{"id":317614,"date":"2021-08-07T01:13:55","date_gmt":"2021-08-06T22:13:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-hip-hop-transformed-japanese-culture\/"},"modified":"2021-08-07T01:13:55","modified_gmt":"2021-08-06T22:13:55","slug":"how-hip-hop-transformed-japanese-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-hip-hop-transformed-japanese-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"#How Hip Hop Transformed Japanese Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d6b30e3608\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d6b30e3608\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-hip-hop-transformed-japanese-culture\/#How_Hip_Hop_Took_Over_Tokyo\" >How Hip Hop Took Over Tokyo<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-hip-hop-transformed-japanese-culture\/#Hip_Hops_Impact_On_Culture\" >Hip Hop\u2019s Impact On Culture<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-hip-hop-transformed-japanese-culture\/#Hip_Hops_Continued_Evolution\" >Hip Hop\u2019s Continued Evolution\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#How Hip Hop Transformed Japanese Culture<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"image large\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hiphopdx.com\/2021\/08\/DX_Asia_1a-1200x675.png\" alt=\"How Hip Hop Transformed Japanese Culture\" class=\"large\"><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"body-copy  js-entry-text\" itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHip Hop in America \u2026 is freedom,\u201d acclaimed Japanese DJ-producer DJ Honda said in the first episode of the Takhiro Shiraishi-directed\u00a0<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1ENFBS8EDcs&amp;feature=youtu.be\">Hip Hop Originals.<\/a><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sponsored by adidas Tokyo with creative direction and production by AtariPunk Tokyo\u2019s Brendan Cravitz, the three-part mini-documentary traces the genre\u2019s early underground beginnings in Japan to its present mainstream success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hip Hop\u2019s global influence today as a commercial and cultural force started out as a way to integrate a new, foreign concept in diverse settings, inviting participation despite barriers. In the mid-\u201980s in Tokyo, Hip Hop arrived at a time where a booming economy not only allowed, but also encouraged people to express themselves freely and artistically.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Hip_Hop_Took_Over_Tokyo\"><\/span><b>How Hip Hop Took Over Tokyo<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hip Hop\u2019s freewheeling nature im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>tely <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ealed to Japan\u2019s exploding dance scene. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThey would come from America, even before we had stages in night clubs, the people of dance culture,\u201d one of Japan\u2019s Hip Hop pioneers YOU THE ROCK\u2605 recalls. \u201cIt\u2019s the next thing. It\u2019s like, \u2018Yo, brother! Tracksuit from top to bottom, let\u2019s go!\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Like in many countries in Asia, Hip Hop was introduced to Japan by DJs returning from the United States. DJs would play popular Hip Hop records they brought back from New York equipped with the latest Hip Hop\u00a0 fashion at the time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With footwear also fast-becoming integral to the growing Japanese Hip Hop scene, classic rap fans started embracing the musical aspect of the culture while emulating their favorite rapper\u2019s looks. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe reason behind myself really wanting to rap and wanting that particular fashion was definitely because of Run-D.M.C,\u201d fellow OG Kan Takagi shares, as he cited the 1985 film <\/span><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0089444\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Krush Groove <\/span><\/i><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(which starred Run-DMC) for sparking his life-long interest in American Hip Hop fashion, particularly his love for sneakers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DJ Honda described watching the late Jam Master Jay rocking his adidas Superstars on stage when performing \u201cMy Adidas.\u201d His American contemporaries such as Flavor Flav and Redman, would end up watching and cheering him on as he established himself and collaborated with the likes of De La Soul, Mos Def, Ice-T, Eazy-E, Gang Starr, Common and countless more. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Honda describes Hip Hop as constantly evolving, saying, \u201cEveryone is trying to create. So I\u2019m freely doing what I love.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Check out episode 1 below for more:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1ENFBS8EDcs\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1ENFBS8EDcs<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hip_Hops_Impact_On_Culture\"><\/span><b>Hip Hop\u2019s Impact On Culture<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the most part during its early days, Japanese Hip Hop \u2014 then largely ignored by gatekeepers \u2014 was faithful to its American roots, but as it progressed and became more localized, later generations of Japanese musicians felt being themselves afforded them greater freedom.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cI think there is a stronger sense of individuality,\u201d producer Steelo explains in the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Br4S50JYyJs\">second episode<\/a>, which features the \u201cnew school\u201d of Japanese Hip Hop. Kenya of the rap group Bleeker Chrome cites Kid Cudi as an example of an artist who shows that rap \u201cdon\u2019t need to be\u2026 about gangs or society.