Hipu Hopu

Music has been important to me all my life. I love singing, I love dancing, and I love exploring anything that influences me. I can say that I like some country and rock, but I’ve always gravitated towards the genre of hip/hop and rap.  That being said, for the last four months I have been surrounded by the increasingly popular culture of hip-hop here in Japan and I didn’t hesitate diving right into the scene.

 

This picture to the right was taken on my first night out ‘clubbing’ in Osaka.  After a couple hours they stopped the DJ and about five different rappers came on stage and started performing.  It was an awesome surprise because none of us knew that there was going to be a rap battle and we were right up front to see it!

 

I have always wanted to learn how to DJ and who knew that I could make this dream come true right in Japan!  After listening to one of my friends spin at a small and local bar right in front of Kansai Gaidai’s main gate I was hooked.  So I asked my friend if he could teach me and then followed it up with the manager of the club who was more than happy to let me play with the records and the equipment.  It’s been a great opportunity being able to practice and being able to share my music with everyone else!

I gave a presentation on Japanese hip-hop for another class and really learned about the influence and effect that it’s had on people throughout the last decade.  From the break dancing to the rise of DJ-ing and rapping, the Japanese have fully adopted hip-hop as a culture to fit what they feel, see, and live.  Every culture evolves over time and for something as great and influential as hip-hop, I think it’s a given that it will continue to affect different parts of the world.