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[leejonathanuw]

Conclusion

Before I begin my final post of this blog, I just want to thank everyone who so kindly read my blog. I truly hope you have a newer and deeper understanding of how the Asian identity works, and how Hip Hop was been proven over and over again to be a resource and an outlet for many Asian people to express themselves in a sometimes very expression-opressed culture. 

With all cultures and development of identities, we can see hiccups or issues, in this case, I think one of the biggest things we see is cultural appropriation. In understanding that, ive devoted a lot of this research blog to breaking down the cultural appropriation and also how we can overcome it as a community of hip hop lovers. 

In addition to this, I spent a lot of time researching less about the dance, and more about the identity behind it, and how dance itself has helped people develop identity. Now, this was probably for selfish reasons, because in my initial research, I began to wonder if dance one day would be my outlet, so I based a lot of my research around the hope and idea that in doing research, I would realize that dance is my hobby and outlet. Even though I still dont feel like dance is 100% my own outlet, I found my research to be MUCH easier when you frame it with the lense of self discovery. 

The blog was fun to write, All graphics except for the video were created by me unless otherwise noted, and I hope it helps you as the reader learn more about how dance can change your life. 

[leejonathanuw]

By Now, youre probably tired of my blog, but this is one of the last few posts that I am doing. 

I stumbled across this video, it is a hip hop dance that took place in China. As you can see, these individuals are expressing themselves thru hip hop without appropriating anyones culture, I think this is a fantastic example of using ones identity and using hip hop to develop it. 

You can see their body movements, we see them go from slow upper arm movement to fast paced, whole body movements. If you have ever watch Tai Chi, a traditional Marshal Art, you would understand that the slow and wide body movements resemble traditional chinese movements, while the fast paced movements do not resemble traditional “asian” movements. 

I loved this video personally, and I am really just adding it on to show how identities develop when people begin having the freedom of movement, freedom to express themselves through dance, it helps enhance their understanding of their own culture and frankly, it helps others understand that Asian culture isnt just studying and obeying, it really allows people to be more open minded about identities. 

[leejonathanuw]

Asian Hip Hop Identity: Instagram Edition 

I decided to get on Instagram to scroll thru some photos of Asian Hip Hop. By looking thru tags like #hiphopasian #asianhiphop #hiphopchina #hiphopkorea #hiphopjapan, I was able to find many images... Some made sense to me immediately, but some took a second for me to understand. 

In doing this search, I was hoping to see photos of people finding their identity and I found just that. I noticed a lot of people who are hoping to make it big, I noticed people who are happy doing their thing without too much attention and I found those who are newly exploring their identity thru hip hop, just like me. 

Another thing I noticed was that there seems to be a cipher going on within the Asian Hip Hop community, maybe I am reading into things that arent realistic, but I noticed the way some people dress, the locations of where their photos are, and the hand signals they use, it makes me feel or think that they are an alliance of hip hop members within the Asian Hip hop community. 

Another thing I see that ties to my last observation is the want for recognized alliance, we see KPOP, JPOP and CPOP and what not, these are groups and alliances that the Asian Pop community has been able to make, and most people know what they are, but I feel like hip hop, especially in Asian and in that Asian culture are kind of brushed aside. 

Again, We come back to the identity concept in all of this. How are Asian Americans and Asian Individuals using social media to share their newly developing identity thru social media while creating bonds and alliances with similarly midned people? 

[leejonathanuw]

I know I have already shared this video on my blog, but I want my audience to view it again, but this time with the lens of culture and the cultural identities. I have watched this music video countless times, and each time, I am more confident that it perfectly captures how Asian people are using their Asian Identity and using hip hop as a way to express it. 

When I watch this video, I now notice less of the actual person, but every single subtle clue in the background. I see the red lighting, gold structures and furniture, gold walls, traditional asian instruments in the background, BUT very untraditional movements, untraditional hair styles, untraditional makeup, untraditional outfits. All these indicators show sucess, Gold is considered successful in most Asian culture.

We then see a scene when the main character is on a horse in a desert, last time I checked, deserts with horses arent very usual in Taiwan (where this was said to take place)... I kind of felt like there was a hidden message in that.. I may be over analyzing but to me, after seeing all other parts of the video, I realized that the horse in an empty desert may repersent misunderstanding, or lonliness, it may repersent being alone in a vast space with nowhere to go or look to... 

The jump from the main scenes to the desert is so extreme that I feel like it symbolizes how quickly life is changing for this main charicter. Its titled “My new swag”, implying that the swag is the main part of the video, therefore leading me to believe that the horse in the desert is their own life, and the video is the new swag. if that makes any sense! 

