The changing linguistic codes in Hausa hip-hop songs

Abstract

The objective of this article is to examine the use of varying linguistic codes in the lyrics of the Hausa hip-hop songs. It discovers that Hausa hip-hop singers switch languages, drawing inspiration from global hip-hop classics (African-Americans) and Nigerian hip-hop to signal socio-cultural awareness and the complex weave of contemporary hip-hop music culture. It also reveals that the singers construct their lyrics by combining Hausa and English with a little influence from Arabic and native languages (mostly Nigerian Pidgin English and Yoruba) to create a distinct soundscape for their music. It also reveals switching strategies at inter-sentence and intra-sentence levels resulting in the discursive constructions appropriate for the expressed message.

Keywords

• code switching
• Hausa hip-hop
• language choice
• linguistic codes
• lyrics