Asia’s homegrown hip⁃hop artists are ready for the world 亚洲嘻哈艺人：从本土走向世界

郭建

亚洲的嘻哈源于日本，主要兴于东亚。亚洲的嘻哈，能否走向全球？Only time tells.

[海词积累]

1.trio n. 三人组

2.dominance n. 优势;主导

3.verse n. 歌曲的段落

With a population of an estimated two billion people in the 16⁃34 agerange， numbers alone illustrate the Asian music markets potential. At South By Southwest（SXSW） 2018， a number of hip⁃hop and R&B artists are out to

demonstrate the regions commercial promise.

Hip hop first took root in Japan. According to Ian Condry， a professor of Japanese Cultural Studies at MIT and author of Hip⁃Hop Japan， the countrys homegrown scene took root after Rappers Delight made the rounds at discos in 1979.

Hip hop grew through dancing—in both the higher⁃class clubs and with the breakers in Tokyos Yoyogi Park. “You have a couple of breakthrough hits in 1994，” Condry says. “Up till then the record companies were skeptical（不相信的）.” The success of rap trio Scha Dara Parr in the 1990s helped Japans grassroots hip hop grow， and the genre is represented at SXSW by Rude⁃a and PRANKROOM.

What started in Japan spread to Seoul， R. O. Korea， which has asserted（声称） itself as a music hotspot with a well developed industry promoting K⁃pop to a worldwide audience. More recently， hip hop and R&B have challenged the K⁃pop establishment for commercial dominance.

“Before its rise， there were only a handful of artists that were able to make a living through hip hop and R&B music，” explains Jessica Oak， Editor⁃in⁃chief of Billboard Korea.

“The influence has been big in fashion as well. Street brands are performing far better than other lifestyle brands. Also， theres always a rap verse in most pop songs in the R. O. Korea.”

Among the most outstanding artists in the R. O. Korea at SXSW 2018 is Jay Park. The Seattle?area native started as a member of K⁃pop band 2PM before breaking out on his own. Since then， Park has become a major star， even signing with Roc Nation.

Rappers have also emerged（出现） from Indonesia and Vietnam. It remains to be seen whether hip hop in Asia will turn into a global phenomenon. This week， music fans at SXSW can catch some of the artists trying to make it happen.

[Reading][Check]

1.What is the first country that hip hop took root in？ （1 word）

2.Which year was very important in the development of hip hop in Japan？ （1 word）

3.What are the two fields where hip hop has big influence？ （no more than 5 words）

4.Will the East Asian hip hop and R&B turn into a global phenomenon？ Why？

[Language][Study]

Sentence for writing

“It remains to be seen whether（or not）...” ……尚待分晓

亚洲的嘻哈是否会变成一种全球性的现象，这还有待观察。

hip hop in Asia will turn into a global phenomenon.