I think this video demonstrates exactly what Im Talking about, it shows the transformation, and the transition from one identity to another. For example, Horses in some asian cultures are usually meant to signify a farmer, or someone in a low class position where as the gold walls, bright red accents and even “Foreigner” clothing is a sign of sucess, and I think the main charicter is showing how hip hop or their newly founded identity is best expressed thru dance. 

[leejonathanuw]

CULTURAL APPROPRIATION IN ASIAN RAP-AND HIP HOP CULTURE. 

Dictionary.com defines cultural appropriation as “the act of adopting elements of an outside, often minority culture, including knowledge, practices, and symbols, without understanding or respecting the original culture and context”

In my previous post, I discussed how I thought Jay Park was expressing himself in a way that could be seen as culturally appropriative. Some of the things that led me to believe that were his piercings, his clothes, his body language (the way he walked with his shoulders almost slouched down and forward) and finally, the way he spoke. 

Though I dont feel it is appropriate for me to downright accuse him of cultural appropriation, I think being able to identify potentially appropriative behaviors and explain how they come into play during the development of ones identity is crucial to understanding the identity crisis many Asian people have had and how hip hop can sometimes be a heaven for those whove been silenced OR a breeding ground for cultural appropriation. 

In the linked video, we see a few different examples of Asian American artists, specifically in Hip Hop and rap who are sharing their struggles, struggles with identity and how they have developed their identity. Right in the beginning of this, we see the girl who is being featured discuss how she feels the term "Ling Ling" is "kinda the same as the N word"... Personally, I think this just begins to touch on the perspective of some Asian individuals who are delving into hip hop and how they may be misinformed or uneducated on the development of hip hop and the struggles that many African and Black individuals have faced finding THEIR identity in hip hop. Personally, I think that the term “Ling Ling” doesnt remotely come close to how bad the N word is. 

The second thing in that video that stood out to me is hair styles, the Asian girl is having her hair done in a traditional way (cornrows) that some black people may find to be culturally appropriative. I personally believe that this is a prime example of where the blurred lines begin to happen with cultural appropriation- but at the end of the day, nobody really knows who gets to be the judge of that. How can Asian people express their newly founded culture in hip hop while being careful not to overtake someone else's culture?

❤️❤️❤️FOLX❤️❤️❤️READ ME❤️❤️❤️

At this point in time, it may seem that I am bashing Asian people and their culture. I am NOT, I am trying to go thru the process of how one finds an identity, and in that, sometimes there are difficult things to talk about. Nobody wants to be someone who culturally appropriates someone, but it happens sometimes and being able to recognize it and learn from it is so incredibly important💝. There is a lot of information on this blog, and I encourage you to read the entire blog before freaking out- there are many pieces to this and in order for it all to make sense, you need to review the entire thing ☮️☮️☮️ Xoxo❤️❤️❤️ - The Writer

[leejonathanuw]

How Hip Hop has Changed Jay Park’s Life (Video): 

I enjoyed this video, and I think it is a good starting place for people who are exploring how Hip Hop has been prevalent in the life of Asian American Cultures. This video discusses how a Hip Hop Star in Korea has hopes to become a big deal in the States- however it also discusses how its clearly been a struggle... (or I would know who he was). But I wanted to discuss some things about this video that the average person might not catch. 

Observation 1) The Way He Talks. 

Right off the bat, you can hear the way he talks. How often do you hear an average Asian person talking in a clearly non-natural manner? From what it sounds like to me, I feel like he is talking in a voice that would usually be heard or emphasized black culture. It is commonly understood or assumed that hip-hop and rap originated from different black cultures, so we see people like Mr. Park speaking in a way that would tie him or associate him to hip hop or rap. We see this often with Asian Americans exploring hip hop and rap, we see an effort to (Im going to be frank) be black. I will go into cultural appropriation in another post, but I want my readers to ponder that. In an effort to better represent their own identity, are some Asian Americans beginning to appropriate black culture? 

Observation 2) The Way he is Dressed. 

Another fact that many people might not put too much though into is the way he is dressed. Traditionally in rap and hip hop culture, we see performers wearing casual, loose, baggy and easy movable clothing. Traditionally this is very different from typical Asian outfits. By the way Jay Park dresses and speaks, I feel that he has embodied what he thinks a “Rapper” or “Hip Hopper” would dress like. We know hip hop is for anyone and everyone, but if its for everyone and anyone from all backgrounds, why do we consistently see different racial and ethnic groups trying to replicate black culture or parts of it? 

