 | This article possibly contains original research .(April 2008) |
"911 Song" was released on September 11, 2002, the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the United States, by the Japanese hip-hop group King Giddra. King Giddra released this single as part of their album Saishuu Heiki/The Final Weapon. The song delivers potent, politically charged lyrics that challenge the United States government and their role in the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
The song uses a repetitive chanting of the phrase "Remember that day, that day, that day" [1] as its chorus in memory of September 11, and the attacks that clearly resonated across the world. Both MCs in the group, K Dub Shine and Zebra, deliver verses that urge the world to question not "what, where, who, but why" the attacks happen. K Dub Shine ends his verse with a critique of the Bush administration, saying "It's always civilians who are sacrificed, even so, Bush sleeps in his bed tonight." The lyrics as well as a music video can be found at http://web.mit.edu/condry/www/jhh/mov/KG-911-small.mov.
While it may seem interesting that one of the main Japanese hip-hop groups has released a single about a terrorist attack in the United States, this attention to the United States, especially New York, should come as no surprise. Japanese hip hop draws incredible homage to the United States for its rap culture and its African-American culture. Youth in Japan have even been known to darken their faces, in a style known as burapan, to mimic the look and style of blacks in America. [2] However, as the lyrics of the song show, Japanese hip hop heads are not simply going for the look of black youth, they have a message, and often a politically charged message, that falls into lockstep, (or rhythm) with black youth. King Giddra was not the only hip hop group to criticize the American government for the terrorist attacks: Wyclef Jean, the Gorillaz, and countless other groups have released songs in the wake of 911.
Public Enemy is an American hip hop group which was formed by Chuck D and Flavor Flav on Long Island, New York, in 1985. The group came to attention for their political messages including subjects such as American racism and the American media. Their debut album, Yo! Bum Rush the Show, was released in 1987 to critical acclaim, and their second album, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988), was the first hip hop album to top The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll. Their next three albums, Fear of a Black Planet (1990), Apocalypse 91... The Enemy Strikes Black (1991) and Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age (1994), were also well received. The group has since released twelve more studio albums, including the soundtrack to the 1998 movie He Got Game and a collaborative album with Paris, Rebirth of a Nation (2006).
Japanese hip hop is said to have begun when Hiroshi Fujiwara returned to Japan and started playing hip hop records in the early 1980s. Japanese hip hop tends to be most directly influenced by old school hip hop, taking from the era's catchy beats, dance culture and overall fun and carefree nature and incorporating it into their music. As a result, hip hop stands as one of the most commercially viable mainstream music genres in Japan and the line between it and pop music is frequently blurred.
King Giddra was a Japanese hip hop group that started in 1993. They were signed to the indie label P-Vine Records. After a six-year hiatus, they would go on to sign with DefStar Records, a sublabel under Sony Music Entertainment Japan (SMEJ) for their second album release.
Dead Prez, often stylized as dead prez, is an American hip hop duo composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with lyrics focused on both militant social justice, self-determination, and Pan-Africanism. The duo maintains an ethical stance against corporate control over the media, especially hip hop record labels.
Fear of a Black Planet is the third studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy. It was released on April 10, 1990, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records, and produced by the group's production team The Bomb Squad, who expanded on the sample-layered sound of Public Enemy's 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. Having fulfilled their initial creative ambitions with that album, the group aspired to create what lead rapper Chuck D called "a deep, complex album". Their songwriting was partly inspired by the controversy surrounding member Professor Griff and his dismissal from the group in 1989.
Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, during the 1990s. It is a variant of house music featuring the use of African sounds and samples. Typically at a slower tempo range than other styles of house music, Kwaito often contains catchy melodic and percussive loop samples, deep bass lines, and vocals. Despite its similarities to hip hop music, Kwaito has a distinctive manner in which the lyrics are sung, rapped and shouted.
Hideyuki Yokoi, known professionally as Zeebra, is a Japanese hip hop recording artist and DJ who made his first appearance in 1995. Zeebra is a former member of the hip-hop group King Giddra, which also included DJ Oasis and K Dub Shine, and the older brother of fellow hip hop recording artist SPHERE of INFLUENCE. He went on to pursue a solo career shortly after in 1997, and signed with the Future Shock record label.
911 or 9/11 may refer to:
Israeli hip hop refers to hip hop and rap music in Israel.
Hustlers HC was an Asian hip hop group based in West London, England. The group formed in 1991, and consisted of three members: two rappers, The Hustler MC and Ski-Man, and DJ Mitts. Hustlers HC were the first Sikh rap crew to come out of the United Kingdom with a strong socio-political message. They did much to bridge religious divides in the Asian community as well as creating much respect for Sikhs in the Rap fraternity. Hustlers HC were also responsible, along with DJ Ritu, for organising and maintaining one of the first and most respected Asian club nights in London, Bombay Jungle at the Wag Club. The trio made their first television appearance on the series Rhythm & Raag in 1992.
