Hoshino Futoshi | Takuya Nakamura's "Japanese Rap: Repeatedly Nodding Your Head"
Takuya Nakamura's book, "Japanese Rap: Repeatedly Nodding Your Head," offers a groundbreaking critique through the discourse history, the philosophy of repetition, and an analysis of SEEDA.Summary
This book by Takuya Nakamura (formerly known as 'Infumio') is a groundbreaking work in Japanese rap criticism, comparable to Masafumi Yoshida's recent work. The critique is structured in three parts. Part One traces the discourse history of Japanese rap centered on Utamaru's thesis of hip-hop as a "first-person" culture, uniquely positioning it within the context of "post-1968" thought, addressing why it lacked a critical space in the 2000s. Part Two theoretically frames hip-hop as a philosophy of "repetition = affirmation" by engaging with thinkers like Blanchot and Benjamin, offering insights into rhythmic and rhyme issues. The final Part Three focuses intensely on SEEDA's album "Hana to Ame" (2006), interpreting it as a "mythos" using theories from figures like Roman Jakobson and Paul Ricœur. A defining characteristic of the book is its critical stance, which is rooted in a thorough immersion in the lyrics, contrasting sharply with approaches that focus less on the textual content.
(Source：artscape)