Blogarhythms

Though they’re not “weird” in the sense that the records I profiled yesterday were, the pair of albums featured today are “weird” for another reason. Truthfully, the music on both discs is pretty straightforward, firmly rooted in the tried-and-true conventions of boom-bap Hip-Hop. What sets them apart is the fact that the artists responsible for these true-school influenced beats hail from the Far East, and none of the vocals they spit over their thumping productions are in English.

Japanese Hip-Hop artists, particularly DJs and producers, really aren’t anything new. Beatmakers like Krush and Honda have been visible on the American scene since the mid-’90s. More recently DJ Mitsu and the Jazzy Sport crew and affiliated label have made a few waves, mostly in the form of Mitsu’s remix and work, amongst in-the-know DJs. When it comes to emcees it’s a whole other story though. Western audiences have only rarely heard raps in Japanese, thanks mostly to notable collaborations with big-name artists like De La Soul and the Beastie Boys, or more recently via the BAPE-sponsored Teriyaki Boyz project. That’s only the tip of the iceberg though. And it only takes a little digging to get into some deeper shit, like 3peat, the new full-length from Gagle, a group featuring the aforementioned Mitsu, alongside emcee Hunger and DJ/producer Mu-R. American ears (at least those that don’t understand Japanese) are going to be attracted to the beats first, which is fine, because they’re sumptuous, replete with jazzy samples, dusty drums and early-to-mid-’90s vibes. But even if you don’t understand the lyrics (which I don’t) there’s something about the way they’re delivered, with an assuring cadence and rhythm that reflects a more syllabically plentiful brand of Hip-Hop that is far less common on our shores these days.

Listen to “Yo Na Yo Na Scene #2″

For all my admittedly limited knowledge about Japanese Hip-Hop, I know absolutely nothing about Hip-Hop from China, and was actually pretty surprised to discover a crew, comprised of emcees J Fever & Wootac and producers Kirby Lee & Flyherro, called C.O.U (Chn Organic Union) who represent Beijing and kick Mandarin raps over some really smooth Soul and Jazz inflected production. And if anything surprised me about their debut disc Organic it’s definitely the production. Not just the quality, which is impressive, but the fact that the beats are so soulful, and so jazzy. I had no idea they got down with the smooth keys, feathery guitar licks, sped-up vocal samples, and woofer-rattling sub-bass (or that they had access to the sample fodder) like that in China! Sadly I can’t make an educated proclamation about their lyrics. They could be saying “screw you Americans, Hip-Hop sucks” for all I know. But the occasional English lyric does pop up here and there, and once again the rhythm of the emcees and the way they bend syllables sort-of speaks for itself.

Listen to “Distance”

I’ve said it before, some Americans can have problems getting into Rap with a foreign accent. So I’m not too sure how well Rap in a foreign language will go over. But just like sushi, or General Tso’s chicken, those with an adventurous palate should enjoy these joints for the tasty Asian treats they are.

-El Keter