“aye bro pass me the aux”
What’s good and welcome back to another installment of the J-Music Exchange/Rate! In case you’re new around here, this is a segment that I do alongside my good friend/fellow Japanese music enthusiast Leap250 where we both pick out an album from our respective libraries, exchange and listen to them, and later review on our own blogs. We’ve been doing this for almost four years straight, and while this does serve as a way for both of us to discover new music and widen our horizons/tastes, we hope that these reviews can help you all find some cool new songs or artists to listen to as well!
And as always, Leap and I decide on a specific theme to base our choices on each month, and for the month of April, it was once again my turn. To be honest, this has been a topic that I’ve wanted to cover on the blog for the longest time (would be through a medorē roundup, if anything), which would be albums you’d put on when you “get passed the AUX”.
If you’re not familiar with what that phrase means, it implies that you have been given full control of choosing the music to play in a social setting (e.g., while driving in the car, having a party, etc), in order to help get the vibes going and/or to impress the crowd around you. I had thought about this a year or so ago when I watched a video from the music reviewer Anthony Fantano, where he reacted to a TikTok about what rap songs would be good to play on the AUX. Which got me thinking, "what would I play if I had the AUX?". If a friend of mine told me to play some Japanese music while we're hanging out, what would I actually put on (apart from the usual anime theme songs and OSTs).
Well, Leap and I answer that exact question with this month’s choices, and it definitely felt like both of us took on a more conservative approach when we decided on these (lol). He went ahead and tossed over Queendom by the queen of Japanese hip-hop herself, Awich; while I gave him Masterpiece, the debut mini-album from TWICE’s Japanese-born trio MISAMO.
Let’s jump right in!
Awich (浦崎亜希子, Urusaki Akiko) is a Japanese rapper/hip-hop artist, who is currently under the Universal Music Japan label. Growing up on the islands of Okinawa, of which has housed multiple United States military bases, Awich was quickly introduced to many facets of American culture, with music being the most influential on her. Her love of hip-hop began at the age of 13 when she bought a copy of Tupac Shakur’s All Eyez on Me; and not only was it a resource for learning English, but she also felt a deep connection to 2Pac’s lyricism and own struggles, which inspired her to try rapping herself. Only a few years later, Awich would start recording bars on cassette tapes and participating in rap battles. She eventually moved to the United States in order to pursue an academic degree, and after spending some time being further entrenched in the American culture and also going through life-changing events, Awich came back to Japan and began her professional music career.
In 2007, she released her first album, titled Asian Wish Child, derived from the English translation of her real name. Since then, Awich released numerous albums, singles and EPs, joined the YENTOWN hip-hop collective as its first and only female member, and has performed at many live events. Having great pride for who she is and where she comes from, Awich has made a name for herself within many areas of music, especially now being known as ‘the queen of Japanese hip-hop’.
(info sources: Wikipedia, Vogue Magazine, Edition, Flaunt)
Tracklist
Queendom
GILA GILA (feat. JP THE WAVY, YZERR)
Yacchi Maina / やっちまいな (feat. ANARCHY)
WheU@
Yen Bloc
Heartbreak Erotica
Kuchini Dashite / 口に出して
Doreni Shiyokana / どれにしようかな
Follow me
Revenge
Link Up (feat. KEIJU, ¥ellow Bucks)
Skit (Toyomi Voicemail)
44 Bars
Released: 2022.03.04
This month's theme of what albums would we choose to play when we get "passed the aux" was very interesting to ponder about. I do think that, compared to most if not all reviews with done of albums in the past as part of the Exchange/Rate, these ones that we'll be doing transcend beyond just what we both think are good albums. In a way, it's actually more an exercise of figuring out what albums do we find "comfortable" to play to our friends who might not be as into Japanese music as ourselves. I personally am the only one in my immediate friend group where I'm at now currently who does. While I'm not the type to try and get people into something when they haven't shown any inclination towards it, that fact also hasn't stopped me from just putting on songs that I want to play whenever I get asked to, but that it also comes with respect to them as well. That is to say, if I'm playing Japanese music to my friends, whether it's in a car or in the office, it's with respect to the kind of music that they like to hear. I believe this month's theme in that regard, more than anything else, is a reflection of the people you roll with. At the very least, that's what we will be trying to capture here.
I picked out Awich's Queendom for this for a couple of reasons; with the first and probably the most important one being that me and my friends collectively enjoy Hip-Hop and Rap, and those kinds of songs are (in my opinion) best played in car audio so it was always gonna be an album in that genre. Why I went with Awich specifically though is primarily the language aspect of her music. The way she's able to intersplice English (and amazingly well-spoken English at that) like in the title track "Queendom" as well "Revenge" is not only attention grabbing as it is, especially for someone who was just expecting to hear Japanese Rap, but her flow and the delivery of her bars is undeniable as well in tracks like "WheU@" and "Yen Bloc". We've talked in previous album reviews before about how Hip-Hop is one of the most universal genres that is able to go beyond borders, and we have yet another example of that here.
