Editing Japanese hip-hop (section)

=== 1990s ===
[[Image:WILLDJ.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Japanese Hip-Hop fan wearing [[Wild Style]] T-shirt in [[Yoyogi park]]]]
By the early 1990s, major American artists began to tour Japan, and their music would receive Japanese releases.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/MC-Hammer-Special-Omnibus-For-Japan/release/6392273|title=M.C. Hammer* – Special Omnibus For Japan|website=Discogs|date=1990 |access-date=2018-02-22|archive-date=2018-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222165202/https://www.discogs.com/MC-Hammer-Special-Omnibus-For-Japan/release/6392273|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZcZ2IXA09g|website=YouTube|access-date=2018-02-22|archive-date=2017-12-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171221085444/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZcZ2IXA09g&gl=US&hl=en|url-status=live|title=MC Hammer Live in Japan (1991) 1of6 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Vanilla-Ice-To-The-Extreme/release/687927|title=Vanilla Ice – To The Extreme|website=Discogs|date=5 December 1990 |access-date=2018-02-22|archive-date=2018-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222165208/https://www.discogs.com/Vanilla-Ice-To-The-Extreme/release/687927|url-status=live}}</ref>

The years 1994 and 1995 marked the beginning of hip-hop's commercial success in Japan. The first hit was [[Schadaraparr]]'s "Kon'ya wa būgi bakku" (Boogie Back Tonight) by Scha Dara Parr and [[Kenji Ozawa|Ozawa Kenji]], followed by [[East End X Yuri]]'s "Da. Yo. Ne." and "Maicca," which each sold a million copies.{{sfn|Condry|2006|p={{pn|date=October 2023}}}} This sudden popularity of J-rap, which was largely characterized as party rap, sparked a debate over 'realness' and authenticity between commercial and underground hip-hop artists.{{sfn|Condry|2006|p={{pn|date=October 2023}}}}

Popular brands in Japan during this period also collaborated with multiple hip hop artists. A Bathing Ape (or BAPE) A Japanese clothing company founded by Nigo in 1993. .<ref name="TheHipHopIcon">[http://thehiphopicon.com/fashion.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826024721/http://thehiphopicon.com/fashion.htm|date=August 26, 2012}}</ref> Artist such as Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and KAWS have collaborated with BAPE.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2011/03/japans-influences-on-hip-hop/ |title=Japan's Influences on Hip-Hop – XXL |publisher=Xxlmag.com |date=2011-03-29 |access-date=2015-06-17 |archive-date=2015-03-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330104520/http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2011/03/japans-influences-on-hip-hop/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
 
An example of an underground attack on mainstream J-Rap is Lamp Eye's "Shogen," in which rapper You the Rock disses the more pop oriented group Dassen Trio. Writer [[Ian Condry]] argues that the rappers on this track are closely emulating the traditional macho posturing of rap, citing influences such as [[Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy]] and [[Rakim]].{{sfn|Condry|2006|p={{pn|date=October 2023}}}} Dassen Trio, and other pop rappers, respond to such attacks with the argument that their subject matter is more culturally appropriate and accessible for Japanese fans, and question the standards of "realness" put forth by underground rappers.{{sfn|Condry|2006|p={{pn|date=October 2023}}}}

Actual Japanese rap lyrics have a tendency to refer to mundane subjects such as food, cell phones, and shopping.<ref name="autogenerated7">Schwartz, Mark. "Planet Rock: Hip Hop Supa National." In The Vibe History of Hip-hop, ed. Alan Light, 361-72. New York: Three Rivers Press, 1999.</ref>