Ethos as street credibility: defining the street artist as a hero persona in the hip-hop lyrics of Nas

Abstract

Hip-hop authenticity can simply be measured by an artist who is labeled as "real" or as a "sell out." Using Michael Dyson's concept of authenticity in hip-hop and Byron Hurt, Nelson George, and Mickev Hess's examination of the hip-hop persona, this essay will examine how the rapper Nas establishes ethos as street credibility by authenticating his status as a street artist and developing it into a hero persona. In this thesis, we find that in the lyrics of Nas his street artist image provides the foundation for the hero persona. His hero persona is defined by masculine and rebellious characteristics that inevitably assist in identifying him as an authentic pure hip-hop artist. For an appropriate analysis, hip-hop is placed in the rhetorical tradition to identify hiphop ethos as the "keepin' it real" concept. The historical account of the musical genre must also be observed to then analyze the importance of consistency and purity and how these characteristics authenticate a rapper's persona. Last, in a close analysis of Nas's lyrics, we will observe and define the street artist as hero persona.