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“Hey, umm… I told this woman that you have a lot of J-Pop and K-Pop,” I said to my daughter two weeks ago. “So, could you make her daughter a mix CD?”
She looked at me with wide eyes and her mouth flew open. “What?!” she gasped. She told me she didn’t have any music at all, just a song here and there.
“You’re always listening to it,” I said. “Just hook her up with something you only need an hour’s worth of music. You’ll do fine.”
A week later while driving in the car she took out her iPod and hooked it up to the stereo.
“This is my new favorite group,” she said while playing a song from Big Bang.
“They’re Asian?” I was surprised because the guy rapping sounded pretty black to me.
With the rising popularity of Anime and Manga, J-Pop and K-Pop music has been getting a lot of interest from American teens, which is interesting since it’s hard to find over here in the states. The popularity of Youtube and music sharing site like Limewire has enabled foreign artists to reach out to stateside Asians and others who are looking for new sounds. Because of this the artist Bi(Rain) was named one of People Magazines most Beautiful People in the Word for 2007 and last month Ai Carina Uemura performed to a near sellout crowd in LA.
So then what is it going to take for an Asian American to get radio play?
That’s what AsAms have been asking for years. Harlemm Lee wins the reality TV show Fame and can’t get airplay. Rap artist Jin comes on 106 and Park and wrecks everyone and he can’t get airplay. The only AsAms who get regular rotation are blasians like Amerie and Cassie and ex-Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger. Unlike their biracial brethren, a lot of mono-racial Asians have been told the Asian thing is holding them back.
Paul Kim, one of the first people to be eliminated on the 2007 season of American Idol wrote on his Myspace page, “I was told over and over again by countless label execs that if it weren’t for me being Asian, I would’ve been signed yesterday.” On that season Sanjaya Malakar advanced to 7th place because he was being buoyed by the website Vote for the Worst.
On this season of American Idol some are hoping that Filipina singer Ramiele Malubay can be the first Asian American to win the coveted title.
After one week my daughter made a mix CD of J-Pop/K-Pop music with artists such as Utada Hikaru and Wonder Girls. On the back of the CD she wrote the note, “I hope you enjoy the CD. I had fun making it.”
I wonder how she will react if I ask her to compile a mix CD of Asian American artist? I already bought the Blue Scholars’ Bayani and next month I’ll get her Lyrics Born’s latest.
Hmmmm….
If you have any favorite Asian American, J-Pop, or K-Pop artist please list them below.
According to the Associated Press, H. Clinton floats the idea that her name with Obama’s could be an option on the November Presidential ballot.
“That may be where this is headed,” she told CBS News this morning. “But of course we have to decide who is on the top of ticket. I think the people of Ohio very clearly said that it should be me.”
I went on a discourse about this last night. I take this as a hint from H. Clinton that it might be best for them to end it now and work towards a Democrat win in November as opposed to continuing and making the race ugly. Because if it continues it will get ugly because H. Clinton wants the nomination badly.
So now the ball is in Obama’s court and he has to decide how he wants to play it. If he continues he could get the nomination but chances are it will be an ugly win and he may get reduced to going where he had no intention of ever being (love and hope can get you only so far with a bloodlusting electorate). If he aligns with H. Clinton he will play second fiddle; they can win the White House and he will have to watch her employ her undercover Republican tactics on a nation while she’s in Democrat sheeps clothing, but the party will stay in tact.
Hard decision. Glad I’m not him.
From Jasmyne Cannick’s Myspace Blog (and don’t forget to sign the petition)
Today, in honor of Women’s History Month and African-American women, activists launched BanShirleyQLiquor.com in an attempt to call attention to Charles Knipp, a self-described forty-five-year-old, fat, gay white man that performs nationwide as his alter ego character Shirley Q. Liquor. Knipp describes Liquor as being “an illiterate welfare mother with nineteen kids who guzzles malt liquor and drives a Caddy.” The character is favorite among his core audience whom Knipp described in Rolling Stone Magazine as being “gay men, their moms, and rednecks.” While in blackface as Liquor, Knipp’s speaks in Ebonics and makes comments like “axe your mamma how she durrin” and misuses words like “ignunt.”
