“Rap Music, Race and Gender: On Two Sites Kawasaki and Korean Japanese, Hip Hop Feminism”
Last year, I organized an open lecture held at Meiji University on 15th, October, 2022.
This lecture aimed to deepen the understanding of social phenomena and research surrounding race and gender that are currently of interest in Japan, through lectures and discussions from academic and music industry perspectives, with a focus on rap music as the main theme.
In the first part, rapper FUNI, who has been active mainly in Kawasaki, and sociologist Kohei Kawabata discussed the community, identity, and diversity of Kawasaki and the Zainichi Korean community.
In the second part, Dr. Aisha Durham from South Florida University gave a lecture on Hip Hop feminism, rapper. Then, artist Akkogorilla and music writer Shihou Watanabe discussed the position of female rappers in the music industry in Japan and the United States.
So many people participated in this lecture online, and I hope to hold this kind of hip hop event again in-peson soon!
