Recently I wrote an article about East Africa’s rising electronic music scene for bandcamp. Read it here. As a 90’s kid, when Nas said, “Hip-Hop is dead” it seemed like something that needed to be said, albeit shortsighted. Responding to Nas’s 2006 proclamation, Palestinian kids were saying “Hip-Hop is not dead it lives in Gaza.” In Kenya, the disputed 2007 presidential election made the country explode into mayhem. 1,100 people were killed in two months. Most of them were hacked …
Tag: kantra
Oren The Owl 
Shingo Nishiki 
Shingo Nishiki 
Brooklyn Terry 
Late of The Mega Late Show 
Last month Tokyo partygoers got laced by not one, but two Speakeasy TYO events. The first one on October 7th, at RIDE, featured one of the Godfathers of Hip-Hop, producer and DJ, Marley Marl. That night was an historical one and everybody, breakers, dancers, lovers, toddlers, and head boppers got turnt up. The second joint, on October 28 was Halloween on roller skates. Held at Tokyo Dome Roller Skating Arena, DJ Daruma (PKCZ) & Jommy and Shioriybradshaw were the featured …
Dear Mamma, I miss you, Ma. Like the smothering of fingered flames rippling for air, like a lost child in a crowd, I miss you. The first pull that ever compelled me to read and write was to make you proud. Seeing you constantly read those romance novels made me want to be like you. Can’t say that I like those books, but rather I care to admit, you definitely made me a romantic. You were a relentless optimist and …
At my daughter, Kantra’s school they have a “crazy hair day” where kids come to school wearing funny hair styles. Last school year, new to the game, we just bought Kantra a fluorescent orange wig. She looked ready for a rave. I couldn’t help noticing the dichotomy of the kids wearing afro wigs and calling it crazy while my daughter wore white girl hair under the same banner. “I think its just a joke,” my wife, Haruki, said. “I know,” …
Here’s my BBC interview. It starts at minute 48. I talk about my latest Tokyo Weekender article, Japanese Hip-Hop Has Sectioned Itself Off and my life in Japan. You’ll hear my four-year-old daughter, Kantra, wildin’ out in the background. She was climbing and jumping on the couch. I was motioning her to chill while pushing words out of my mouth. She says “hi.” Thank you Subi Star, good looking out. It was definitely a learning experience. It made me consider making audio …
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