Hip-Hop Ballads Made Anew on the Streets of Aberdeen

This paper looks at how young Scots are using contemporary art forms to continue a centuries-old relationship with song as a “vital form of communication” (Merriam 1964). With changing ways of life, the contexts for traditional song have changed dramatically, in the last century. How, then, does a musical culture like Scotland's, adapt to continue to communicate through song? Through interviews with Jack Hughes, this article explores the content of his songs – topics, perspectives, issues – as well as their structure in relation to 'tradition', to the Corrido (Herrera-Sobek), and hip-hop/rap (Chang), in general, and other contemporary forms.