Anime in hip hop

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Anime in hip hop is a recent phenomenon in which anime and hip hop, two distinct subcultures, have collided to form a new subgenre in today's globalized popular culture. The two subcultures have influenced each other since the 1990s.

Anime's influence on hip hop[]

Many notable rappers such as RZA (of the Wu-Tang Clan), Kanye West, Robb Bank$, Xavier Wulf, and Frank Ocean have taken inspiration from anime when creating their music.[1]

From as early as 1990 and onwards, Akira (1988) was crowned as being among the earliest in anime to impact hip hop culture.[2] One notable music video that features clips from Akiraf is the 1995 song titled "Scream" performed by Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.[3] Kanye West has also cited Akira as a major influence on his work,[3] ashe paid homage to the film in the " Stronger" (2007) music video.[4] Lupe Fiasco's album Tetsuo & Youth (2015) is named after Tetsuo Shima.[5]

The Dragon Ball franchise, particularly Dragon Ball Z (1989–1996), had an impact on hip hop culture from the 1990s onwards.[6] It is popular in the hip hop community, and has been referenced in numerous hip hop songs by rappers and artists such as Chris Brown, Chance the Rapper, Big Sean, Lil Uzi Vert, G-Mo Skee, The Weeknd, Childish Gambino,[6] Thundercat, B.o.B, Soulja Boy,[7] Drake,[8] Frank Ocean, and Sese.[9] Mark Sammut of TheGamer notes that Gohan occasionally performs the dab move (as The Great Saiyaman), decades before it became a popular hip-hop dance move in American popular culture.[10]

In mid-2015 Canadian rapper Sese, aka Lord Frieza, caught the attention of this subgenre when he released his mixtape The Frieza Saga, which was entirely inspired by Dragon Ball Z. "One of my friends was talking about how epic the battles on Dragon Ball Z were and then we started talking about how crazy the parallels between hip-hop and the show are," Sese explains.[11] Lil Uzi Vert owns several cars decorated with anime characters (also known as Itasha) , including one with characters from K-On! and Sword Art Online.[12]

Hip hop's influence on anime[]

Since the early 1960s, anime has become increasingly more profitable in Western countries. The growth of the Internet has provided Western audiences an easy way to access Japanese content.[13] This has seemingly influenced many anime creators to incorporate more Western culture in their productions. The Western market has influenced the creation of many popular hip-hop inspired anime titles such as Afro Samurai, Samurai Champloo, Tokyo Tribes, PaRappa the Rapper, and Detroit Metal City.

Other anime that has been influenced by hip hop include Naruto (particularly the character Killer B), Megalo Box, Michiko & Hatchin, Tokyo Tribe 2 and Devilman Crybaby. The anime series Gurren Laggan also draws influence from hip hop, including "what might be the greatest hip-hop song in the genre" according to Michael Iacono of Comic Book Resources (CBR). The Boondocks is an anime-influenced animation that combines elements of both anime and hip hop.[2]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Gordon, Taylor (December 24, 2014). "10 Black Celebrities Who Have Expressed Their Love For Anime". Atlanta BlackStar blerds.
  2. ^ a b Iacono, Michael (10 February 2020). "10 Times Hip-Hop Influenced Anime". Comic Book Resources (CBR). Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b McMahon, James (8 October 2020). "'Akira': how the '80s anime classic changed pop culture forever". NME. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  4. ^ "How 'Akira' Has Influenced All Your Favourite TV, Film and Music". VICE. September 21, 2016. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017. Retrieved July 23, 2017.
  5. ^ "Lupe Fiasco's 'Tetsuo & Youth' Avoiding Politics". Rolling Stone. October 25, 2013. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved December 2, 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Celebs, athletes give 'Dragon Ball' pop culture super status". The Plain Dealer. January 15, 2019. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  7. ^ "'Dragon Ball Super: Broly' unites fans and critics with huge opening". The Daily Dot. January 17, 2019. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  8. ^ "Drake & Chris Brown Act Out A Dance Battle In Their "No Guidance" Video". Genius. July 26, 2019. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  9. ^ Weekes, Jabbari (September 3, 2015). "This Rapper Made an Entire Mixtape About 'Dragon Ball Z,' so We Quizzed Him About 'Dragon Ball Z'". Vice. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2019.
  10. ^ Sammut, Mark (January 17, 2019). "25 Fortnite Emotes And Where They Were Stolen From". TheGamer. Archived from the original on April 8, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  11. ^ Weekes, Jabbari (September 4, 2015). "This Rapper Made an Entire Mixtape About 'Dragon Ball Z,' so We Quizzed Him About 'Dragon Ball Z'". Noisey Vice.
  12. ^ "Lil Uzi Vert's Insane Car Collection Showcases His Anime Obsession". www.highsnobiety.com. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  13. ^ Wurm, Alicia (February 18, 2014). "Anime and the internet: the impact of fansubbing". reflexive horizons.


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