Asian hip hop
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Asian Hip Hop is a heterogeneous musical genre that covers all hip hop music as recorded and produced by artists of Asian origin.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
[edit] By region
[edit] Eastern Asia
[edit] China
Chinese hip hop is a relatively new phenomenon in China and first made it to Taiwan where artists such as MC HotDog were first rapping but then made it to Hong Kong with the success of LMF. In mainland China hip hop scene had just been formed with artists such as Hei Bomb （黑棒）, Dragon Tongue（龙门阵）and Yin Tsang（隐藏） are leading the genre and gaining popularity with the youths. Other groups include LMF and Dai Bing. The Chinese term for rap is shuōchàng (Simplified Chinese: 说唱; "narrative", actually the name of a traditional genre of narrative singing). Breakdancing (called "jiēwŭ" (Simplified Chinese: 街舞) in Chinese) has gained a lot of popularity among young Chinese as well.
[edit] Japan
Japanese hip hop (nip hop or j-hip hop) is said to have begun in 1983 when Charlie Ahearn's Wild Style was shown in Tokyo. The movie focused on graffiti artists but also featured some early old school MCs like Busy Bee and Double Trouble, DJs like Grandmaster Flash and breakdancers like the Rock Steady Crew. Following the showing, street musicians began to breakdance in Yoyogi Park. Crazy A soon emerged as a prominent b-boy, and he eventually founded the Rock Steady Crew Japan, while DJ Krush has become a world-renowned DJ after arising from the Yoyogi Park scene. More DJs followed, beginning in 1985. A year later, an all hip hop club opened in Shibuya. There was some hesitation at the time that the Japanese language, due to the lack of stress accents and highly variable verb endings, might prove unsuited for rapping. A few rappers emerged, however, including Ito Seiko, Chikado Haruo, Tinnie Punx and Takagi Kan.
In the 1990s, teen-oriented J rap music appeared, and hip hop entered the Japanese mainstream. The first hit was Scha Dara Parr's "Kon'ya wa Boogie Back". The following year saw "Da.Yo.Ne." and "Maicca" by East End X Yuri go platinum. Lately hip-hop in Japan has split into two forms: normal, "hardcore" Japanese hip-hop, and the somewhat "weaker", more R&B influenced J-Urban. The group most commonly cited as the originator of J-Urban music is the group m-flo (AKA "mediarite flo). Originally composed of a single Japanese DJ (DJ Taku) and a single Korean-Japanese emcee (Verbal), they combined with a singer named LISA who is of Peruvian-Japanese descent. Their debut album, Planet Shining was released in 2000, and since then, many J-Urban acts such as Crystal Kay, AI, Heartsdales, and even collaborations with popstars like Namie Amuro and BoA. Other popular J-Urban acts like RIP SLYME have worked with m-flo.
[edit] Hong Kong
The Hong Kong hip hop scene first began in 1995 with the formation of LMF which was the first rap/rock group signed by a major record label, Warner Music. The group consisted of ten core members, many of which were also in the bands NT, Screw, and Anodize. Despite of the popularity of the now disbanded LMF, which gained mild success in the mainstream, hip hop music continues to remain underground, led by independent artists.
However, the presence of hip hop music in Hong Kong in the shadows of Cantopop is strongly reflected by the collaborations between rappers such as MC Yan (from the now disbanded LMF) with pop artists such as Edison Chen. While some musicians try to introduce hip hop to the general audience, the life of the scene remains in the underground.
[edit] Korea
In Seoul, the Korean hip hop scene has expanded into a form of cultural phenomenon. Some fans assert that Korean hip hop artists possess skills that can rival their U.S. counterparts. Notable performers include Jo PD, Drunken Tiger, Psy, and Epik High. Some suggest that Korean hip hop music firmly stands as the respectable and socially-conscious antithesis to an often superficial and confused pop genre that pervades the Korean music industry. The aforementioned artists are however very commercial. Backpackers are more likely to appreciate the skills of Garion, Keeproots and P-Type.
