Stage Sep 19, 2019
by Chisato Tanaka
Hip-hop dancer Reina has dispensed with school in favor of dedicating her life to her art, and regularly travels across Asia to deliver dance classes and workshops
Music Aug 7, 2019
Chanmina's 'Never Grow Up' delivers pop hooks and hip-hop heartache
by James Hadfield
The J-pop world could use a few more artists like Chanmina. In the leap from high-school MC battles to the commercial mainstream, she has managed to hone her pop appeal without sacrificing her swagger. Anyone who calls their debut single "Fxxker" isn't trying to ...
Entertainment News Jun 6, 2019
Embattled actor Jussie Smollett apparently dropped from 'Empire'
Jussie Smollett will not be returning to U.S. television series "Empire," the show's creator says, marking the first public confirmation that the actor has been dropped after a furor over claims that he was the victim of a hate crime. Responding to a Variety report ...
Music | Sound Off Mar 28, 2019
Hip-hop's anime crush is beautiful
by Dylan Foley
Takashi Murakami's work on Billie Eilish's new video for "You Should See Me in a Crown" is the latest example of Western music's ongoing love affair with Japanese anime. And while it may seem obvious — American kids who like anime and grow up ...
Music Feb 8, 2019
Rapper Chanmina is blurring the lines of genre and nationality
by Patrick St. Michel
Everyone has moments where they have to choose between two paths that will lead to drastically different lives. For Mina Otomonai, it came during her second year of high school when she strongly considered moving to South Korea to pursue a career in music. ...
Music Jan 23, 2019
88rising's quest to find a Japanese hip-hop sensation
by Patrick St. Michel
Japanese music hasn't made many inroads into Western markets this decade. Save for some brief viral flashes and niche success, the country's artists have mostly been overlooked. However, Sean Miyashiro, founder of media company 88rising, thinks Japan still holds one big advantage. "I think the ...
General Dec 1, 2018
'We felt the need to mix it up: Japanese and hip-hop culture'
by Baye McNeil
It has been a hot year for viral dance challenges and Japan has had its fair share. The most notable was the craze surrounding Da Pump's "U.S.A.," attempted by everyone from teenagers on TikTok to U.S. Marines on YouTube. More recently, though, six kimono-clad young ...
Music | Sound Off May 10, 2018
Can Fuji Rock and Summer Sonic give U.S. hip-hop a boost in Japan?
by Patrick St. Michel
This summer's slate of music festivals are putting more of a spotlight on American hip-hop. Fuji Rock Festival announced Kendrick Lamar and the group N.E.R.D as headliners, while Summer Sonic features Chance the Rapper on its main stage. It's a considerable showcasing moment for ...
Film / Reviews Apr 4, 2018
'Yamato (California)': Hanae Kan does well as an aspiring rapper that's straight outta Japan
by Mark Schilling
The American military bases in Okinawa are often in the news, usually because of an accident, protest or crime. The bases elsewhere in Japan, not so much. These reminders of a postwar occupation now seven decades in the past have mostly faded from the ...
Entertainment News Jan 5, 2018
Hip hop and R&B knocked rock off top genre pedestal in U.S. in 2017
Hip hop and R&B surpassed rock for the first time in 2017 as the biggest music genre in the United States, but British artist Ed Sheeran's romantic pop album "Divide" was the year's biggest single draw, according to a Nielsen Music report. Powered by a ...
Music Sep 12, 2017
Wonk plays around with 'experimental soul' on a pair of new albums
by James Hadfield
"The way music from America and other Western countries got imported into Japan, the roots are different," says Ayatake Ezaki, keyboardist for Tokyo-based quartet Wonk. "In Japan, hip-hop is hip-hop, jazz is jazz, soul is soul — that's how they've been received," he continues. "But ...