Kohei Japan
Kohei Japan is a Japanese hip hop emcee and a member of the Japanese rap group, Mellow Yellow. Born in Yokohama, Japan, he discovered rap and hip hop while working as a chef.[1]
Many of his songs illustrate the contrasts between his Japanese culture and Western hip hop influences. Indeed, in his song "Hungry Strut",[2] he proclaims that he eats "rice, not bread, and fish, not meat", thereby asserting that while he is a member of the hip hop culture, he remains Japanese. He shows his attachment to Japanese culture by wearing a traditional kimono in many of his appearances. In fact, on his album "The adventures of Kohei Japan", he appears on the cover as a kabuki character in a woodblock print.[3] On the album cover, his hands make the universal "funk" sign, showing the contrast between a traditional Japan and a hip hop culture.
Discography
Albums
- The Adventures of Kohei Japan (File Records, 2000)
- Funky 4 U (Sony Music Japan, 2003)
- Family (Pony Canyon, 2008)
Singles
- Together Forever (Sony Music Japan, 2003)
References
- ^ Condry, Ian (November 2006). Hip-Hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization. ISBN 0822338920.
- ^ "Japanese Hip-Hop, by Ian Condry (MIT)". web.mit.edu. Archived from the original on 2003-04-30.
- ^ Ian Condry, "Hip-hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization" , 2006
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