In the 20th century, music and culture from the African Diaspora traveled all over the world…. and East Asia is no exception. In this Hip Deep episode, Afropop explores the different ways that Black music has influenced culture and society in places like China, Japan, Korea and Thailand. China scholar Andrew Jones takes us into the decadent underworld of 1930s Shanghai, where a hybrid form of jazz that mixed African-American sounds with traditional Chinese melodies challenged notions of tradition and modernity as political forces grappled to define the direction of modern China. Then we visit Japan, where homegrown reggae groups such as the Mighty Crown Soundsystem have fostered a massive Jamaican dancehall scene with an attention to detail. Plus, we speak with cultural critic Oliver Wang on the surprising connections between Asia and the development of hip-hop. [Originally aired 09-22-2012. Produced Marlon Bishop]
Africa in East Asia:
Shanghai Jazz to Tokyo Rastafari
:::JAZZ IN CHINA:::
“I think you could tell a really interesting alternative history of modern China through popular music. For more than 100 years, there’s a tradition of Chinese people engaging with America and others kinds of global cultures and remaking their own culture through that dialogue.”
Li Jinhui // Nie Er // Buck Clayton // Zhou Xuan // Bai Gwong // John Huie // Shien Lee // Jon Jang
(Zhou Xuan)
:::CHINESE HIP HOP:::
Yin Tsang // In3 // Brass Face // Dum Due // MC Weber
(Sbazzo w/ Yin Tsang)
:::Soundsystems & Dancehall in Japan:::
“In Japan, for you to be considered a really serious dancehall artist, the expectation is that you spend a certain amount of time at heart of dance hall culture. They say you can’t really learn real dance hall in Japan; you have to learn it in Jamaica.”
– Marvin Sterling on the Japanese Dancehall Scene
Mighty Crown // Junko Kodo // Nanjaman // King Jam Unlimited // Risky Dice // Ryo Skywalker // Boogie Man // Miki Douzen // Boxer Kid // Jing Teng
(Mighty Crown Soundsystem)