This article addresses notions of 'Norwegianness' in rap music. Based on comparative audiovisual analyses and close readings of two different versions of Norwegian rap group Karpe Diem's 2010 hit 'Byduer i dur', the author's main objective is to question how issues concerning ethnicity and cultural belonging are negotiated through audiovisual representations and in the self-fashioning of the artists. The analyses and readings rest upon two central issues. First, to uncover how Karpe Diem's spectacle of 'otherness' might be considered alongside aspects of ethnicity, cultural belonging and national identity within a Norwegian context. Secondly, to argue that identity is constructed as flexible and free-floating, which provides an opportunity to reconsider notions of 'Norwegianness' through musical performance. By proposing a decentred approach to analysing audiovisual texts, the author intends to shed light on how Karpe Diem's performances could be read as part of a discourse on nationhood in contemporary Norwegian society. Following this, the national trauma of 22 July 2011 should be considered a significant backdrop for the readings and critical discussions undertaken throughout this paper.The self is always predicted on difference, on the positioning of an 'other' who serves to render the uniqueness and superiority of the self. (Jones 2012, p. 20) 1 Anders Behring Breivik, also referred to as ABB or the 'terrorist' (see Indergard 2012; Aagedal et al.2013). 2 The idea of 'cultural purity' is a highly significant aspect of ABB's manifest, released the same day as the attacks (see Greenberg 2011). Hawkins and Bjorøy's (2014) recent research addresses this issue from a musicological perspective.

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