When Enka meets Hip-Hop

[kakatootoshi]

Jero, an African American Enka singer in Japan.

Umiyuki

JERO on TV 2007.12.24.


OSU!

[smoothsake]

He's a great enka singer but he needs to get his fashion in order.

[vapor]

While I don't wear the hip hop gear, I always get a good reaction when I sing Niigata Blues or Sazanka...not as well as he does, but it is a fun thing...

I would go out to these karaoke bars with clients, or with my co-worker (who was old enough to be my dad!) and so you are always in front of an unknown crowd...

The first song I would sing would be an easy to follow along Western song, such as Yesterday by the Beatles, or Country Roads by John Denver.

It set the stage for the next time it came around my time to belt out an Enka tune....usually had people doing double takes!!

Ah...the memories! For some reason my wife does not carry the same appreciation for the finer qualities of Enka, so she usually pulls the plug so that she can get the mic and sing something more modern!!

vapor

[kakatootoshi]

Dear vapor,
Do you mean "Sazanka no yado" (くもりガラスを　手で拭いて あなた明日が　見えますか)?
My favorite has to be "Yukikuni".

I can imagine your clients' reactions, as these songs are too "culturally specific" to the older generations of Japan.

OSU!

[vapor]

That is exactly the one!!

I was at a wedding reception in Miyazaki, and asked if it would be appropriate to sing it.....it was turned down quite quickly, due to the actual lyrics.....affairs are not exactly good wedding material songs I guess!!!

Yukikuni is another good one!!

vapor