ISSN 2955-2206 (online)

УДК: 791-21:316.723-027.6

Biljana Rajchinova-Nikolova

HIP HOP AND RAP MUSIC AS PROVOCATION AND INSPIRATION FOR 8 MILE FILM

(To the 8 MILE film, directed by Curtis Henson, written by Scott Silver, starring: Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy, Mackie Pfeiffer, photography by Rodrigo Prieto, USA/Germany 2002)

Con­sidering the principle of irreducibility, i.e., the insusceptibility of the hip hop subculture to sterile theoretical formulations, it is difficult to present it in a few wor­ds. For this occasion, however, some of its initial determinations will be enough so that we can "knowingly" dive into a refreshing perspective of the hip hop film 8 MILE, a distinctive story in the world of the seventh art. Through the film, we are to look at the identity-space-time relation from the perspective of 'the identity of man in space and time' (Borges, 1990: 141) and we are to try to answer the questions: Who am I?, and: What am I?, in the 'space: slum' – a real geographical space divided by the 8 Mile on a racial basis and in the 'space: hiphop scene'. Namely, in the re­se­arch, the idea of highlighting (of the changes) of the identity of the rapper/actor in the 'space: slum' and in the 'space: hiphop scene' is relevant, as a reflection of con­ti­nuous self-identification, self-discovery, and self-affirmation as a hero and winner. For this purpose, we are to use insights from imagology, postcolonial theory, and iden­tity studies, those that explain identity through essentialist and constructivist con­cepts of identity. 

Keywords: Subculture, hip hop culture, hip hop film, identity, space.