Osric University

Japanese Hip Hop Studies

"I wonder if anyone's told him yet that Americans won't buy rap music from a Japanese person."
- Hiro to Da5id in Neal Stephenson's 1992 novel Snow Crash.

In the present day, few serious studies of Japanese Hip Hop exist. Hip hop was originally created in urban black America. How did this musical form come to gain wide acceptance in Japan? We hope to expand this area of knowledge, and delve into further research comparing the hip hop coming out of Tokyo to West Coast and East Coast styles.

Featured Artist: Lamp Eye

Links of interest:

If you have a knowledge of Japanese Hip Hop beyond DJ Krush, perhaps you could contribute an essay, or point out links to others good online resources on this topic.



Updated 02-18-2009. Problems? Contact chris@osric.com