J-Urban

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J-urban is an abbreviation for the popular Japanese music style Japanese Urban. J-Urban is usually used as an umbrella term for all forms of Japanese urban music.

[edit] History

Typically, J-Urban can be divided into four subsections: J-HipHop, J-Rap, J-Soul and J-R&B. J-Rap and J-HipHop are somewhat similar but J-HipHop has more an urban J-Pop feel while J-Rap has a typically more Western feel. Much of J-Urban's history can be traced back to J-Pop. Although it is not known who originally coined the term "J-Urban", it is believed that a former navigator from the J-Wave radio station gave birth to the term. Aside from J-Pop, J-Urban can trace its origins back to early American Jazz and Hip-Hop music.

Many of today's artist feel that Western music, especially American music, was what inspired them to try their hand at a Japanese take on the style. It was not until early 1996 that J-Urban began to spread, before that point, J-Pop and J-Rock made up most of the Japanese market. J-Urban as a whole is said to have begun in 1983 when Charlie Ahearn's Wild Style was shown in Tokyo. The movie focused on graffiti artists but also featured some early old school MCs like Busy Bee and Double Trouble, DJs like Grandmaster Flash and breakdancers like the Rock Steady Crew. Popular artists such as Ken Hirai, Chemistry and m-flo have been quoted as saying that at the time they were just beginning, the J-Urban market was still a niche one.

A year after Wild Style, an all hiphop club opened in Shibuya. There was some hesitation at the time that the Japanese language, due to the lack of stress accents and highly variable verb endings, might prove unsuited for rapping. A few rappers emerged, however, including Ito Seiko, Chikado Haruo, Tinnie Punx and Takagi Kan. In the 1990s, teen-oriented J rap music appeared, and hip hop entered the Japanese mainstream. The first hit was Scha Dara Parr's "Kon'ya wa Boogie Back". The following year saw "Da.Yo.Ne." and "Maicca" by East End X Yuri go platinum.

A J-Music newspaper once ran an article about the birth and rise of the J-Urban scene. In it, the it was said that while the Japanese people like the look that comes along with urban style music, the lyrics were not something that most Japanese fans would be able enjoy. So with that in mind, many J-Urban artist take the American urban look and put their own spin on the genre with lyrics that are different of those in the American style.

In today's Japanese market, the J-Urban style is now a widespread genre. Thanks in part to artists such as Teriyaki Boyz, m-flo, Rip Slyme, Orange Range and singers such as Ken Hirai, BoA, Koda Kumi, Ayumi Hamasaki, Mika Nakashima, and Utada Hikaru. The band ORANGE RANGE has become arguably the most popular band related to the J-Urban scene, having many number one singles and albums.

[edit] Artist

See List of Japanese Urban Artist for a comprehensive list.