The lazy element: LMF and the localization of hip hop authenticity

No other cultural practitioner values authenticity, or “keeping it real,” more than rappers and hip hop musicians. Debates regarding what “real” hip hop is, however, remain contentious. This chapter examines how the Hong Kong hip hop group LazyMuthaFucka (LMF) localizes hip hop authenticity. Deviating from existing studies which label LMF as “conscious rap” or “gangsta rap,” the study introduces the notion of the “Lazy element” to reveal LMF’s artistic vision as one that is too “Lazy” to conform to any artistic conventions or categories. The examination focuses on how the group manifests the Lazy element in both its musical and lyrical aesthetics. This chapter concludes that LMF’s Lazy element represents the localization of the fluidity of hip hop authenticity in the Hong Kong context.