In Japan you can’t walk into a cafe without either hearing Bossa Nova or Jazz. It’s like a permanent auditory fixture in just about any shopping center or restaurant. Professor E. Taylor Atkins talks about how Jazz came to Japan. By Patrick Jarenwattananon [NPR] “Over the years a racialized component emerges in such language—basically a kind of model minority discourse that presumes that Asians have no soul and have no business trying to be artists, especially in proximity to Blackness, which is, …
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Supernatural is a unique documentary film that truly shows the power of music. It’s where the rubber meets the road. Director Rosylyn Rhee chronicles students from Japan learning how to sing gospel music. In Japanese culture, expressing raw emotion is considered rude in the company of others. Suppressed thoughts and feelings are buried under a mountain of societal contracts that forbid people from asserting themselves, talking in a direct manner or voicing their opinions. In a homogenous conservative country like Japan, everyone is equal, the same, …
ABC has decided to pick up the sitcom Fresh Off The Boat as part of it’s 2014-15 midseason replacement lineup. This will be the first in 20 years an Asian American family sitcom is being aired, the first and last one was Margaret Cho’s All American Girl (1994-95). The show is based on the memoir Fresh Off The Boat by restauranteur (owner of Bao Hous in NYC), chef (he often jokingly clarifies that he’s a glorified sandwich maker), food, cultural personality …
Rapsody “Betty Shabazz” [Prod. 9th Wonder] -New track “Betty Shabazz” from North Carolina MC Rapsody featuring producer 9th Wonder from the album 9th Wonder Presents: Jamla Is the Squad. She’s spittin’ that science Yo! The album is available on iTunes. For more info on Rapsody check her website. Dag Savage E&J music videos Dag Savage (Exile & Johaz) “RoboCop” from The Warning Tape Dag Savage (Exhile & Johaz): The Warning Tape (mixtape in support of E&J) Free DL of The Warning …
Yo he stupid. “Chicken Chow Mein Mang.” Kool Keith got that lotion and George Clinton got mad pussies in a tree. When in doubt, “Chicken Chow Mein Mang.” …
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