The Vinyl Ain't Final- review by Emi Meyer

Considering my final paper on an Asian rapper out of Oakland, it was fascinating to have Japanese hip-hop (p. 11), glocalization (p. 3), Afro-Asian sensibilities (p.9) (and Claremont!) all mentioned in the introduction. I could be assured The Vinyl Ain't Final would touch on “authenticity” (an integral part of Asians in rap) as well as the globalizing nature of the music industry, which allows a US-based Japanese rapper to gain an audience in his homeland.

I focused on the articles: "From Azeem to Zion-I: the Evolution of Global Consciousness in Bay Area Hip Hop" and "Negotiating Ethnicity and Authenticity in Tokyo’s Club Harlem." The first focused on the state of hip hop in the Bay Area, stating: “East Oakland’s indigenous inner city birthed a local music scene, inspired by criminal-minded street life, which would become a blueprint for the sub-genre known as gangsta rap.” (p. 72) This street and anti-establishment sensibility lead many artists to make self-produced and self-distributed recordings. I had heard of the insular nature of the Bay area hip hop scene. Locally famous names tend not to transfer beyond the region. This reflects the lack of industry presence. Artists must move to Los Angeles for exposure, but that requires the resources. Such a “neglected” status influences the community’s music. It creates raw, unfiltered expression without commercial interference. Perhaps that is why Bay area hip hop is particularly diverse. Without the influence and paradigm of commercial images defining how a rapper should look or deliver, many identities can partake in it.

"Negotiating Ethnicity and Authenticity in Tokyo’s Club Harlem" is a valid article, but does not offer very new insight. After reading it, I asked an insider to the Japanese hip-hop scene to read it. The idea of analyzing the Japanese hip-hop based on Club Harlem is “a joke,” he said. The club is like any other Top 40 club around the US. Some DJs get their start there, but its clientele specifically follow commercial hip-hop from the US.

According to this insider, there are three schools of hip-hop in Japan: the US commercially-imported, the J-Pop, and the underground. Each has a specific listener group. The first and second are susceptible to “hollow imitation and inauthenticity” (p 200) because the first adores the US commercial-style (heavy/driven bass), and in the second case, “real” music is secondary to the creation of J-Pop idols. The third group, however, contains the artists and fans who reject such mainstream outlets. They take personal initiative to keep up with record shops, the underground US scene, word-of-mouth trends, and the history, just as US counterparts with similar values would. Artists in this community tend to respect their medium enough to know the background and be inspired to create something unique. I did appreciate Fink's mention of how the same lack of context occurs in the US with Japanese culture, such as anime (p 204). (This made me consider what things I may be enjoying without knowing their background.)

It is often the shortcoming of academics to speak on theories such as “authenticity” or “misappropriation” and extrapolate from a few examples without a broader understanding of the culture and subcultures. After all repeated arguments and articles, it should be understood that misappropriation happens to many cultures globally. If this is common sense, why not go deeper to start investigating artists who are “not misappropriating?” Would you rather watch a film on the illegality of graffiti, or on artists creating trailblazing work on public property, as a social statement?

I believe our understanding of “appropriation” and “authenticity” will continue to be challenged through international and inter-genre collaboration and as information is increasingly available to individuals via the internet. People will have different depths and perspectives on cultures, genres will no longer be clearly defined, and thus it will be harder to determine who is authentic and who is imitative.