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James Densley, a professor of criminal justice at Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, Minnesota, has studied gangs extensively, including their increasing use of social media and rap.

“It seems to be that is becoming more and more the way that gang members and street gangs create a presence and an identity, whether it is London, England, or Chicago or, now, Vancouver,” Densley said.

The purpose of taunting gang rap songs or videos is primarily “to antagonize rivals and to insult them online.”

In some cases, the humiliation that comes from the rap dis can make a target “feel like they have to respond violently on the streets,” he said.

While law enforcement agencies are using the rap wars to add material to gang databases, that might not always be fair, Densley said.

“Social media creates guilt by association. Just because you are in a rap video doesn’t necessarily mean you are a gang member because, at the end of the day, making a music video, uploading and sharing it online is an everyday pursuit by young people.”

He said one of the big challenges is “disentangling the facts from the fiction.”

“Law enforcement is faced with that challenge because they are trying to figure out, ‘Well, is this a legitimate threat or is this just somebody posturing or posing on the internet?’ The gangs themselves are trying to figure that out as well. They are looking at this and thinking, ‘Well, is this a credible threat?’”

Myth-making a central feature of gang culture

“Gangs are notorious for cultivating myths about their brand — artistic licence, if you will — to talk about their criminal exploits,” Densley said. “So the question is whether or not these videos are a visual record of actual wrongdoing or an incitement to wrongdoing, or are they just part of the mythology of the group where they exaggerate their size, their strength, their reach, in an attempt to intimidate others?”