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Cudi is well known for documenting his personal struggle within his lyrics and has created a strong connection to his fanbase over the last decade.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hip Hop has been so deeply embedded in Japanese society that more and more young people are pursuing it as a full-time career. DJ Rena, who won the DMC World Championship at the age of 12, said he aspires to produce music \u201cthat transcends Hip Hop.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although beat-driven, classic American Hip Hop remains prominent in Japan, today\u2019s rappers and producers agree that Hip Hop continues to bend and defy genres. That doesn\u2019t mean local Hip Hop has completely deviated from its western counterpart. In fact, the cultural exchange seems to only get more dynamic and poignant. The \u201cAmerican Dream\u201d seems to still be at the heart of why people fall in love with the genre. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cNeither race nor where you were born matters at all,\u201d Steelo said. \u201cIt\u2019s about turning nothing into something. It could be singing, graffiti, dancing, or DJ-ing \u2026 it\u2019s about: what do you want to be? Who do you want to be?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Check out episode 2 below for more:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Br4S50JYyJs\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Br4S50JYyJs<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hip_Hops_Continued_Evolution\"><\/span><b>Hip Hop\u2019s Continued Evolution\u00a0<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the final episode of the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a>,\u00a0DJ Kaori quotes a line from Special Ed\u2019s 1989 single \u201cI Got It Made\u201d saying,\u00a0\u201cI don\u2019t need your respect, because I got it made.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She was referring to how the male-dominated Hip Hop industry regard women who are creating space for themselves. Hip Hop journalist Shiho Watanabe describes how Japanese women\u2019s magazines and the culture goes \u201cin (the) completely opposite direction\u201d compared to what she regards as American Hip Hop\u2019s ethos of being comfortable in your own skin and \u201cowning the attitude you feel best with.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She hopes to empower more women to dispel the attitude Hip Hop is solely something for men to enjoy within Japanese culture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rapper Charlu puts it succinctly: \u201cWhen a guy told me that it doesn\u2019t matter whether you are female or male at an MC battle, I thought it totally does. Woman. Rapper. Born in \u014cimachi. Mother of two. They\u2019re all my uniqueness and it\u2019s not like it doesn\u2019t matter. I\u2019m spitting my character out as I carry all that in my back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The underlying sentiment (not just among Japanese Hip Hop artists, but also in the global community as a whole) is all about preserving and celebrating culture. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DJ MASTERKEY explains, \u201cI think [Hip Hop] spreads in a really good way. But also in a contradictory way, this culture needs Japan as a country to consider this as a culture and as art. If they would go in that direction \u2026 I think [Japanese Hip Hop] will reach a world level.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brooklyn Yas, who was transformative in bringing Japanese underground Hip Hop to mainstream consciousness, wrapped it up sublimely: \u201cWe need to cherish these experiences because only when something transcends generations, we can call it culture.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Watch episode 3 below and subscribe to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC34X-VcRJMP6EmfSQpRj-YA\"><em>HipHopDX<\/em> Asia\u2019s YouTube page<\/a> for more content as they follow the growing scene.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=iLdpRl6h3IY\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=iLdpRl6h3IY<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"author\" itemprop=\"author\" itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"DX Staff\"><br \/>\nby DX Staff\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Social Media category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/hiphopdx.com\/news\/id.63733\/title.how-hip-hop-transformed-japanese-culture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#How Hip Hop Transformed Japanese Culture&#8221; \u201cHip Hop in America \u2026 is freedom,\u201d acclaimed Japanese DJ-producer DJ Honda said in the first episode of the Takhiro Shiraishi-directed\u00a0Hip Hop Originals. Sponsored by adidas Tokyo with creative direction and production by AtariPunk Tokyo\u2019s Brendan Cravitz, the three-part mini-documentary traces the genre\u2019s early underground beginnings in Japan to&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":317615,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static.hiphopdx.com\/2021\/08\/DX_Asia_1a-1200x675.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-317614","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317614","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=317614"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/317614\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/317615"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=317614"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=317614"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=317614"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}