[leejonathanuw]

I made this comparison not to bash anyone or Asian Culture, but to explicitly demonstrate why someone who may have been tied down by traditional families or culture would want to use hip hip as an outlet. This is purely informational and as always, everyones situation is different, and this is for educational purposes only. 

[leejonathanuw]

Asian who?

If you’re an Asian American like me, then I am sure you have struggled with your identity at one point or another. You may not realize it, but being Asian in the United States is probably more confusing than quantum physics, why? Because you're balancing being a minority, that has a large amount of privilege, but also not, and to add that, you also have to live life with that “Model Minority” sign floating above you 24/7... For better or for worse, being an Asian American can give you so many privileges in this country, or it can be your detriment (Hello COVID-19 Asian Racism). 

Okay, you're probably wondering, why is this kid talking about identities in a blog that supposed to be about Hip-Hop?! Well, its because in order to “set the scene” for what I am going to talk about, we need to first understand the identity crisis many Asian Americans (AND ASIANS EVERYWHERE) face, so I will share mine with you. 

I am a very outlandish Asian, to traditional Asian families, I am basically satan because I dont like to follow rules, I talk too much and I have no intention of ever eating chicken feet (I’m not yucking your yum, Im just saying that for me, i would rather die)... For me, I basically consider myself white as can be, I go to Starbucks every morning, I watch the kardashians all day long and as far as i can think back, Ive never experienced any real racism (besides being called a chink during Corona). BUT, at the end of the day, I am still Asian, and I am still a person of color... but Im not really a person of color. 

CONFUSED YET?! Good, then you might be able to begin to scratch the surface of what I and many other Asians experience. A deep confusion of ones culture, identity, traditions and more. 

I have heard of too many of my Asian friends who live in STRICT ASIAN HOUSEHOLDS to have ended up becoming extremely depressed and even suicidal, not necessarily because they're being straight up abused at home, but when you have no space to be yourself and you live your entire life trying to please your Asian parents, you begin to slowly die inside. 

Which brings me to my final point of this post. EVERYONE NEEDS AN OUTLET TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES, AND MANY ASIAN INDIVIDUALS HAVE FOUND HIP HOP TO BE THE PERFECT OUTLET, AND I WILL SHARE WHY AND SHED LIGHT ON HOW HIP HOP HAS BECOME A POPULAR OUTLET FOR YOUNG ASIAN AND ASIAN AMERICAN INDIVIDUALS. 

[leejonathanuw]

My Project: An Introduction

Hello Blog Viewers! I am very excited to present the following series of posts to share with you my findings of how Hip Hop dance has become a game changer when it comes to the identity of an individual. In this, I will share why hop hop has become important to me and many other individuals out there. 

I feel that Hip Hop has become something that is able to speak, represent and advocate for people who may have formerly been silenced, discriminated or represented. Before doing research into hip hop and its many meanings, I like many others, didn't realize how large of an impact hip hop is having on people on a global scale. 

If you are someone who is interested in the big picture of social justice, hearing stories and experiences from marginalized communities or youre someone who just loves hip-hop, I implore you to read my blog and learn a thing or two 😍

[leejonathanuw]

Hip Hop and Asian Culture: Tradition vs. Expectations: 

I choose these two hip-hop dance videos, because I have always been interested in seeing how different cultures interpret hip hop. Now of course I will have the opportunity to explore many different cultures, but this time I was trying to find one specifically focusing on the way Japanese people have made hip hop their own. For me, as an Asian American, I feel like I have almost white-washed my own culture, I am the whitest person youll ever meet for better or for worse, so I wanted to connect to my culture, and I have been doing that whether that be thru food, music and language. The first video is one made in Taiwan, even though I was looking for Japanese (I am mixed, chinese and Japanese)  I was watching it and thought that the setting was SO cool and it kind of resonated with my idea of tradition vs. reality. I noticed the traditional Chinese paintings, the yellow hue to the lighting, the floors and the building, it all represented a traditional chinese/taiwanese building, while the dance and the music were very “untraditional” meaning that hip-hop is not too well known in the culture. I just thought the vast contrast of the traditional setting it took place in versus the fast paced, repetitive beat that is more untraditional was interesting. 

The hip hop I saw in the video related to Camille Brown’s video a lot because it demonstrates how it is a way for people in a culture to express themselves and how there really is not a set way or “right or wrong” way to go about hip hop. I think being able to see the contrast between traditional asian settings versus non traditional asian music, dance moves and attire was what helped me connect Camille Brown’s video to what I was watching.