Umeå universitets logga

In recent years, Swedish rap music from suburban areas has been trending on music charts across thecountry. One artist who repeatedly topped the Swedish playlists was Nils Grönberg – known in themusic world as Einár. Born and raised outside of Stockholm, Einár’s music, among others, is said toromanticize and glorify life in the so-called “forgotten neighborhoods.” Songs about weapons, drugs,and sex aim to depict everyday life where criminality tends to attract young citizens, which hassparked a debate about whether this might negatively influence its listeners, particularly young adultsand children.

Einár’s career came to an abrupt end when he was brutally murdered in October 2021. After hisdeath, he received extensive media attention for his talent and career. Although he was a successfulyoung rapper, he also had a history of gang-related criminality. In this essay, articles written before Einár’s death are compared with those written after his passing to investigate whether he has beenglorified by the media rather than portrayed objectively. The aim is to analyze journalism and newsreporting in complex situations, such as in the case of death, and explore how the media handles suchevents.

The analysis is based on five variables that were formulated to fulfill the study’s purpose. These variables include aspects such as news angle, framing, and themes in the articles written about Einár. In conclusion, the study found that news reporting about the rap artist did indeed changed after his death.

Keywords: Rap music, criminality, media portraying, Swedish music, ganglife, framing, identification, stigma, journalism, moral panic