Hip Hop, Buddhism and Orientalism

"Concentrate" by Xzibit is hardly original. American hip hop artists have been playing on "Eastern" themes for decades, from the Wu-Tang Clan to Lupe Fiasco. But xzibit's track and video point to the need for analysis of the portrayal of "the East" in hip hop.



For example, the "Namu myoho renge kyo" sample references Soka Gakkai Buddhism, a school which has recently gained prevalence among black Americans, and which has developed into an international movement with roots in Japan during the second half of the 20th century. Though remaining somewhat marginalized in Japanese society, Soka Gakkai International has come to represent the face of Buddhism in American pop culture, with devotees such as Tina Turner, Herbie Hancock, and Orlando Bloom boosting its popular image.

Regarding Japanese language, the Chinese character in the background of the video "注" (Chinese reading "chuu") can have such meanings as "annotation; notes comments; flow into; pour" 注意 ("chuui") is frequently used as a warning to mean "caution; attention; observation; notice; care." In Chinese, a quick search reveals that this character may also mean concentrate. But the Japanese word for concentrate is typically "集中" ("shuuchuu"). Thus, we can see a mixing of Japanese and Chinese language and culture from the religious and written symbols in the two examples above.

Though I'm no expert on martial arts, I would be willing to guess that aikido is one of the arts being performed in the video, although perhaps there is some Kung Fua and Karate? The taiko is also emblematic of traditional Japanese culture, although its rise to prominence in North America has, like SGI, been a post-war phenomenon. And it has been fused in recent decades with jazz and other popular music genres.

Such a preliminary analysis demonstrates that the images encoded in this video are rife with meaning, but they are taken out of context and essentialized in the video. It would not be difficult to articulate how orientalism is at play here, playing the exotified traditional "East" (although represented with less than traditional icons) against the modern "Western"/"urban" lifestyle expounded by gangsta rap, represented by money and objectified women.

In short, such pop culture images in hip hop are not uncommon, and they require further examination. Themes of Buddhism, orientalism and occidentalism are also reflected in Japanese hip hop from foundational artists like Buddha Brand and Zeebra to underground artists like 仏子(Bushi).





Finally, the mimetic/"ping pong" effect of cultural flows has resulted in hip hop infiltrating Buddhist the Buddhist world. A recent report of "Japan's Rapping Monk" from Reuters has caught the attention of world news outlets. It remains to be seen whether this is an isolated phenomenon or something that will grow beyond the periphery into the mainstream.



At the very least, these examples demonstrate the complex cultural flows between Asia and America. Many more can be found in Japanese and American hip hop, and I hope to take on such projects for future study.