Hip hop music started gaining popularity in South Korea in the mid-1990s. Famous mainstream Korean hip hop performers often resemble R&B or pop music with artists mimicking the vocal (and dance) styles of rap acts from the United States. Early performers—who rarely penned their own songs—included Kim Gun Mo, Seo Taiji and Boys, Deux, and DJ DOC. The Korean language was initially used almost exclusively, unlike modern Korean hip hop songs that heavily incorporates -grossly broken- English. Seo Taiji, coming from a questionable heavy metal music background, often featured heavy metal guitars in his mixes, and other artists also incorporated techno influences.
A few artists, including Seo Taiji and MC Sniper, also incorporated influences from traditional Korean music such as pansori or nongak (farmers' music). It was evident that the first acts were mimicking popular American acts. For instance, Seo Taiji's "Come Back Home" has vocal/production style resembling Cypress Hill. The first "rap" album that featured rap in every track was Kim Jin Pyo's first album in 1997. According to Epik High's rapper Tablo, "The form [of Korean Hip Hop], at least, has definitely been mastered now — the beats, the rhymes, the performances, the look — it’s indistinguishable from the United States scene. The social relevance, however, has a long way to go. The message is slowly catching up to the medium."
Many rap artists have been successful in the mainstream of Korean music. These include performers such as Jinusean, 1TYM, MC Sniper, Jo PD, and Epik High. Other lesser known underground artists who focus mainly on using non-flashy beats and lyrical skill include Quiett, PaloAlto, TBNY, etc.
Korean American hip hop began in the United States in the mid 1990s, mainly attributed to the efforts of the Korean rapper duo Tiger JK and DJ Shine of Drunken Tiger. Drunken Tiger was created after the song "Black Korea" by Ice Cube and used music as a means of cultural exchange and as an attempt to promote racial harmony. Following the success of Drunken Tiger, many new groups and production companies emerged to further popularize the musical style. In order to represent the elite group of Korea's best rappers, Tiger JK and Drunken Tiger formed The Movement Crew (Bobby Kim, Drunken Tiger, Eun Ji-Won and Tasha Reid).
[edit] Southeastern Asia
[edit] The Philippines
The Philippines has the oldest hip hop scene in Southeast Asia, largely due to that nation's historical connections with the United States, the birthplace of hip hop. Filipino rap is heterogeneous, encompassing rap in languages such as Tagalog, Chavacano, and Ilocano, as well as English. The musical style has become as diverse as hip-hop music itself with such sub-genres as Kalye (Street), Masa (Commercial), Makabayang (Ethnocentric/Socially conscious), Gangsta, and underground rap. The Philippines is considered by many to have developed the first hip hop scene in all of Asia and the Pacific Islands.[citation needed]
The birth of Filipino hip hop music, or Pinoy Rap, occurred in the early 1980s with songs by Dyords Javier ("Na Onseng Delight") and Vincent Dafalong ("Nunal"). The genre developed slowly during the 1980s but soon hit the mainstream with Francis Magalona's debut album, Yo! which included the nationalistic hit "Mga Kababayan" (My Countrymen). Magalona, who rapped in both English and Tagalog became a pioneer in the genre and a superstar as a result. Mainstream stars rose to prominence in the Philippines, led by Michael V., Rap Asia, 'MC Lara and Lady Diane.
The beginnings of hip-hop culture in the Philippines can be attributed to several main factors; the innate of them being the heavy influx of American musical styles in that country as reflected in the widespread popularity during the 1960s of Motown artists The Temptations, The Supremes and The Jackson Five and later in the 1970s of Funk, Soul and Disco music. Bands such as The Commodores, The Gap Band, James Brown, Con Funk Shun, The Bar-Kays and Earth, Wind and Fire among many others received heavy rotation on Manila airwaves. The future importation of hip hop culture and music, similar to the previous genres mentioned can be credited to the direct contact Filipinos received with both Americans and Filipino Americans, or as they are commonly called balikbayans, stemming from the root words "balik" meaning to come back and "bayan" loosely translating into hometown or homeland.[1]
The intimate relationship between hip-hop culture and the large Filipino American community along the United States West Coast naturally resulted in the exportation of rap music back to the Philippines. Numerous cassette tapes, videos, books and magazines concerning hip hop issues and popular rap artists would be sent out by Filipinos to family members back in the islands.
