.gif)
Hime (rapper)
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese hip hop
artist. She released her debut solo album Hime hajime in October 2003 and is part of DJ Honda's http://www.djhonda.co.jp/index_english.html studio. Her works are notable for their use of Japanese cultural themes, including tanka metre and sampling
of kabuki
and bunraku
narrations. Her works also often touch on themes of female empowerment; she describes herself as the voice of the "Japanese doll". One example of the incorporation of traditional Japanese poetry and contemporary hip-hop can be heard in the song Tateba shakuyaku or Standing, she's a peony
In the chorus of the song, as seen above, Hime writes in a thirty-one-syllable tanka.
Hime's embrace of the ancient form of poetry in her rapping, as well as her frequent use of Japanese cliche's and traditional rhythms, show a trend in some Japanese hip hop to localize at the same time that they are embracing a global musical form. "Hime's use of Japanese cliches is provocative in a club setting where the latest slang from MTV tends to be most valued". Yet she also uses rhyme, something imported, since Japanese does not have much of a structure for rhyming.
At the same time that she is embracing aspects of Japanese culture into her hip hop, we also see how Hime presents herself. Often in her videos she is dressed in ways that are clearly taken from American, and specifically hip hop, culture. She Recently appeared on BET Hip Hop Awards 2008.
Hime's songs "Black List", "Himehajime 2006", "In The Rain",and "Fuyajo" are featured in The Fast and the Furious video game for the PlayStation 2 and PSP.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artist. She released her debut solo album Hime hajime in October 2003 and is part of DJ Honda's http://www.djhonda.co.jp/index_english.html studio. Her works are notable for their use of Japanese cultural themes, including tanka metre and sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
of kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
and bunraku
Bunraku
, also known as Ningyō jōruri , is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theater, founded in Osaka in 1684.Three kinds of performers take part in a bunraku performance:* Ningyōtsukai or Ningyōzukai—puppeteers* Tayū—the chanters* Shamisen players...
narrations. Her works also often touch on themes of female empowerment; she describes herself as the voice of the "Japanese doll". One example of the incorporation of traditional Japanese poetry and contemporary hip-hop can be heard in the song Tateba shakuyaku or Standing, she's a peony
"this sound,
giri and ninjo
the spirit of harmony
will the surprise attack
come from the peony"
In the chorus of the song, as seen above, Hime writes in a thirty-one-syllable tanka.
Hime's embrace of the ancient form of poetry in her rapping, as well as her frequent use of Japanese cliche's and traditional rhythms, show a trend in some Japanese hip hop to localize at the same time that they are embracing a global musical form. "Hime's use of Japanese cliches is provocative in a club setting where the latest slang from MTV tends to be most valued". Yet she also uses rhyme, something imported, since Japanese does not have much of a structure for rhyming.
At the same time that she is embracing aspects of Japanese culture into her hip hop, we also see how Hime presents herself. Often in her videos she is dressed in ways that are clearly taken from American, and specifically hip hop, culture. She Recently appeared on BET Hip Hop Awards 2008.
Hime's songs "Black List", "Himehajime 2006", "In The Rain",and "Fuyajo" are featured in The Fast and the Furious video game for the PlayStation 2 and PSP.