JapanFest 2024: The Surprising Influence of Southern Hip-Hop on Japanese Pop Culture

With a red sun symbol freshly stamped on my right hand, I walked through the entrance of the Gas South Arena into JapanFest. I heard the sound of shuffling feet as little girls wearing getas, or wooden sandals, rushed to catch up with their mothers. Up ahead, three beautiful Black women decked out in their rendition of Japanese Lolita (called rorīta fasshon) strolled by. Last month, Japanfest celebrated its 50th anniversary in Atlanta with a jam-packed schedule of performances, hands-on experiences, and food vendors cooking popular Japanese cuisine. 

With five decades under its belt, JapanFest is a testament to the collaboration between JapanFest Inc., the Japan-America Society of Georgia, and the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Georgia. The festival is about sharing unique elements of Japanese culture such as theater, dance, food, fashion, and art, as well as fostering the cultural and business connection between Atlanta and Japan. 

In the large arena, tightly organized stalls called “Ginza Street” replicated the unique experience of Natsumatsuri, the traditional Japanese summer festival. Vendors sold everything: plush anime toys, action figurines, tea, packets of ramen noodles, and even samurai swords. Traditional carnival games like kingyo sukui (a goldfish scooping game), and omikuji (fortune slip) kept people entertained as they waited for the highly-anticipated Kabuki performance, featuring extravagant costumes and impressive kumadori make-up. The top floor of the arena included various hands-on experiences for guests to explore like learning to play mahjong, writing calligraphy, and trying on kimonos. 

Events like this help Atlanta keep its reputation as an active, diverse, and welcoming city where people can be themselves, try new things, and showcase what makes their culture so unique. This shift in sharing more cultural artistry is what many countries have been engaging in since the internet grew in popularity as an information hub and social platform. Varying forms of Japanese entertainment continue to enter mainstream American culture and make their mark.

Today, Japanese music, film, and television are trying to shake up the industry and cultivate their spot in international markets. According to the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), with a market value of over $2 billion in 2021, Japan is the second-largest music market in the world. However, with streaming copyright clearing issues being the biggest deterrents to global fame, Japanese music artists still haven't had the same success in America compared to other East Asian countries like Korea. 

Atlanta and Japan’s hip-hop scenes grew from marginalized communities. American rappers have historically used rap songs to discuss complex socioeconomic and racial issues plaguing Black communities, and Japanese rappers use their music to rebel against the conformity and homogeneity of Japanese society. However, some critics say Japanese hip-hop is just an animation and only mimics the style of American hip-hop, not the meaning behind the lyrics. Nevertheless, at the core, the themes of resistance, survival, and authenticity in Atlanta hip-hop continue to resonate with Japan’s hip-hop community who have their own stories to tell. 

One of Japan’s most famous female rappers, Awich, is the self-proclaimed “Queen of Japanese Hip-Hop” and has some ties to Atlanta. She moved to the city when she was 19, where she met her husband, now deceased, and had a daughter. According to Awich, she relocated because of the allure of the city and her desire to learn more about America. Growing up in Okinawa, Japan near American military bases gave her a look into American culture and helped shape her artistic expression. As a teenager, she listened to Tupac, Biggie, and the Wu-Tang Clan, from whom she drew much of her inspiration. 

Awich expressed her gratitude to hip-hop in her music: “I feel like hip-hop [offers] a platform for artists to talk about our roots in music,” she says. “And that is the culture of the genre: how to represent where you come from or what makes you you. To represent. Through hip-hop, I’m able to tell my story.” Along with other artists, such as Central Cee (UK); Bad Bunny (Puerto Rico); and Burna Boy (Nigeria); Awich represents the increasingly international future of the genre. 

I hope that next year's Japanfest includes more modern musical performances showcased on the main stage. Alongside traditional martial arts and Sumo performers, there is room for Japanese rappers to find their footing. Atlanta is the city that created the Trap music sub-genre, making it the perfect place to experiment with sound and bridge the gap between Japan’s up-and-coming musical artists and an international audience waiting to press play.