Hiphop
Trust can only be given to those who refuse to change – the philosophy of non-intervention
-- A philosophy of quiet respect for people This world is full of "good intentions."We want to correct others. We want to guide others. We want to make them aware of their mistakes.These all seem like truly humane and sincere acts. But we need to ask again.Does that goodwill truly protect the dignity of the other person? People don't change through "understanding" Much thought and education is based on the premise that people will change if they understand. But the reality is different.No matter how accurate the explanation,people won't take a single step if they don't feel safe. It's not ignorance that is preventing change.I'm worried. Structural violence created by the position of "healing" When trying to heal someone,there will…
Heart Sutra and punch lines: A new yardstick for measuring the weight of words
"Form is emptiness, emptiness is form." "Your reality is thinner than paper." One is the Buddhist scripture, the Heart Sutra, and the other is a punchline that exploded in a rap battle. The context and era are different. But both have the power to "shake the world with one line." Hip-hop MCs hit their audiences with the weapon of "punchlines," while Buddhist monks convey the truth with the words "sutras." What are truly weighty words? What is it that "pierces" them? And how should we measure their weight? Is "Punchline" a mantra for the 21st century? A punchline is the "core" sentence in a rap that has the most impact on the audience. In an improvisation battle, this one blow…
Is Hip Hop Modern Buddhism? –Rhyming as a Process of Enlightenment
In the 21st century, sneaker- and beat-clad buddhas shout the truth with a microphone. On street corners, in clubs, and deep inside YouTube algorithms. They are not enlightened, but those who seek to enlighten - in other words, "rhymes". In Buddhism, enlightenment is a process. It is a journey from ignorance to awakening, a journey to cast off the illusion of the ego through practice, observation, and introspection. But where is "practice" in the modern world? What if it's on stage? What if it's buried in rhymes? Hip-hop may be the "Buddhist act" of our time. Freestyle = Improvisational Enlightenment "If you think about it, it won't come out. Just wait for it to come to you." These are the…
Hip-hop monk realizes on the green: Golf teaches compassion and focus
"In this age of worldly desires, my training is in the studio and on the green." So says a "hip-hop monk" who once stood on the stage of an MC battle and now holds a robe and a putter in both hands. He sharpens his mind with beats and knows himself with swing. For him, the Buddhist path is not in the temple. It is in the sound, in the words, and on the green of the wind and grass. Golf is a sport that cultivates compassion "The most important thing in golf is to be aware of the existence of others," he says. Waiting for the group ahead, not disturbing the opponent's concentration, carefully preparing the green. There is…
Anger leads to out of bounds – MCs and monks learn to control their emotions on the green
An MC once said, "If you get angry on stage, you lose. The moment you lose your cool, the blade of your words will stab you." A monk once said, "Anger is like the wind. If you let it go, it will pass, but if you hold it, it will become fire." And a golfer swung his driver in frustration, and the ball mercilessly disappeared into the out-of-bounds zone. Anger is a momentary emotion, but the consequences it brings are lasting. Hip-hop, Buddhism, golf - all of these are cultures that ask how to face "emotional turmoil." And there is an unexpected commonality between them. Emotional outbursts destroy the beat and the score In the world of MC battles, anger…
Rhymes are prayer, swing is breath: A hip-hop Buddhist’s morning practice
5am. The hustle and bustle of the city has yet to awaken. In the hazy pre-dawn air, a man quietly stands on the grass. In his hand he holds neither a microphone nor a scripture, but a putter. Hip-hop, Buddhism, and golf - these three worlds that at first glance seem to exist in different dimensions, but he lives in one flow. "Rap, Buddhism, and golf are all about being here and now. If you're caught up in the future or the past, you won't get a good shot or a good rhyme," he says, and his morning is filled with breathing, silence, and groove. His morning practice frees him, calms his mind, and becomes one with the space -…
Where does Red Eye’s “extraordinary concentration” come from?
