Fok de macht: Nederlandse popcultuur als karaoke-amerikanisme

Since 9/11 and the assassinations of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh, the political debate in the Netherlands seems predominantly focused on how Dutch national identity is endangered by Muslim extremism and the issue of ethnic integration. The fear that the national identity could be undermined by the cultural imperialism of Americanization has conspicuously disappeared from the political agenda. Using the concept of karaoke Americanism, this article examines recent commercial rap songs that use African-American hip-hop to comment on Dutch current affairs, thereby not only showing how pop culture and politics have become intertwined, but also providing telling examples of Americanization as a form of active cultural appropriation.