Indexing Identity: Evolution of Themes and Terminology in Hip-hop and Trap music

This study investigates how language constructs recurring themes in two influential rap genres: hip-hop and trap. Rather than asking whether these styles incite violence or celebrate excess, the research examines how violence and wealth are linguistically represented and what discursive functions they serve within each genre. Two specialized corpora were created, each composed of the lyrics from fifteen highly influential albums. A Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies (CADS) approach was adopted by combining keyword extraction, collocation analysis and the close reading of concordances, using Sketch Engine and AntConc. Thanks to this approach I carried out a quantitative mapping of recurring lexical patterns and a qualitative interpretation of how words contribute to identity construction. Results show that hip-hop and trap rely on different linguistic economies. In hip-hop, keywords related to violence do not primarily narrate physical harm but act as a means of asserting authenticity and collective endurance. Trap, by contrast, centers on visibility, self-assertion, and hedonism, with terms like money, ice, or Gucci that signify status and visibility as proof of success. Despite this difference, both genres share a compact and culturally loaded lexicon, where words carry social meaning beyond their literal sense. The analysis highlights a historical shift in rap discourse, from narrating risk to performing reward, while showing that some of the linguistic mechanisms behind identity construction remain consistent.