Interface Between East and West: How Rap and Hip Hop Became Popular in Japan

I began my research thinking that my topic would be about the differences between traditional Japanese music and the music that is found in Japan today. However the further I delve into my research the more I found on the hip hop and rap scene in Japan, which began to fascinate me. I wondered: how could American hip hop become so popular in Japan? What made Japanese hip hop/rap the same? What made it different? Thus my adventure into the realm of hip hop and rap in Japan began.

First, I think it is important to know the differences between American hip hop/rap and Japanese hip hop/rap. What makes them different? What makes them the same?

Second, I would like to examine how it was that hip hop and rap became so popular in Japan. What were the powers that came together to bring this underground form of music up to the surface? Why is it such a phenomenon today?

Thirdly, how has mass media and mass culture affected the hip hop and rap scene? How has Japan's popular culture (what I will refer to as J-pop) affected the styles, lyrics, and musicality of Japan's hip hop and rap?