THE RAGGA FOCUS:

THE HYPERLOCAL

BIGGING UP WHAT'S HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT

RAGGAMUFFIN is built on concepts and philosophies, blending cultural studies, history, curatorial practices, and ethnomusicology. Inspired by these fields, RAGGAMUFFIN’s aim is to shed light on the hyperlocal which gives rise to most — if not all — of the cultural movements throughout the diaspora we know and love today. What is the hyperlocal? Why focus on it? What are its implications when it comes to the development of musical movements? What are its impacts on cultural shifts?

Hy·per·lo·cal

/‘hīpǝr, lōkǝl/

Adjective (but referred to as a noun here)

The hyperlocal in this case relates to the urban space. If the local was magnified and we zoomed in closer, we would find the hyperlocal; a more concentrated look at communities in a given area. A neighbourhood, a street corner, or an apartment block would all be considered “hyperlocal environments”.

At first glance, the hyperlocal can seem ordinary, yet it embodies the type of convivial knowledge that is often overlooked. When it comes to the hyperlocalities dispersed across the African diaspora, they are undefeated in creating seismic cultural shifts in the mainstream. Reggae, Hip-hop, UK Drill, Amapiano, Kuduro, Baile funk, Reggaeton — just to name a few — are all examples of Black musical genres emerging from hyperlocalities which exploded in the mainstream; Trenchtown in Kingston, the Bronx in New York City, the Angel estate of Brixton in London, the townships of Pretoria, the musseques (shanty towns) of Luanda, the favelas of Rio, the inner city of Panama City.

Focusing on the hyperlocal to trace the development of cultural movements throughout the African diaspora is essential in understanding the relationship between Black popular culture(s) and the mainstream, but it also serves in expanding the narrative surrounding them and going beyond the racial/(socio)political framework.

The racial/(socio)political perspectives are extremely helpful in contextualizing and identifying how, through the years, Black musical culture(s) have been — and continue to be — developed as a reaction, or sometimes product, of exploitation and oppression. These dynamics of exploitation and oppression continue to taint/shape the relationship that Black popular culture(s) have with the mainstream, being that they are constantly used out of convenience and thrown away at the drop of a dime.

However, we must also recognize how the racial/(socio)political lens confines Black creativity and cultural innovation within narratives of strife, making it difficult to take Black ingenuity and artistic expression seriously outside of that framework.This is where the hyperlocal comes in: by offering a complementary perspective on the relationship between Black popular culture(s) and the mainstream.

Simply by identifying Black cultural movements as hyperlocal and not marginal or subcultural makes a huge difference. Using the term hyperlocal not only helps geographically locate where these Black cultural happenings occur, but more importantly it anchors Black cultural phenomena to a physical place and is no longer relegated to the “nebulous margins”. There’s no denying that the urban space is carved out into segregated spaces: the margins (“the ghetto”) and the centre. The goal here is not turn a blind eye to this, but rather flip the script, and take ownership of the hyperlocal space as cultural trendsetter. The hyperlocal is a reminder that Black popular culture(s) don’t always have to operate within a framework of exploitation and oppression, or within a dual dynamic with the mainstream.The hyperlocal works as a marker of belonging.

It’s time to avert the gaze from the mainstream and start bigging up what’s hidden in plain sight.

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