«To be in the place »: les open mics comme espaces de légitimation artistique pour les scènes rap à paris et Atlanta

The spatial aspects of rap music have given birth to a whole body of literature in social sciences. However, a lot of studies approached this music through the songs, considering that they were "naturally" reflecting local ways of life and identities. Yet, rap music can also be regarded through local art worlds, where are created the representations that are then conveyed in the music. Thus, this paper will put the focus on the spaces of production of rap music, observing the spatial practices that take place in open mic shows in the urban regions of Paris and Atlanta. Through the study of performances and discourses displayed in these events it will be shown how the logics of legitimacy of rap music are built within two local scenes. In this way, open mics will highlight two models of artistic capitals that reveal a lot of the structure and the hierarchy of the rap music worlds in France and in the United States.