Tag - hip-hop

 
 

HIP HOP

Tokyo-based artist Jumadiba says he forgoes the label of simply “rap” for his music because the Japanese rap scene isn’t confined to a particular sound.
CULTURE / Music
May 16, 2024
Japanese rap creates its mecca in Pop Yours
The two-day music festival showcases Japan's growing and diversifying hip-hop scene through local acts such as Awich and Jumadiba.
Kendrick Lamar has long been cast as the authentic and artistic representative of modern rap.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 10, 2024
Japanese MCs jump in on the Kendrick Lamar-Drake rap beef — and pick a favorite
The way artists here have joined the feud between two of rap's biggest names says more about hip-hop beefs in Japan than you realize.
The "style architect" for Jay-Z since 1994, June Ambrose sees influences of her work across the Japanese fashion landscape.
LIFE / Style & Design
May 1, 2024
June Ambrose: ‘Cultural appropriation is the best form of flattery’
Ambrose has been Jay-Z’s designated “style architect” since the billionaire started Roc-A-Fella Records back in 1994.
A breaker performs during the Red Bull BC One 2023 Camp Day and National Finals at the Fillmore in Philadelphia on Aug. 26
MORE SPORTS
Oct 12, 2023
Breakers grapple with hip-hop’s Olympic moment
B-boys and B-girls wonder if their art will translate into sport when breaking makes its debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Tupac Shakur
CULTURE / Music
Sep 30, 2023
Suspect in rapper Tupac Shakur's 1996 slaying charged with murder
The charges marked a breakthrough for a long-unsolved case that was a defining moment in the history of rap music.
Rappers Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa perform during the Hip Hop 50 Live concert, marking the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip hop, at Yankee Stadium in New York City on Friday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 13, 2023
Hip-hop stars helm marathon birthday party
Thousands of people partied deep into the night Friday as part of an all-star Bronx bash celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, featuring trailblazers including Run-DMC, Nas, Lauryn Hill and Snoop Dogg.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 15, 2022
Rap takes over Super Bowl halftime, balancing celebration and protest
At Super Bowl LVI, rap finally got the spotlight . . . in perhaps the 20-somethingth year of hip-hop occupying the center of American pop music.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Sep 10, 2021
Hip-hop is getting a bad rap this summer
After footage of unmasked, crowded rap fans at a festival spread online, mainstream news outlets zeroed in on hip-hop itself.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 9, 2021
How 88rising crafted an evocative soundtrack for Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi’
The Asian arts collective worked closely with the director Destin Daniel Cretton to put its imprint on the anticipated movie.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 30, 2021
Aichi hip-hop event organizer slammed for lax coronavirus steps
Namimonogatari2021 festival defied live concert industry guidelines on alcohol and ticket sales, as well as social distancing, says Aichi Gov. Hideaki Omura.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Jun 6, 2021
Ash Hudson: From outfitting hip-hop's icons to finding new inspiration in Japan
Albion 'Ash' Hudson's Conart streetwear brand defined the fashion of many rappers in the 1990s. His designs are now popping up on new acts such as Travis Scott and BTS.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 21, 2021
Rapper Daichi Yamamoto gets personal about breakups, his biracial background and a love of jazzy beats
Japanese rappers are beginning to share more about their own experiences in their tracks, an approach Daichi Yamamoto says is upping the standards for domestic hip-hop.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / CHILD'S PLAY
Nov 15, 2020
Upgrade your kids’ home dance parties with a class at Studio Tron
For dance-loving children, Studio Tron is the stuff of dreams, with feel-good pop, floor-to-ceiling mirrors and kind, professional teachers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 4, 2020
Okinawan rapper Awich rejects your constructs
As a young girl, Awich would sit in awe at her father's tales of war on Okinawa. Little did she know it would inspire her to tell her own tales as a successful rapper.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 28, 2020
Chelmico breezes through 2020 with optimistic music for somber times
The rap duo's upbeat new album, “Maze,” kicks off with a topsy-turvy track that's the opening theme of a popular anime and has inspired a dance meme.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 6, 2020
‘Dos Siki’: Dos Monos cuts the fat and ups the ante
Tokyo-based trio Dos Monos' second album is an EP-length explosion of energy and confidence.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 24, 2020
JP The Wavy: 'The culture of hip-hop unites us'
The prevalence of hip-hop on social media has thrust rapper JP The Wavy at the forefront of Asia's changing millennial culture.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Sep 19, 2019
Reina: Dancing the dream
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
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 7, 2019
Chanmina's 'Never Grow Up' delivers pop hooks and hip-hop heartache
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 make fans the old-fashioned way.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Aug 3, 2019
Jessica 'JJ' Rabone: Dancing on air in the U.S.
A passion for dance led JJ to get into a Californian groove

Longform

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