When recognition moves sideways: Horizontal legitimacy in the Chinese rap field

This article examines the production and negotiation of cultural legitimacy in the Chinese rap field following its rapid mainstreaming after The Rap of China (2017). The article develops the concept of horizontal legitimacy to explain how recognition is produced among culturally embedded actors through peer evaluation, cultural knowledge, and spatial practices. Drawing on qualitative interviews with rappers and fans, the article shows that horizontal legitimacy operates through collective evaluation, epistemic authority, and the transformation of lived environments into meaningful cultural spaces. Horizontal legitimacy interacts with vertical legitimacy, shaping how actors negotiate visibility, cultural authority, and authenticity. The Chinese rap case demonstrates that legitimacy is not a fixed status but an ongoing relational process of recognition, contestation, and value-making within cultural fields.