Between Japan's censorship and hip-hop freedom
There was a man who said, “This is my reality.” His lyrics have been censored, reported, and silenced, and they still resonate today. Kan a.k.a. GAMI. He is a rapper, an activist, and a poet who has taken the extreme edge of self-expression. He challenged the “limits of language” in Japanese society, proving that freedom at the cost of time.
The linguistic art of the lone wolf, the “underground deity”
In the 2000s, Japanese rap was still treated as “scary music” by the media. Han put the reality of Kabukicho into words as it was. Violence, death, drugs, discrimination, loneliness. He didn’t hide anything, he exposed everything. His words were not polite, but reverberant. He didn’t “rhyme” but “carved life”. Kusari Group, MSC, Freestyle Dungeon – wherever he was, he brought “unclean truth”. That determined the “body temperature” of Japanese rap.
The will and contradictions of "freedom" through cannabis
Han was one of the first rappers in the Japanese music scene to openly affirm marijuana use. In interviews and songs, he continued to say that “marijuana is a culture” and “it’s the law that’s bad.” This was not just rebellion, but a strong belief in freedom of expression. However, the reality was harsh. In 2016 and 2020, he was arrested twice for violating the Cannabis Control Act. He was dropped from Freestyle Dungeon, disappeared from the media, and refrained from events – the social sanctions seemed excessive. What he wanted was “freedom,” but Japanese society dismissed it as “anti-social.”
Reread him as a "poet" rather than a "criminal"
The important thing is that he wasn’t just talking about marijuana. In fact, that’s not the essence of his work. For example, “Hip Hop Dream” contains a requiem for a friend who committed suicide. “Chain Group” records the “pain” of young people who are cut off from society. His rap is poetry, a social record, and a cry from the soul. The social atmosphere that considers an entire work “worthless” because of an arrest record can be said to be the easiest form of violence against art. What he broke was not the law, but the peer pressure to “keep quiet.”
Who is carrying that message now?
“I got arrested, but I won’t stop making music.” Many rappers grew up watching him. Name Tatsuya wrote prayer-like poems with smoke, and Red Eye brought philosophy into his lyrics. D.O continues to convey the significance of “talking” rather than “inhaling.” The fire of the man has been relayed to the next generation. Even if he disappears from terrestrial broadcasting, his “voice” still lives on through YouTube, live performances, and social media.
Still, he didn't choose his words.
While many artists choose “words that cannot be misunderstood,” Kan a.k.a. GAMI continued to choose “words that are too honest” until the end. His way of life was clumsy, sometimes foolish, but infinitely poetic. This is the story of a man who lived by words, was punished by words, and still did not let go of the microphone. And surely, when reread in 10 years, the lyrics will be called “true” rather than “illegal.”