. Sometimes these aspirations are directed towards somewhat unconventional careers such as rapping and other types of involvement in rap music production. Although many studies have examined traditional educational and occupational aspirations, less is known about the factors that give rise to rap-centered aspirations and how individuals pursue them, particularly as they transition to early adulthood. Drawing on 54 semi- and unstructured interviews with 29 black young men involved in rap music production, I find that rap-centered aspirations are shaped by a range of factors, most notably feedback regarding one's rap skills, access to recording and production equipment, and the financial means to maintain involvement in rap music production while also ensuring personal and family economic stability. The young men in the study attached different meanings to their aspirations and sometimes recast their motivations for participating in rap music production in response to various social and economic factors.
年轻人对自己的教育和职业未来表达出多样的期望。有时这些抱负指向一些不太传统的职业，比如说唱以及参与其他类型的说唱音乐制作。尽管许多研究考察了传统的教育和职业抱负，但对于引发以说唱为中心的抱负的因素以及个人如何追求这些抱负，尤其是在他们过渡到成年早期时，我们所知甚少。通过对29名参与说唱音乐制作的黑人青年男子进行54次半结构化和非结构化访谈，我发现以说唱为中心的抱负受到一系列因素的影响，最显著的是关于个人说唱技能的反馈、获得录音和制作设备的机会，以及在确保个人和家庭经济稳定的同时维持参与说唱音乐制作的经济手段。研究中的年轻男子对他们的抱负赋予了不同的意义，有时会根据各种社会和经济因素重新塑造他们参与说唱音乐制作的动机。