1 ▸ an intriguing take on japanese hip-hop
Leap and I have talked about and reviewed rap-based albums in the past (e.g., last year’s POWER by chelmico and Wez Atlas’ This Too Shall Pass) but in the context of this month’s theme, I definitely feel like it’s worth mentioning that the general perception of hip-hop music from Japan has been a bit of a complicated one. I’ve seen fellow English-speaking people be turned off whenever they hear a Japanese rap song for a variety of reasons; whether that be because they’re not feeling the rhymes, the syllabic nature of Japan’s language may not make bars flow as smoothly as English-based raps or the fact that Japan’s knowledge and imitation of hip-hop culture can be quite surface-level. Big emphasis on the last point since I’ve noticed that they tend to depict rap music in a very different and even sometimes outdated fashion.
In no way am I an expert on this but speaking from personal experience and indulging in JP content for a few years now, rap culture is definitely shown off in a more stereotypical way over there. Not only is it usually performed within a jokey/playful situation (especially since they repeatedly resort to the 80s/90s style of hip-hop that has a much more upbeat, fun and admittedly cliche vibe to it) but you also may see people that try to express that hard, gangster-type persona when they probably haven’t had to go through those types of life experiences themselves. Whether you see an anime character or some person on a variety TV show doing the whole ‘hey, yo, check it out’ routine, or their visual representation of rappers and hip-hop artists… not saying that this is exclusive to Japan, nor is it their fault (hell, even people in America do this type of stuff) but in my opinion, these things don't necessarily show this area of music, especially in today’s world, in the most ideal light.
Obviously, I’m not implying that EVERYONE in Japan sees this type of music in an oversimplified/uninformed way, since there have been so many artists and producers who have put out some really good hip-hop songs throughout the years. Most probably know about the genius of Nujabes and his jazzy/nostalgic beats; the aforementioned Wez Atlas evokes a similar nature to the likes of J. Cole and Mac Miller where he raps about the hardships of growing up while also showcasing his talent of effortlessly switching between English and Japanese; and Takayan has been one of the more prominent JP hip-hop artists in the past few years with his combination of trap beats and very personal/darker lyricism. These only scratch the surface of Japanese rap artists but like I implied earlier, you might have to dig deep to see that Japan does have a pretty damn good grasp of hip-hop/rap music (albeit it’s more present within indie artists), and I can easily say that this Awich album is another excellent example of that.
In fact, I would probably say that Queendom is the most well-executed hip-hop album I’ve ever heard from a Japanese artist (so far). When I listened to the first few seconds of one of the many Chaki Zulu-produced songs on this album, “GILA GILA”, I had a feeling that this record was gonna be something different, based on certain things like the inclusion of a producer tag or the clearly modern + Western-inspired atmosphere of the song’s beats and instrumentals. I really enjoyed the cool and bumping trap beats, and when combined with the grandiose/lighter choir singing throughout, it creates a cool-yet-satisfying contrast that’s awesome to listen to and can feel familiar to some degree. Add on the slick rapping from JP THE WAVY and YZERR, this track definitely feels like a good one to experience as an introduction to Awich and the kind of music she performs.
Many of the other songs on this album were pretty fun and intriguing to listen to such as “Yacchimaina” having a really energetic and boomy atmosphere while also incorporating other instruments that fit the overall feel of the track such as a dramatic-sounding violin and the light hi-hats; “Heartbreak Erotica” has a lot going on with the suuuuper deep bass, fast-paced beats and steady keyboard playing; while a song like “Follow Me” has a much more somber, sensual and almost Latin-esque vibe to it, obviously thanks to the inclusion of an acoustic guitar but you also gotta give credit to the sweet percussion and shakers in it.
Based off the tracks I’ve discussed so far, I think the most important thing to take from them is that Awich has a very, very good understanding and grasp of music from the West. A ton of these songs feel very reminiscent of tracks you’d hear here in the United States and it certainly feels like that is rooted in her genuine appreciation for American music. As I mentioned earlier, Awich gained a liking to rap music at a fairly young age and even lived in the states (more specifically in Atlanta, Georgia) for a good chunk of her life; the latter of which I’m sure helped her become even more exposed to the artistry of hip-hop, rap and general pop, especially within a culturally and musically rich city like Atlanta.
2 ▸ adversity and resilience
Hip-hop has been known to be an excellent outlet for people to express their feelings, opinions on matters like politics, and most commonly the hardships they may have gone through. While a lot of rap music is filled with certain themes like sex, drugs and violence (a handful of Awich’s stuff included), I really do feel like it gives so many people the perfect opportunity to speak their mind and inflict emotions that others can relate to and/or may be influenced by. And as I listened to Queendom, I quickly noticed she does exactly that within this record.