Hip hop or hip-hop is a culture and art movement that was created by African Americans, Latino Americans and Caribbean Americans in the Bronx, New York City. The origin of the name is often disputed. It is also argued as to whether hip hop started in the South or West Bronx. While the term hip hop is often used to refer exclusively to hip hop music, hip hop is characterized by four key elements: "rapping", a rhythmic vocal rhyming style (orality); DJing, which is the practice of making music with record players and DJ mixers ; b-boying/b-girling/breakdancing (movement/dance); and graffiti.
"Fight the Power" is a song by American hip hop group Public Enemy, released as a single in the summer of 1989 on Motown Records. It was conceived at the request of film director Spike Lee, who sought a musical theme for his 1989 film Do the Right Thing. First issued on the film's 1989 soundtrack, a different version was featured on Public Enemy's 1990 studio album Fear of a Black Planet.
Fun-Da-Mental is a British-based multi-ethnic hip-hop–ethno-techno–world fusion music group formed in 1991. The group is notable for its energetic fusion of Eastern and Western musical forms, for its outspoken political stance, and for its strong Islamic affiliation and advocacy. Fun-Da-Mental's political stance has led to the group earning the label "the Asian Public Enemy". The group's work has led to international attention and collaborations with artists from Pakistan, South Africa and Siberia.
"The Message" is a song by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. It was released as a single by Sugar Hill Records on July 1, 1982, and was later featured on the group's debut studio album of the same name.
Political hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music that was developed in the 1980s as a way of turning hip hop into a call for political and/or social action and a form of social activism. Inspired by 1970s political preachers such as The Last Poets and musician Gil Scott-Heron, Public Enemy was the first predominately political hip-hop group. It has helped to create a new form of social expression for subordinate groups to speak about their exclusions, injustices and lack of power. Political hip-hop is the use of hip hop music to send political messages to inspire action or social change or to convince the listener of a particular worldview. There is no all-encompassing political hip-hop ideology; rather, there are multiple perspectives that range anywhere from anarchism to Marxism to the values of the Five Percent Nation.
The Lost Children of Babylon (LCOB) are a spiritual alternative hip hop music group based out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group was founded by Rasul Allah and The Breath Of Judah in the mid 1990s and first appeared in 1996 on the Jedi Mind Tricks' Amber Probe. The original core members are Rasul Allah, The Breath of Judah, Richard Raw, Cosmic Crusader and Ancient Kemet. Their messages are influenced by Nuwaubian philosophy, Islam, and the Nation of Gods and Earths; their subject matter draws from such topics as revolutionary politics, physics, philosophy, spirituality, science fiction, and mythology, of various traditions.
The Dope Poet Society is a hip hop group from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Their music is characterized by clever and sometimes controversial lyrics. ProfessorD.us is the lead vocalist of the group. The group has been active since 1995 and has toured around the world. They have also performed and collaborated with artists including Public Enemy, Dead Prez, Jeru the Damaja, and Boot Camp Click.
Palestinian hip hop reportedly started in 1998 with Tamer Nafar's group DAM. These Palestinian youth forged the new Palestinian musical subgenre, which blends Arabic melodies and hip hop beats. Lyrics are often sung in Arabic, Hebrew, English, and sometimes French. Since then, the new Palestinian musical subgenre has grown to include artists in Palestine, Israel, Great Britain, the United States and Canada.
Hip hop music or hip-hop music, also known as rap music, is a genre of popular music developed in the United States by inner-city African Americans, Puertorican and Jamaicans in the Bronx borough of New York City in the 1970s. It consists of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted. It developed as part of hip hop culture, a subculture defined by four key stylistic elements: MCing/rapping, DJing/scratching with turntables, break dancing, and graffiti writing. Other elements include sampling beats or bass lines from records, and rhythmic beatboxing. While often used to refer solely to rapping, "hip hop" more properly denotes the practice of the entire subculture. The term hip hop music is sometimes used synonymously with the term rap music, though rapping is not a required component of hip hop music; the genre may also incorporate other elements of hip hop culture, including DJing, turntablism, scratching, beatboxing, and instrumental tracks.
Hip hop music, developed in the South Bronx in the early 1970s, has long been tied to social injustice in the United States, particularly that of the African American experience. Hip hop artists have spoken out in their lyrics against perceived social injustices such as police brutality, poverty, mass incarceration, and the war on drugs. The relationship between hip hop music and social injustice can be seen most clearly in two subgenres of hip hop, gangsta rap and conscious rap.