Beyond the smoke: "Inner shamanism" The instantaneous power of his lyrics, the silences on stage, the strange precision of his speech. Red Eye seems possessed. "The moment I enter the track, the world disappears," he says. His concentration is not just a skill. It's like he's possessed by something and is letting it go - in other words, he has the air of an "inner shaman." Not "concentration" but "seance" - what's happening on stage Anyone who has seen Red Eye's live performance will notice the extraordinary way he "enters" the stage. His body remains perfectly still, his eyes are wide open, and his words flow out like a waterfall. It's as if his consciousness has "switched" to another layer.…
Artistic Freedom vs. Marijuana Laws: 21st Century Opinion Crackdown?
The era when nations target "rappers" Why are only rappers being arrested? Why do "marijuana" and "expression" have such an unstable relationship? In the 2020s in Japan, the majority of celebrities arrested for marijuana possession or use are hip-hop artists, an unusual phenomenon that continues. Name Tatsuma, Kan a.k.a. GAMI, D.O, Chinza DOPENESS, ¥ellow Bucks, and many unknown rappers. Almost without exception, they have careers as "artists," have publicly admitted to "smoking," and have been cracked down on by the police as a "warning." Is this trend simply "law enforcement"? Or is it a modern form of "ideological oppression"? An era in which words and smoke are considered dangerous Unlike entertainers and actors, rappers are in a profession where they…
“No Bully Movement”: Why Hip Hop is Standing Up to Bullying
Homie Kei and Zeebra take on the forefront of social change through "sound and words" Real voices calling for the eradication of bullying The "No Bully Festival" held at Chigasaki City Cultural Hall in the summer of 2024 attracted nationwide attention. The performers on stage were Zeebra, Kan a.k.a. GAMI, Hannya, ANARCHY, OZworld, JESSE, D.O, and the man who stood out the most, Homie Kei. They took to the microphone not for entertainment or fame, but for the passion to "reduce bullying to zero," which drove the entire venue. The existence of Homie Kei: The weight of words from someone who knows pain Homie Kei is known as a "real man" who was once a member of a street gang…
The day Dr. Dre changed the “Choices”
When The Chronic combined hip-hop and marijuana A new hip-hop landscape seen beyond the smoke Los Angeles, USA, 1992. In this city where drugs and violence are rampant and where the scars of the riots caused by the Rodney King incident remain, an album was released. Dr. Dre's "The Chronic". "Chronic" is a slang term for high-quality marijuana. The album jacket imitates the rolling paper brand "Zig-Zag", and the gaps in the sound are filled with images of lighter flames and smoke. This work was not just music. It was a work that lifted the ban on the "marijuana code" of hip-hop. The early '90s: Hip-hop and the front lines of the "War on Drugs" In the 1980s and 1990s,…
Cypress Hill’s “green legacy”
The revolutionaries who brought cannabis culture to hip-hop Before it became common to say "smoking weed" in rap, there was a group that seriously, repeatedly, and proclaimed it as a culture. Cypress Hill. Since their debut in 1991, they have countered the social notion that "marijuana = evil" with both their sound and their ideas. The "green trail" that this Latin hip-hop group left behind has gone beyond mere musical expression and has spread to social movements, politics, and subcultures. From the beginning, he had a "marijuana-friendly" attitude Cypress Hill's uniqueness was already evident from their debut album. Their first album, Cypress Hill, released in 1991, contained several songs that blatantly and positively praised marijuana, such as "Stoned Is the…
The “liberation of words” embodied in “Kan a.k.a. GAMI” and the price it comes at
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.…
Are cannabis lyrics “modern prayers”?
The surprising commonality between minority cultures and ancient beliefs The acts of "rolling," "sucking," and "purifying" may be rituals. Smoke drifts through the studio at night. Name Tatsuma says, "I'm just exorcising reality with smoke." It would be easy to dismiss these words as just another chuunibyou expression. However, on the other hand, the act of "purifying the space with smoke" is also connected to Shinto and "Japanese religious rituals" since the Jomon period. Are the rappers' marijuana lyrics just a sign of rebellion? Or are they a new kind of "prayer"? Weed as an “Exorcism” In ancient Japanese Shinto, smoke was considered a symbol of purification. Hemp fibers were also used for bell ropes, shimenawa ropes, and ritual implements,…