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ASIAMS.NET |
ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Is the U.S. Ready for Asian American Pop Stars?
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:57:20 PM)
ime was when we saw literary fame or Hollywood stardom as the final frontier for Asian acceptance in the U.S. More recently the frontier shifted to pro sports and national politics.
A year into the 21st Century we see Asian lights going on in the literary world, Hollywood and pro sports. We even see Asian Americans in two cabinet posts. But one arena remains starkly devoid of Asian stars -- the pop music scene.
James Iha, Smashing Pumpkins guitarist/backup vocals & solo recording artist
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Classical stars like Yo-Yo Ma, Seiji Ozawa and Vanessa Mae are old news. We've noted Japanese imports like Shonen Knife, Keiko Matsui and Pizzicato Five. We've marveled at the unlikely hit "Sukiyaki". Many of us have spotted James Iha in Smashing Pumpkins and Jeff Lin in Harvey Danger, or maybe even heard of Asian American bands like Seam and Versus.
But where is pop music's Chow Yun-Fat, Ichiro, Chang-rae Lee, Norman Mineta?
One indication of our lack of presence in pop music is the fact that Ming-Na and husband Eric Zee have even financed a record label (Innovazian) in hopes of promoting an Asian American pop/R&B boy group -- a sort of private Head Start program for pop music. Few of us even know its name (At Last). Its first CD sold all of 3,000 copies.
Those of a paranoid or cynical bent will postulate conspiracies among racist, short-sighted heads of major record labels. The sociologically inclined will see pop music as the inner sanctum of American culture and Asians as the perpetual outsiders.
But for purposes of this page, put on your music critic/historian hat and prognosticate the most likely path by which an Asian star will ascend to the American pop firmament. Will it be a Canto-Pop, J-Pop or K-Pop star storming the U.S. via the import route? Will it be a surprise chart-topper by an AA artist (say James Iha with another, more successful solo album)? Or will there be a frontal assault by a wave of AA groups/artists currently playing the club and auditorium circuits?
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Discussions posted during the past year remain available for browsing.
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
Its just occurred to me a couple you folks dont know what "blow me" actually means, but neither do my fobby buds (heeheehee, kinda funny=) .... cant blame dem and cant blame you either, so no point in arguin wit cha here .... but lets just say this ... if you take rap and hip-hop or any form of art totally seriously and literally, you obviously dont understand it enough to judge it. Rap is art just like film or any other media, a means of expression and it's up to you the viewer/audience to interpret that expression. If you interpret it the wrong way and it makes you go out and shoot somebody it prolly gots to do more wit your mental stability and how "U" were raised ... lets just say I DO NOT come out of a theater after watching a John Woo or Jet Li gangsta flic having any more of an implulse to pull out an uzi and mow down a bunch of rap hatah's than before I first entered the theater ... if U feel hip-hop gives you these impulses, go blame your parents for not raising you right .. like I sez before folks: "pre-conceived notions" .....
Ninja Turtle
Monday, March 10, 2003 at 10:49:50 (PST)
[64.37.155.9]
Honestly I can't wait for Jin to drop.
Just flipping thru hip-hop stations lately, it's become a sad joke. Freakin Nelly making Nike Air Force 1 commercials, Birdman makin birdcalls and someone rappin bout a Country Girl w/big country t*ts..??? And 50 cent is supposed to be the rap savior, but soundin like he took a correspondence course from P. Diddly? WTF with this wack shyt? U know 2Pac is spinning in his grave like a drill press right now..
Interestingly, Tell Me (What's Goin' On), Smilez & Southstar is Billboard #28 right now...
Bring it Jin!
Monday, March 10, 2003 at 10:01:30 (PST)
[148.104.5.7]
MS:
Hahaha, nice try at attempting to be "da good guy" all a sudden buddy! You had your chance and totally blew it big time!! Everyones seen you for what you really are and this sudden change of pretending to talk with some kind of "morally-based objective consceince" is just way too little too late my hateful azn bro on the dark-side of the force ..... your damage has been done, any amount of damage control you do now is irreparable ....
ok .... ya dont dig quotes from Dr. Dre, then how bout from someone more respectable like Malcolm X:
"It doesn't mean that I advocate violence, but at the same time, I am not against using violence in self-defense. I don't call it violence when it's self-defense, I call it intelligence."
If your new found intelligence dont dig that, in a nutshell it means "hate me, and I hate you back", but by "hating you back" in this context, its not really "hate" and believe me dude, if you carry yourself through life with your attitude, you WILL be "hated" upon my brothuh!
And whats all this shit about everyone who's into hip-hop being a whole bunch of "wannabes" who wanna do it for a living?! I'm a visual arts student and aspire to do that for a livin ..... you gonna gimme s*** for wanting to be a visual artist too?! Sure I dig MNM, Jin and all those cats but its never even crossed my mind once to wanna BE them, do what dey do .. sounds like you dig Jin as well .... YOU wanna be HIM?!! I'm REAL dude, just as most my other brothuhs and sistas in the hip-hop community .... its only cats like you and old man harold who have these pre-conceived notions in your head about hip-hop ..... these "pre-conceived notions" are the root of all hate my friend .......
