Title: 24 bars to kill : hip hop, aspiration, and Japan's social margins /
Authors: Armstrong, Andrew B.
Year: 2019
Subjects: Rap (Music) Social aspects Japan.; Rap (Music) Japan History and criticism.; Gangsta rap (Music) Japan History and criticism.; Working class Japan; Working poor Japan.; Crime Japan; Gangs Japan.; Crime; Gangs; Gangsta rap (Music); Rap (Music); Rap (Music) Social aspects; Working class; Working poor; Japan
Abstract: The most clearly identifiable and popular form of Japanese hip-hop, "ghetto" or "gangsta" music has much in common with its corresponding American subgenres, including its portrayal of life on the margins, confrontational style, and aspirational "rags-to-riches" narratives. Contrary to depictions of an ethnically and economically homogeneous Japan, gangsta J-hop gives voice to the suffering, deprivation, and social exclusion experienced by many modern Japanese. 24 Bars to Kill offers a fascinating ethnographic account of this music as well as the subculture around it, showing how gangsta hip-hop arises from widespread dissatisfaction and malaise.