Comments on: Hip-Hop Citizen of the World http://www.radioopensource.org/hip-hop-citizen-of-the-world/ Christopher Lydon in conversation on arts, ideas and politics Sun, 12 Feb 2012 19:09:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: ken_lewis http://www.radioopensource.org/hip-hop-citizen-of-the-world/#comment-74787 ken_lewis Wed, 07 Jun 2006 10:11:07 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=480#comment-74787 I have lived in Japan, and there is much for the Japanese middle class to "complain about." Having lived and traveled in 40+ countries around the world, including Thailand from where I write now, I can tell you that Japan is (in my eyes) the most oppressive social situation in the world. The Japanese are told in everyway that they can't be themselves, and instead have to be simple actors in the play of Japanese life. That is stressful, and that is why the Japanese rank #2 in the world's most suicides per capita (behind Russia). The flipside of it, is that sometimes it takes a tight squeeze for someone to stand up for their inner freedom, their inner rights. And, I've met many of these Japanese people in India, who are happily on their spiritual quests and relieved of being out of there. Even here in Chiang Mai, Thailand, there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of Japanese "refugees." I sense this isn't a case of minority oppression that yields Japanese hip-hop. On the other hand, I saw that the Japanese are terrific at copying the style of rebellion. They can masterfully present themselves as fully rebellious, because that is a normal way to conform in modern Japan. Sorry, I don't know enough about this music to give specific comments on it. I have lived in Japan, and there is much for the Japanese middle class to “complain about.”

Having lived and traveled in 40+ countries around the world, including Thailand from where I write now, I can tell you that Japan is (in my eyes) the most oppressive social situation in the world. The Japanese are told in everyway that they can’t be themselves, and instead have to be simple actors in the play of Japanese life. That is stressful, and that is why the Japanese rank #2 in the world’s most suicides per capita (behind Russia).

The flipside of it, is that sometimes it takes a tight squeeze for someone to stand up for their inner freedom, their inner rights. And, I’ve met many of these Japanese people in India, who are happily on their spiritual quests and relieved of being out of there. Even here in Chiang Mai, Thailand, there are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of Japanese “refugees.”

I sense this isn’t a case of minority oppression that yields Japanese hip-hop.

On the other hand, I saw that the Japanese are terrific at copying the style of rebellion. They can masterfully present themselves as fully rebellious, because that is a normal way to conform in modern Japan.

Sorry, I don’t know enough about this music to give specific comments on it.

]]> By: Robin http://www.radioopensource.org/hip-hop-citizen-of-the-world/#comment-74786 Robin Mon, 05 Jun 2006 18:47:20 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=480#comment-74786 Hey Lala- I thought the same as you until I talked at length to Dawn-Elissa Fischer (actually from Oakland,CA) about hip-hop in Japan. According to her, Japan is more racially and ethnic diverse than most Westerners think, and our attitudes about Japanese hip-hop as being style over substance only reflects general Western prejudices against Japan. I tended to buy her argument. For example, the Korean population in Japan has oft been prejudiced against. Do you have direct experience in Japan that makes you think otherwise? And thanks for all those cool suggestions, Emerson. The Cambodian stuff sounds especially cool. We were talking about doing a Cambodia show for a while that kind of got tabled, but I definitely want to know more. Where can I hear some DJ Cream? Hey Lala-

I thought the same as you until I talked at length to Dawn-Elissa Fischer (actually from Oakland,CA) about hip-hop in Japan. According to her, Japan is more racially and ethnic diverse than most Westerners think, and our attitudes about Japanese hip-hop as being style over substance only reflects general Western prejudices against Japan. I tended to buy her argument. For example, the Korean population in Japan has oft been prejudiced against. Do you have direct experience in Japan that makes you think otherwise?

And thanks for all those cool suggestions, Emerson. The Cambodian stuff sounds especially cool. We were talking about doing a Cambodia show for a while that kind of got tabled, but I definitely want to know more. Where can I hear some DJ Cream?

]]> By: lala http://www.radioopensource.org/hip-hop-citizen-of-the-world/#comment-74785 lala Fri, 02 Jun 2006 01:29:12 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=480#comment-74785 Adaptation of Japanese hip hop is just artificial style only. Japan is after all homogenized middle class nation. There is no depth in lyrics. I found your commentator from Florida is overly glorified. What Japanese youth need to complain? Adaptation of Japanese hip hop is just artificial style only. Japan is after all homogenized middle class nation. There is no depth in lyrics. I found your commentator from Florida is overly glorified. What Japanese youth need to complain?

]]> By: Emerson http://www.radioopensource.org/hip-hop-citizen-of-the-world/#comment-74784 Emerson Thu, 01 Jun 2006 23:23:35 +0000 http://www.radioopensource.org/?p=480#comment-74784 Deejays and selectors play a big part in the global proliferation and cross-pollination of hip-hop and urban dance music. Radioclit, a Parisian Deejay crew, mash-up UK Grime, American "Dirty South" rap, and european electro for fashionable hipsters in the clubs of London. In the states, Diplo a Deejay from Florida by way of Philly, mixes Brazilian favela rap and funk, Jamaican dancehall, Baltimore hip-hop house and even Punjabi bhangra at parties and rock shows for art school kids and bike punks. All of these styles fall into the blender of hip hop through the hands of dejays and producers like these, who share and trade mixes and hot tracks instantly online, through message boards, Myspace, Mp3 blogs and peer-to-peer file sharing. In the street markets of Cambodia I found bootleg mix CDs by a Khmer artist called DJ Cream, who matches samples from 60s Khmer rock, which was the last great youth culture movement there before the Khmer Rouge, to contemporary rap from Phnom Phen, which is the first great youth culture movement there since the Khmer Rouge. And it sounded dope. emerson whiteanimal.blogspot.com Deejays and selectors play a big part in the global proliferation and cross-pollination of hip-hop and urban dance music.

Radioclit, a Parisian Deejay crew, mash-up UK Grime, American “Dirty South” rap, and european electro for fashionable hipsters in the clubs of London.

In the states, Diplo a Deejay from Florida by way of Philly, mixes Brazilian favela rap and funk, Jamaican dancehall, Baltimore hip-hop house and even Punjabi bhangra at parties and rock shows for art school kids and bike punks.

All of these styles fall into the blender of hip hop through the hands of dejays and producers like these, who share and trade mixes and hot tracks instantly online, through message boards, Myspace, Mp3 blogs and peer-to-peer file sharing.

In the street markets of Cambodia I found bootleg mix CDs by a Khmer artist called DJ Cream, who matches samples from 60s Khmer rock, which was the last great youth culture movement there before the Khmer Rouge, to contemporary rap from Phnom Phen, which is the first great youth culture movement there since the Khmer Rouge. And it sounded dope.

emerson

whiteanimal.blogspot.com

]]>