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ARTICLES:
Politics and Society
The
Dilemma of Mixed Asians In Hip Hop By Tom Melesky November 2002 In the past three decades, hip hop has undergone an evolution unequalled in any other genre of music, going from an underground music, dance, and art form to something regularly experienced in commercials, TV and movies. Although followed by fans and consumers of all races, it has not always been open to everyone. At first glance, you might think that the future looks bright for mixed Asians in hip hop. They have had a presence almost from the very beginning. Chris Won Wong, a.k.a. Fresh Kid Ice, a Trinidadian of Chinese descent, was and still is a member of 2 Live Crew, one of rap's breakthrough groups. And just look at this lineup of current stars to see how strong the mixed Asian presence is in hip hop: Chilli of TLC is Arabic, East Indian and Black. Singer Kelis is Puerto Rican, Chinese and Black. Olivia is Jamaican, Indian and Dominican. Female MC Foxy Brown is Trinidadian and Asian. Black Eyed Peas member apl is Filipino and Black. R&B newcomer Amerie is Korean and Black. Singer Debelah Morgan is Indian and Black. Dena Cali, a female rapper who also starred in Master P's comedy "Foolish," is Black, Chinese and Swedish. Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park is Japanese and Caucasian. Female breakdancer Asia One, who is Chinese and Caucasian, is a former Rock Steady Crew member and organizes the annual B-boy Summit. Mixed Asian non-musicians have indirectly contributed to hip hop culture as well. Actors like Russell Wong have appeared in films like "New Jack City" and "Romeo Must Die," Rae Dawn Chong starred in "Beat Street," and Sonja Sohn stole the spotlight in "Slam." Naomi Campbell appeared in Michael Jackson's "Keep It in the Closet" video and the TV show "NY Undercover." Tyson Beckford appeared in Toni Braxton's "Unbreak My Heart" video while Jeni Fujita sang on Wyclef Jean's "Guantanamera." Bruce Lee, who is a quarter German, is referred to, quoted, or sampled in hundreds of songs. So the groundwork is all laid out. It should be a piece of cake from here on, shouldn't it? Unfortunately, no. There is still a long ways to go. While the many people involved in hip hop can refer to "shaolin" or "tiger style" or throw around words like "arigato" or "sensei," few would even know if Bruce Lee was Japanese or Chinese. Only a handful of the stars listed above actually refer to their Asian background in any real sense. The mixed population is largely invisible to the public eye and that is because many of the stars choose to identify themselves with only one race. Japanese-Mexican Naomi Sugimoto, a writer at underground e-zine "Evil Monito," doesn't think the world of hip hop encourages the idea of a multiracial identity, particularly if the star is part African or African-American. "I do not think that they understand, and I wonder if it is possible for them to ever understand. One of the Black students in my class demonstrated this to me by stating that Tiger Woods needed to make up his mind, and that he wasn't really Black. I then asked him to tell me what I was: Asian or Latina. He realized (I think) that he was in no place to categorize me. This is something that I believe mixed people share with each other: the knowledge of their experiences, and it is a very special, unique thing." "I think mixed people are slowly gaining representation all over," continued Sugimoto. "I see mixed people on the news, in music videos, in movies. I'm sure it will happen in hip hop inevitably. It's all happening...just very slowly. Things are always slow to change in this country. I think people have a tendency to reach out because of the exotic mixes that attract them." Although the hip hop landscape has become increasingly diverse in recent years, Asian stereotypes still dominate. Many artists claim to be into Asian culture and philosophy, but the reality is that their understanding is superficial, limited to references to martial arts, Hong Kong movies, anime, geisha, dragon ladies, and kanji tattoos (try finding someone who can actually read what they say). That said, there are signs of hope. Although still primarily an African-American and Hispanic cultural phenomenon, hip hop has undergone a racial evolution as well. With the continued dominance of Eminem, many, if not all, racial walls are tumbling down. The global popularity of hip hop culture will also promote continued diversity. Throughout Europe and Asia, citizens of all races and creeds have taken facets of hip hop eagerly and made it their own. In Japan, rarely a day goes by where I don't see a group breakdancers in the train station, and DJs like Honda and Krush have achieved worldwide fame. Asian rap groups like Japan's Kick the Can Crew and Dragon Ash, and Korea's Jinusean and Drunken Tiger are proliferating. The American hip hop scene is becoming increasingly diverse too. Underground MC Lyrics Born, formerly known as Asia Born, from rap group Latyrx is Japanese. Jin, a Chinese rapper known for his battling skills (he won BET's Freestyle Friday seven times in a row) recently signed with the Ruff Ryders camp, joining such powerhouses as DMX and Eve. Filipino-Americans like DJ QBert of the Invisibl Skratch Piklz crew, the Beat Junkies, Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, and Kid Koala are all emerging from the underground to more widespread recognition as turntablists. The Visionaries is a rap group that boasts Japanese, Filipino, Mexican, Black, and Caucasian members. The Mountain Brothers are a Chinese-American group who've opened for a Tribe Called Quest and performed at the 1999 Online Hip-Hop Awards. The list goes on and on. In every case, members had to make themselves heard and get beyond people's ignorant assumptions about their race. Mixed Asians do have an advantage over "pure" Asians in that most people do not apply Asian stereotypes to them. If anything, the primary characteristic of a mixed Asian is that they are often mistaken for a different race, assumed to be just one of their racial backgrounds, or they are given the "you look kinda Asian but I'm not sure..." response. As a result, mixed Asian artists are able to represent themselves both as individuals and as part of a community, while at the same time avoiding offensive labels. Chako S., a Japanese-German-Filipina writer and photographer with Evil Monito magazine, had an interesting answer when I asked her about mixed Asian hip hop: "I'm just not sure if I can answer those questions, or if I care to. Quoted from the movie about the artist, Basquiat. Reporter: 'Do you consider yourself an artist or a Black artist?' Basquiat's reply, 'Do you consider yourself a writer or a white writer?'" Perhaps "mixed Asian" is an identity that hip hop artists do not want to identify with at all because the music and the culture will always be first and foremost. Eurasian DJ and dancer Ostentatious D (a.k.a. David Horowitz) states it best: "I don't feel like there is anything negative about true hip hop culture. The mistake most people make is describing hip hop as one of the negative or commercial elements that split off from original hip hop. Hip hop was started to escape the negativity of life in the urban ghetto and to protest against it. Breaking was created so that groups could compete with each other in a different way, and not resort to gangbanging. There is always the underground that keeps the true spirit alive, as it is with everything else." About
the Author Editor's
Note: Amerie
apl
Chilli
Krayzie Bone
Fresh Kid Ice
Debelah Morgan
Dena Cali
Foxy Brown
Kelis
Mike Shinoda
Olivia |
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