2. Overview
Emergence of Hip Hop Subculture in Japan
Why Hip Hop?
Taking it to the Extremes
The Burupan/Blackface
Market Size
The Typical Hip Hopper
Targeting the Hip Hopper
Magazines/Internet/Ad Vehicle/Publicity/Live Tour
Future Outlook of Hip Hop in Japan
3. Emergence of Hip Hop
Wild Style (Fall 1983)
Movie of a graffiti artist in NYC, ft. MCs, DJs,
Breakdancers released in Japan
Stars had a live performance in Japan due to
popularity of movie
Breakdancing in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo begins
DJ Krush, a leading world-class DJ, started out
breakdancing in Yoyogi
4. Emergence of Hip Hop
DJs started to perform on radios in 1985
DJ Hiroshi Fujiwara (Godfather of Harajuku)
1st Hip Hop Club opened in Shibuya in 1986
The birth of Japanese Rap in the late 1980s
Ito Seiko, Takagi Kan
1990s onwards
A vibrant commercialized subculture in Japan
“B-Boy Park”, biggest hip hop annual event every
August since 1999 in Yoyogi Park, Tokyo
5. Emergence of Hip Hop
“Japanese Hip Hop really exploded in the
last two, three years. I never thought there
would be a time when Japanese records
could outsell American ones but it’s
happening.”
– Hideaki Tamura, Tokyo record-store owner
(Interview with BBC in 2003)
6. Why Hip Hop?
Japan’s unstable economy
Studying hard and going to a good college no longer
guarantees a good job
Disillusioned youths
Mood/Emotions
Japanese youths might not understand lyrics of American
rappers but they feel the mood of Hip Hop
Expression of anger, frustration
Channel to rebel in a conformist society
7. Taking it to the Extreme
The Burapan (ブラパン)
Hip Hop fans go to salons to tan/darken their skin
Spot Afro, dreadlocks hairstyle
Referred to as Blackfacers
The Gosperats (Japanese R&B Group)
Wear blackface makeup during performances
African American fashion
9. Taking it to the Extreme
Why Blackface?
Mostly High School and College students
An opportunity to “rebel” in a conformist society
Allows a sense of freedom unable to be experienced
as a “Japanese”
Critics from Japanese Hip Hop artists
Japanese hip hop may appear superficial
An “imitation” of foreign hip hop
10. MC Battle of the Hip Hoppers
“Your parents, your grandparents are Japanese;
You can never be the black person you want to
be.”
– Banana Ice, “Imitation + Imitation = Imitation” (1995)
“First, it’s meant as a sign of respect towards
black culture, but secondly, I want to stand out
(目立ちたい)”
– Kreva, Kick the Can Crew (1997)
11. Market Size
No exact figures but size cannot be underestimated
Hip Hop dance schools
Increased from more than 40 to over 100 since 2005
just in Tokyo (Weber Jennier)
Hip Hop fashion
More than 300 shops in Central Tokyo
(Takatsuki Yo, BBC)
Hip Hop music
Almost every club in Tokyo plays Hip Hop/R&B in one
of their rooms
12. The Typical Hip Hopper
Age 18 – 28
Baseball cap worn
sideways or backwards 50 Cent, Nelly,
Listens to
Eminem,
American &
Orange Range,
Japanese
Oversized T-shirt/hoodie Kick the Can
Hip Hop
with huge logos in front Crew, Dragon
like...
Ash, Koda Kumi
A Bathing Ape,
Backpack slinging low to Shops at ACC, 4 Ballerz
add to the ‘dropping’ feel Places like... Clothing,
Ambition
Baggy shorts that look Harajuku,
like it’s falling anytime Hangs out
Roppongi &
with his
Shibuya Clubs,
homies at...
Yoyogi Park
Oversized sneakers
to finish it off
13. Targeting the Hip Hopper
Magazine Advertisements
Most magazines have circulations of 100,000 –
300,000
Free magazines in music shops (HMW, Tower Records),
fashion stores have at least 100,000 copies in
distributions
A single ad in a popular magazine costs about
USD 2,000 and up
14. Targeting the Hip Hopper
Hip Hop Insider
Free paper with over 100,000 distributions at over
1,300 music and fashion shops in Japan
55% males & 45% females readership ranging in age
from 16-32
Single Ad Budget is about USD 2,000 – 15,000
15. Targeting the Hip Hopper
Internet Advertisements
Japanese consumers are very ‘wired’ to the internet
Popular music websites get over 1 million page views
per month (www.topmusic.jp)
Cost for a single ad in a popular website starts from
USD 1,000 per month
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16. Targeting the Hip Hopper
Do it the Japanese way
Tokyo has a metropolitan population of 35 million
An advertisement truck that spins around the streets of
Harajuku, Shibuya, Yoyogi
Guaranteed to be viewed by several milllions
Costs range from USD 2,000 – 5,000 per day
17. Targeting the Hip Hopper
Publicity
Radio interviews, articles published
Using a song for a commercial or advertising
campaign, movie, etc
Live Tour
Playing gigs at venues (expense in Japan not a
revenue generating activity)
18. Future of Hip Hop in Japan
Hip Hop consumption relies heavily on young
consumers ranging in age between 16-30
Changing demographics of Japan
Low birth rates
Forecasted 8.9% (Euromonitor) decline in the
population of Japanese in their twenties up till 2015
(23.3% fall since 1995)
Aging population
19. Future of Hip Hop in Japan
Forecasted declining figures up till 2019 for Age Group: 0-14...
20. Future of Hip Hop in Japan
Forecasted declining figures up till 2019 for Age Group: 15-19 ...
21. Future of Hip Hop in Japan
Hip Hop sales (fashion, music, equipment) will not
vanish completely but see a steady declining trend
Japanese consumers are sensitive to current trends
Consumption trends will shift towards the “new old” to
replace the “old young”
Music genres more popular with the older crowd will
become the new trend
Hip Hop market has more or less reached its peak
in Japan
