ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the understanding of rap music on which the research is based, before broaching the question of audiences as described in the results of statistical studies. It contributes towards a better understanding of the manner in which France has once again appropriated, as with jazz and rock music, a musical genre which originated in the United States, and the status of rap music in the processes of cultural legitimisation. The "fans" of rap music surveyed highlight the fact that they "know" about rap and that they possess the knowledge-based resources required to form critical opinions about rap music. The audience of rap music in France is structured not only by the social class of its members but also by their level of interest in rap and individual involvement in this type of music: this has resulted in the development of a range of musical tastes distinguishable from those sustained by the mass media industries.
