Blog #1

1. How were you introduced to Asian popular culture?

I was introduced to Asian popular culture through an Arab friend of mine. When I was in junior college, he showed me some Japanese pop music videos he had on his laptop. At first, I didn't like them, but when I started to find out about other Japanese singers, I started to like some Japanese music.

2. What aspects of Asian popular culture do you enjoy? For example, what are some of your favorite films, dramas, groups, etc., etc.?
The aspect that I enjoy the most is Japanese rap and R&B music. Some of the artists that I like to listen to are AI (Japanese "Queen of Hip Hop Soul"), Lisa Yamaguchi, Sakura, Juju, Jay'ed, Ai Ozaki, and Seeda. I have also watched some Japanese dramas such as Bloody Monday and Love Shuffle. The only Korean music that I have really heard and liked was a singer/rapper named Tasha. I have to thank my friend Alia for introducing me to her music.

3. What happens to you in the process of watching/listening/engaging in (different types of) Asian popular culture? How is it different from watching/listening/engaging in American popular culture?

When I am listening to music, I hear the music first. Then, I try to listen to the words and figure out what the song is about. It really helps me with my Japanese listening ablilities sometimes. If I can't figure it out, I usually ask my Japanese friends. They ask me to explain American songs to them sometimes as well. I would say that the difference in language is the main difference between Asian popular culture and American popular culture. By this I mean that since I have been born and raised in American culture, it doesn't take much for me to listen to an American song and figure out what it means and whether or not I like it. When it comes to musical genres such as R&B and Rap, they are primarily seen as forms of American music since their origins are American and are usually done in English. Due to this fact, I find it interesting to listen to Asian artists doing these genres of music and fitting them to their native languages and cultures. I also like the way some artists are able to mix English in with their native language and still make sense.

4. What are some Asian popular culture blogs and sites you have found fun, helpful, or informative? Please provide links if possible.

The only Asian popular culture blog and sites that I usually go to are used to download music so I can't share them with you on here, but if you want to know about those sites, please talk to me in class. I will be happy to share them with you. However, when I want to look at music videos, I usually just go to youtube.com or dailymotion.com. As a matter of fact, here are some videos of some of the artists that I talked about earlier. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
AI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbpCS8Unl6g
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVSvnbeQ0_8
Tasha: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD3r5C1h0gw
Ai Ozaki: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quI0WTTpX6c
Seeda: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_0X5Smw1RI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVpdkEO_-Ds