The towns and barrios surrounding the numerous American military bases that were scattered throughout that country such as Clark Air Base in Angeles City and Subic Bay Naval Base in Olongopo were among the earliest to be exposed to the culture; as contact with African-American, Filipino American and Latino servicemen resulted in some of the earliest exposure the locals had to the new musical genre.[2]
Groundbreaking hip hop films such as Wild Style (1983), Breakin' (1984) and Krush Groove (1985) were also major influences; and as early as 1982 local breakdancing crews like the Angeles City based Whooze Co. International, with members consisting primarily from Clark Air Base, The Eclipse (whose former members included Francis Magalona, Dance 10's Darwin Tuason and current Federation Sounds' Glenn "Kico" Lelay), Info-Clash Breakers and Ground Control (members included Rap Master Fordy, later to be known as Andrew E. and Jay "Smooth" MC of Bass Rhyme Posse) became mainstays in local parks and malls in and around the Metro Manila area such as Glorietta Mall, which was an early hotspot for breakers. Several mobile DJ crews of the era included such names as the Rock All Parties Crew which emerged onto the scene only to produce such future Pinoy rap pioneers as Andrew E. and Norman B.
[edit] Malaysia
The Malaysian hip hop scene started in 1990s with groups such as 4U2C and KRU. Their so-called "Rap Music" wasn't accepted by the mainstream community and they had to changed to a more pop-ish sound. The Malaysian music scene was dominated by them until 1995-1996, when Poetic Ammo came out with their classic album It's a Nice Day to Be Alive. Their 1st hit, "Everything Changes" revolutionized the local music industry. There are groups from the underground scene that have established themeselves such as Naughtius Maximus, but it was Poetic Ammo that made it big.
One of the powerhouses of hip hop in Malaysia is Too Phat, which consists of Malique and Joe Flizzow. They were signed to EMI International's Positive Tone division and produced their first hit album, Whutadilly and their 1st single was "Too Phat Baby" featuring Ruffedge. Their Plan B album was a hit, with songs such as "Anak Ayam" and "Just a Friend" featuring V.E receiving massive air play by local stations.
With Too Phat's success other underground groups such as Muchachaz, M.O.B and The Teh Tarik Crew have followed in their footsteps, eventually forming The Phat Family.
[edit] Southern Asia
[edit] India
Indian hip hop, is a type of fusion music created by taking western hip hop and mixing it with Indian music. This may involve removing the words and replacing them with Indian ones, mixing the original track's chorus and replacing it with Punjabi or Hindi words. Sometimes the tracks are mixed so much that it is hard to tell if it is the original or not. Some tracks using originally made beats and riffs to fit the hip hop genre include the artists Raghav and Jay Sean.
Most tracks are a unique popular blend of hip hop baselines and riffs and Indian drums and other instruments. Again, they may be taken from other tracks or made up to fit the hip hop genre, then mixed with Indian music to create a distinctive mix of Indian hip hop that is popular with Eastern and Western people. Indian Hip Hop has made a significant impact to the Asian Underground. Indian Hip Hop uses beats which are relevant to an Indian dance/music called Bhangra. Many famous Indian Rappers are from overseas, mostly from the United Kingdom.
There is the growing presence of home grown Indian Hip Hop artists. Although they cannot be categorized as fusing Indian music into mainstream Hip Hop. The Indian rappers are known to be excellent in wordplay & unique blend of issues concerning the Indian Society. Madras (Chennai) is in the forefront of establishing an Indian rap culture.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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