Kohei Japan

Kohei Japan is a famous Japanese hip-hop emcee, and a former member of a Japanese rap group named Mellow Yellow. He was born in Yokohama, Japan, and discovered rap and hip-hop while working as a chef. [http://books.google.com/books?id=CH8Nj_bBxWoC&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=Kohei+Japan&source=web&ots=Mwhq7Msedb&sig=OKGSPURXjlHmKiRFERfwedakwYI&hl=en#PPA14,M1] Many of his songs illustrate the contrasts between his Japanese culture and Western hip-hop influences. Indeed, in his song "Hungry Strut" [http://web.mit.edu/condry/www/jhh/] , he proclaims that he eats "rice, not bread, and fish, not meat", thereby asserting that while being a member of the hip-hop culture, he remains Japanese.He shows his attachment to Japanese culture by wearing a traditional kimono in many of his appearances. In fact, on his album "The adventures of Kohei Japan", he appears on the cover as a kabuki character in a woodblock print [Ian Condry, "Hip-hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization" , 2006] The album cover is very interesting, because his hands make the universal "funk" sign, clearly showing the contrasts bewteen a traditional Japan and a hip-hop culture.

Discography

Albums

*The Adventures of Kohei Japan (File Records, 2000)
*Funky 4 U (Sony Music Japan, 2003)

ingles

*Together Forever (Sony Music Japan, 2003)

References