National Black talk radio “The Bev Smith Show” on American Urban Radio Networks (AURN) will dedicate its entire Monday, March 3 (7p-10p ET) broadcast to the campaign to ban Shirley Q. Liquor and spread the word about his upcoming performances. AURN is the only African-American owned network radio company in the United States. It is the largest network reaching urban America, with more than 200 weekly shows, AURN reaches an estimated 20 million listeners.
“We believe that if Mr. Knipp is a true talent, he can find plenty of folks who look just like him to present in 3-dimensional caricature,” read a statement from Smith’s camp. “If he really is funny, then he can find more than enough insulting and stereotypical elements of his own group, their background, and their culture, to mock. HE DOES NOT NEED OURS. As it is said, we have enough problems.
“As if injury could further be added to this insult, a recent posting to his website allegedly included the headshot of well-respected journalist/activist Jasmyne Cannick–a woman who daily responds to and fights for the rights and dignity of persons of color and the LGBT communities–edited atop the body of a naked and hefty-breasted woman.
Understand this, please: One of our journalists has been insulted. Would Charles Knipp have done this to an AP journalist? Would the head of Mike Wallace or Cokie Roberts or Jorge Ramos be used this way without response from their respective communities? We think not.”
The Bev Smith Show” can be heard in Sacramento, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Augusta, Chicago, and more. Listen to the show online at www.wamoam.com or www.waok.com.
And I just want to know where are those same groups who were coming out against Isaiah Washington on this matter? In the words of H. Clinton why don’t they “reject and denounce” this racist?
As I await to hear the lowdown on what is a contentious race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton I want to throw out there what neither one of them wants to consider: one should become the running mate of the other no matter who wins.
I only suggest it because singularly they bring out the numbers and have their own strengths. H. Clinton is great at parsing the numbers and doggedly pursuing what it is she wants –even to the point of annoyance. Obama has vision and the ability to move people with his words. Together they could make an unstoppable ticket.
As it stands now I’m not sure it’s possible. I bet Obama can’t even find the words to conjure up that image in his mind.
Both of them have said that they aren’t running for Vice President position and that they want it all or nothing but it could be just the heat of the campaign speaking. It would be hard to come this far only to have to get relegated to the number 2 spot yet I’m sure if one of them had been marginalized back in January they would gladly have taken the slot. So they both trudge on, slugging it out over states, delegates and superdelegates along the way.
The thing is we need both of them together. H. Clinton might lend an air of experience to the ticket and Obama’s cache with young voters could bring in large numbers that could outnumber an unenergized Republican party.
We also need them together because apart it could possibly rend the party. The ugliness seeping into this political race could bring about irreparable damage beween the two. Even if one would throw support to the other at the Democratic convention the underlying feeling would be it would just be an exhibition. The real test comes when H. Clinton reades out to Obama supporters and vice versa. Will people still feel that our cup runneth over with two excellent choices for president or will some segments take it personally that their candidate was beat out from being “the first”.
I know that some people are thinking that for a woman and black man to team up on a ticket it will be too much. People are ready to have a woman as President and a black man as President but to have them both together could turn the electorate off. Well, I want to point out that just a few weeks ago African Americans were saying white Americans weren’t ready for a black President but he has garnered overwhelming support among white voters. And some have said that people aren’t ready for a female President but except for Obama, H. Clinton has bested the men who have run against her for the position. Of any party, the two best people to run this country happens to be a white woman and a black man so why can’t we have them together?
I might be alone or too early, I am hoping to see a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton this fall.
I don’t think anyone is surprised that Ohio is having problems with voting. This time the reason isn’t the voting machines but because the number of people voting Democratic was so large that some polling places in the SW part of the state ran out of ballots along with forms to sign to say you will vote differently in this election. Some places had to stay open until 9pm and it seems like the vote counting will go deep into the night.
Ohio will be synomymous with voting problems.
It’s surprising so many Democrats came out to vote considering it rained most of the day. I wonder what it means with so many Republicans crossing over.