UR the real pathetic one who needs to do the waking up my friend, as your heart seeths with so much hate and anger it seems to cloud what appears to be some decent intelligent judgement buried deep down somewhere behind all that hate .... to quote Mr. T: "I pity the fooh!!"
But if, like Darth Vader, ur like, turnin over some kinda "new leaf" or somethin then I IMPLORE you my bro ... its NEVER too late!!
Ninja Turtle
Sunday, March 09, 2003 at 21:04:59 (PST)
[64.37.155.9]
Personally I think rap is trash. That simple. Hip-hop used to have quality but that changed when we went into the 90's, and now 2000's . Now rap is nothing more than a manufactured product. I dont think I'm hating when I say that rap requires pratically no talent. Last time I checked, I had freedom of speech. I can say that rap is stupid and theres not a thing anyone in here can do about it. In MY opinion rap is just someone TALKING along with a beat. Thats it. Thats all there is to it. Also, I totally agree with Harold Ming. If you told one of the street gangs on the street:"Blow me." they probably will blow you, a hole right through your head. Yeah, thats the reality of the streets. I'm sorry if you thought that the streets were a place were everyone else BUT you gets their head blown off, but unfortunately, in reality the streets are a place where you too can get seriously screwed up. Contrary to what the movies and songs may lead you to believe, the streets are one scary place. There are no rules on the streets. Anything goes. Shame on rappers for glorifying the streets.Its definately nothing to be proud of.
KDK
Sunday, March 09, 2003 at 18:41:15 (PST)
[67.213.169.83]
What ever happen to COCO Lee???
small fry
Saturday, March 08, 2003 at 16:25:52 (PST)
[152.163.189.136]
Jin's freestyles are impressive. That chigga's goin' places. Props.
Respect to Jin tha MC
Saturday, March 08, 2003 at 12:39:17 (PST)
[128.253.186.46]
i agree with harold ming, ive only read his comments on this page though, beatbox and all these other dr dre stalkers who like to quote from him, are living in theyre little tv fantasy world. Ninja turtle keeps saying if you all dont like me BLOW ME!! like hes cool or something, how about if a person dosent like you and takes out a 9mm and blows your brains out the back of your head do you still agree he should blow you. Lets be real, as soon as somebody has their own opinion about something other people call it hate. But your the ones actually 'hating'. I havent posted one message and my name is still mentioned everytime, someone trying to be smart or whatever. You guys are pathetic!!. wake up!! you cant be eminem!! and just because their is one popular asian rapper (jin, good for him) dosent mean you can be!!!
Malaysian Sensation
Saturday, March 08, 2003 at 07:57:43 (PST)
[210.186.124.27]
Funny, cuz as we're "discussin" (DISSING+CUSSIN) all this stuff, here I am in history class this morning learning about "freedom of speech" and "freedom of expression" which we're all 4 othuhwise nobody here would be writin bout nothin .... kinda dozin in class when all a sudden teacher sez "the constitution embraces all forms of free speech except for one ... HATE SPEECH"! Then ... ding! ding! ding! ...... lightbulb goes off, then "harold ming! harold ming! malaysian sensation! harold ming! malaysian sensation!" all a sudden pop into my head ... two+two come together and I totally dig the lesson!!
Theres a very specific definition for "hate speech" ..... some of yous guyz need ta look it up (if you COULD read) but you wont even try to if you could, cuz as you sez:
"You're right I don't get it, and don't want to get it, and most of all don't want to catch it from you."
Harold Ming for president everyone! First thing on agenda of VP "MS": BIG WITCHHUNT TO RID WORLD OF ALL RAPPERS AND HIP-HOP ARTISTS!!
Lets just say Hitler did what he did in the name of "morality" and "righteousness" ..........
NinjaTurtleCartoonWBrainz
Thursday, March 06, 2003 at 11:26:32 (PST)
[64.37.155.9]
dss:
thank you for the intelligent comment,
could not agree with you more.
harold ming
Wednesday, March 05, 2003 at 08:02:25 (PST)
[153.104.214.108]
Ninja Turtle:
in between your babbling you've actually
managed one statement that holds water.
You're right I don't get it, and don't want to get it, and most of all don't want to catch it from you. Enjoy your life as a cartoon character, seems appropriate in your case my friend.
harold ming
Wednesday, March 05, 2003 at 08:00:54 (PST)
[153.104.214.108]
Check out this story in the Korea Herald about some group in Korea callled the Bubble Sisters
http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2003/02/28/200302280008.asp
The fact that this group is commercially viable and the apparent lack of outrage is despicable. The deafening silence among Koreans seriously erodes any moral authority to claim "racism" in Hollywood's portrayal of Koreans a la James Bond/Jay Leno.
Please spare me the "cultural differences of a homogeneous society" arguments. This is really bad.
dss
Wednesday, March 05, 2003 at 06:48:17 (PST)
[208.165.224.68]
JC,
Jin is an asian rapper. He's good at dissing people. He won BET freestyle 7 consecutive times and is in the freestyle hall of fame. He signed with the Ruff Ryders, so his name will be around soon. He's in the Fast and Furious 2 movie.
his website is: www.holla-front.com
check it out.
AMD
Tuesday, March 04, 2003 at 23:52:52 (PST)
[128.208.42.52]
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