Hip-hop Japan

Hip-hop has become a cultural force throughout the world. This archive provides access to the music and words of Japanese hip-hop artists, as well as some contrasting examples from the worlds of Japanese pop, folk, rock, _enka_ and childrens music. Although the songs are but a small sampling, they offer a window onto the diversity of popular music, whether political or commercial, incisive or saccharine. The collection can be used to illustrate a variety of postwar issues in Japan, including attitudes towards gender, the education system, textbook issues, 9/11, and the Iraq War. Hip-Hop Japan was created at the HyperStudio, in close collaboration with Ian Condry, Project Director, and Associate Professor in Foreign Languages and Literatures.