Rap as a discursive tool

Discourse Analysis on climate change and environmental degradation

Abstract

With the recurring occurrence of socio-environmental disasters, the communities most impacted are vulnerable populations living in risk areas. Thus, this article sought to analyze, through the lyrics of Rhythm and Poetry (RAP), how artists expose and denounce this reality. To this end, Discourse Analysis (DA), as proposed by Michel Pêcheux, will be used. This approach does not limit itself to observing the lyrics, but also considers the speaker, their lived experience, and all the elements that make up discourse. The results indicate that RAP lyrics address issues related to disasters, pollution, sanitation, and wildfires, warning about their consequences. Furthermore, they reaffirm the connection between Indigenous communities and nature and highlight how this relationship is continuously disrespected. In addition, they present ways of questioning and exposing socio-environmental problems. Finally, it is concluded that the analyzed lyrics show how RAP functions as an instrument of denunciation and awareness regarding socio-environmental issues, articulating lived experiences from urban peripheries and traditional communities. The selected artists use didactic and popular language, promoting a connection with a population that lives the same reality and, thus, through these discourses, acquire knowledge about their rights related to the environment, climate, and basic sanitation.