Teaching in the age of gangster rap: Educators balancing risk, cultural freedom, and moral education

The Swedish hip-hop landscape has changed with the emergence of the subgenre “gangster rap,” marked by drill-influences and references to criminality. While Swedish hip-hop historically has been used in education to promote empowerment and social engagement, the growth of gangster rap has introduced new educational tensions. Considering this, the aim of this study is to investigate how educators across the Swedish educational field navigate the presence of gangster rap within their respective practices. The empirical material consists of interviews with nine educators from three education settings. The interviews are analyzed using Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of field, capital, and habitus. Findings show that educators orient their actions around three coexisting logics: a juridical logic foregrounding risk and legal considerations; a social logic centered on moral and relational implications; and a cultural logic emphasizing artistic expression and freedom.