The production of a rapper space. The socio-musical dynamics of a home studio in the suburbs of Buenos Aires

Abstract

This article describes a rap home studio in the suburbs of Buenos Aires linking aesthetic, social, and material dimensions to explain how a rap space is produced. Using the native category of “cultural center”, it is argued that home studios are relevant for understanding contemporary ways of doing and relating to music in this city, in which digitization converges with the gradual popularization of rap since 2010. Analyzing the architectural characteristics of the studio, its equipment, the actions of “ranchar” –sharing in confidence– and “producir” –making music–, the importance of ‘demarcation operations’ is proposed, regarding the creation of borders and bridges between internal spaces of the studio and its separation from the outside; and the specificity in the elaboration of a sound. To show these processes, data was obtained from an ethnography, in which participant observation, interviews, and song analysis converged. It is concluded that, in order to observe this home studio as a space of resistance, it is essential to regard its density and complexity.