When taking a look at some of the lyrics of these songs, you can tell that Awich raps a lot about her own identity, past experiences and especially adversity. The way she exerts a great amount of confidence and pride in who she is and where she comes from was actually really cool to see within the bars she puts down, and I feel like her music hits harder once you learn more about who Awich is and what she’s all about. “Doreni Shiyokana” emphasizes the desire to break the mold of being a woman and instead of conforming to the usual societal standards of behaving a certain way, Awich says fuck all that and encourages others to do whatever makes them happy (thought it was also neat that she name dropped/shouted out CHANMINA, who is another great JP female rapper). Similarly, while “Kuchini Dashite” is probably the most explicit song on the album, Awich mentioned in an interview with Tokyo Weekender that releasing a track like this definitely pushed the boundaries when it comes to discussing things like sexuality (especially in a ‘prim and proper’ society like Japan’s) and presented the idea that being open about one’s desires shouldn’t be embarrassing/judged upon, and that it’s just a normal and natural part of who we are.
But I think my favorite instance of her lyricism is definitely within the opener to this album, “Queendom”. As described by Awich herself, this song is essentially a broad-yet-powerful look into her life. Coming from the islands of Okinawa and feeling a great sense of separation from the rest of the country, starting a brand new life in the United States at the young age of 19, and even going into great detail about her late husband’s tragic murder and having to raise a daughter by herself… it's very personal, vulnerable and I feel like Awich does a fantastic job illustrating the hardships she’s gone through. And it feels even more invigorating since despite the struggles she’s had to experience, Awich continues to move forward, follow her own dreams/goals, live life to the fullest, and to ultimately create her ideal ‘queendom’.
Honestly, I would probably equate my opinion on Awich’s music and lyrics to my experience with Wez Atlas’ This Too Shall Pass from last year (which ended up being my pick for AOTY). Not only do both showcase a super solid expression of Western hip-hop/rap in general, but the way these two releases deal with personal issues and life lessons in a more honest and open fashion just hits different amongst all the Japanese-released music I’ve listened to over the past seven years. Obviously I can’t *entirely* relate to what Awich raps about but I do feel like a lot of her sentiments and social viewpoints line up with what I personally believe, and similar to how I identified with the Wez EP, it’s actually really neat to be able to have a better understanding of and a closer connection to a Japanese album, despite not being from that country and/or knowing the language.
Another reason I wanted to talk about this topic is because to be quite frank, I continue to feel hesitant on sharing songs to someone who doesn’t know anything about Japanese music. A good amount of Japan’s culture is still viewed by a lot of foreigners as ‘strange’, especially with the… interesting types of media that have come out of that country over the years. And sure, while certain things like anime have been widely accepted nowadays, it still feels like I have to be cautious about introducing other people (at least, in my situation: Americans) to Japanese music due to a lot of people’s general perceptions with Japan, the fact that these songs are performed in a language that is not English, and as mentioned earlier, how hip-hop/rap is (mostly) not represented in the best and/or up-to-date way whenever it comes up in Japanese songs.
However, I would 100% agree with Leap that Queendom would be something I’d consider putting on if I had the AUX. While I am in no way an expert in this music genre, I can confidently say that Awich knows the rap/hip-hop game really well, and I feel like if people can get over the obstacle of it being performed in a completely different language, it would be easy to enjoy and appreciate since it lines up with what’s been heard here in the states. Obviously one would have been a decent fan of hip-hop music in the first place, but even looking at it from an amateur standpoint, you have to admire Awich’s efforts and actual love for the genre throughout a lot of these songs, especially coming from a country that doesn’t exactly include hip-hop in the mainstream.
And going off that, I think Awich is awesome. She’s badass, confident and I think the way she handles herself where she’s not afraid of speaking about a certain topic or theme is really neat to see within the Japanese music scene. Not only is it just something different and new to experience as a fan of JP music, but hearing an artist evoke similar opinions and stances on certain issues like identity… that kind of thing doesn’t come up all that often but whenever it does, I always take interest in it and a lot of time, it ends up being great. Plus, I think it’s cool that Awich is spreading the word on different/newer kinds of rap to the Japanese audience, especially as, arguably, one of the most popular Japanese hip-hop artists in the industry right now.
Rating: 10/10
Aaaaand that’s all I got for you today!
This album was really fun to listen to and talk about, for sure. It’s interesting whenever we get to hear Japan’s (or any other country’s, for that matter) take on a Western music genre, and with this Awich record, I absolutely believe this was one of the better representations of hip-hop. Was a great experience, hope you all liked reading this review as well and I’m really inclined to check out her other stuff now!
Now that you’re finished here, definitely head on over to Leap’s blog where he talked about my pick for this month: Masterpiece by MISAMO! Admittedly, I’m still an amateur fan of TWICE (and K-Pop in general) but I really liked what Mina, Sana and Momo did with their debut mini album so click here to see Leap’s thoughts on it!
Thanks for reading!! :D
-al