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Japan Beat: Shing02
Not too many Japanese rappers call San Francisco home.
But then again, not too many rappers have the profile of Shing02. Growing
up the son of a trading company employee posted to countries as far flung
as Tanzania, Shing02 (b. Shingo Annen) has a perspective decidedly different
from your standard Japanese MC.
"I don't want to get any extra credit for being from America,"
says the intense 26-year-old from the other side of a table in the Metropolis
conference room. "But I do want to go against the grain of [Japanese]
pop songs having English titles and lyrics." Despite his English
fluency, the University of California at Berkeley graduate's new album,
400 (Mary Joy/Music Mine), is written entirely in Japanese, with nary
a squeak of English on its 14 tracks.
This, of course, poses a problem for those with less than fluent Japanese
like this writer. So I ask Shing02 to explain one of his songs. He chooses
"2102," a song that he says describes the future, 100 years
from now. "The message is that no matter how much technology advances,
we are still human," he offers. The inventive lyrics describe a high-tech
future in which a man rushes around town in a hydrogen-fueled car, later
heading to a teleport to travel to Asia. But in the denouement, expectations
of a high drama sci-fi spy story are subverted when it turns out that
the song is simply about a rapper delivering a power adapter to his DJ.
This kind of songwriting defines Shing02's approach, and sets him apart
from the "bitches 'n' cars" concerns of many of his contemporaries.
"I try and be more experimental," he explains. "I try to
include both traditional and creative forms of writing, and also different
ways of introducing characters and metaphors."
Shing02's intelligent lyrics, offbeat, punchy rhythm tracks and dynamic
live show have begun to earn him a growing following in Japan, cemented
in a performance at last summer's marquee Fuji Rock Festival. Rapping
since his teens and also busy at the office of independent Shibuya label
Mary Joy Recordings, the hip hop artist is a bit surprised by his success.
"I used to do it for fun, and was always the youngest in the scene.
But now I see kids buy my album as their first rap album, and that is
crazy to me," he says. "It's a big responsibility."
At the moment, Shing02 is focusing on expanding his reach out of Japan.
"Right now I have a fan base in Tokyo, but what I am trying to do
is also appeal to Asia and Europe," he says. "I definitely want
to reach out more to Asian kids, as there are hip hop scenes everywhere,
from Malaysia to Hong Kong."
Despite his unconventional approach, Shing02 sees a need for both the
mainstream and the independent scenes. "I don't have any particular
negative things to say, because I think in the end everybody benefits,"
he says. "If there is a big major scene, then the independents get
their share of attention also."
Shing02 sees hip hop making steady gains in Japan, but with some costs.
"Hip hop is trying to be incorporated into pop culture, so it has
to appeal to a mainstream crowd," he says. "I definitely see
people trying to make their sound more accessible, but whatever problems
I see in Japan with the commercialization of avant-garde culture are not
exclusive to this country."
Shing02 plays Milk on April 27 and Shinjuku Loft on April 28. See listings
for details.
credit: Music Mine
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