Crossing Borders of Genre and Culture: Japanese Samples in American Hip Hop
Japan has famously bred many of the world’s most influential musicians over the years. From city pop idol Tatsuro Yamashita, to Japanoise legend Merzbow, to prolific alt hip hop producer Nujabes, American artists have been inspired by Japanese musicians for decades.
Meanwhile, in the past 20 years, production has become digitized, and a new renaissance for sampling has emerged in mainstream music. With this trend, Japanese samples have become increasingly common and visible. A Tomoko Aran city pop sample even appeared in The Weeknd’s recent chart topping, 80s inspired R&B album, Dawn FM.
In the rap and hip hop scene in particular, this appreciation in the form of samples has come not only for cutting edge instrumentation, but the frequent use of long held conventions from traditional Japanese composition.
The juxtaposition of the incredibly distinct themes and language of modern hip hop paired with the sounds of nostalgic Japanese instrumentals creates a sonic atmosphere that stands out for its unique character.
But while some of these samples’ Japanese origin might be clear and come as no surprise, others feature obscure deep cut Japanese tracks that may go completely unnoticed as Japanese samples by even the most observant listeners.
The Sabukaru team has dug through years of hip hop tracks in search of these samples and in this article we’d like to explore some of our favorite utilizations of Japanese songs in American hip hop to dive deeper into the influences and styles that have been picked up by rappers in the West from musicians in Japan.
Sakura Sakura
The East Flatbush Project - Tried By 12
One of the first examples of a Japanese sample appearing in American hip hop can be found in The East Flatbush Project’s “Tried by 12” from 1996 which featured a sample of the traditional Japanese folk song, “Sakura Sakura”. Producer Spencer Belamey flipped this string koto melody into a heavy boom bap beat that signals Japanese music culture with the prominent Japanese strings.
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Computer Game
De La Soul - Big Brother Beat
Later that same year, De La Soul released “Big Brother Beat”, a Mos Def-featured track produced by highly influential jazz rap producer Skeff Anselm. Anselm tapped legendary 70s-80s supergroup Yellow Magic Orchestra for their song “Computer Game”, creating an electrified, grooving beat exuding De La Soul flavor.
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Rap PHENOMENa
J Dilla - Go Get Em
“Rap Phenomena”, another Yellow Magic Orchestra track, was sampled by the late J Dilla, a prolific alt hip hop producer that pioneered melodic hip hop instrumentals. In “Go Get Em”, a purely instrumental beat, J Dilla flips YMO’s electronic instrumentation into a short loop which he layers with classic J Dilla kicks drums. The track maintains Yellow Magic Orchestra’s instrumentation, while also evoking J Dilla’s distinctive musical language.
Hi-Fi Set - Sky Restaurant
J Cole - January 28
On his multi-platinum album 2014 Forest Hills Drive, J Cole sampled “Sky Restaurant” by Hi-Fi Set for “January 28”, looping the emotional vocals into an impactful beat that welcomes the listener with aggressive drums, setting a tone for the project’s multi-dimensional vulnerability. This track [and album as a whole] proves Cole’s proficiency not only as a thoughtful, intelligent lyricist but as a dexterous producer with an acute ear for creative sampling.
Mai Yamane - Tasogare
Young Nudy, Playboi Carti - Pissy Pamper
Young Nudy and Playboi Carti made waves in the soundcloud trap scene in 2019 with the summer banger “Pissy Pamper”, commonly known as “Kid Cudi”. This track [still unreleased due to sample clearances] features a looped snippet of the beginning seconds of Mai Yamane’s “Tasogare”. Produced by frequent collaborator Pi’erre Bourne, this track blends the ethereal instrumentation of Yamane’s work with Carti’s trippy trap vocals into a minimalistic track that still sounds futuristic three years later.
Christopher Tin - Mado Kare Mieru
Tyga - Careless World
Released under Young Money Cash Money Billionaires, who were dominating the mainstream rap scene at the time, Tyga’s Careless World: Rise of The Last King was a defining album of the early 2010s. For the intro and title track [“Careless World”], executive producers Lil Wayne, Birdman, and Ronald “Slim” Williams sampled Mado Kara Mieru by composer Christopher Tin. This track, sung by Aoi Tada, Kaori Omura, and Lia, features traditional haiku over Tin’s graceful orchestral arrangement. These graceful vocals and instrumentation contrast Tyga’s boastful lyrics proclaiming himself a king in spite of a corrupt world.
Tazumi Toyoshima - Tomadoi Twilight
Jeezy - Seen It All
In 2014, Jeezy released Seen It All: The Autobiography, his seventh studio album. The title track [“Seen It All”] immediately stood out for its excellent Jay-Z feature and unique production by Cardo utilizing a slick sample of Tazumi Toyoshima’s Tomadoi Twilight, a fairly obscure late 70s pop ballad with a pleasant mix of early city pop arrangement and traditional Japan-inspired instrumentation.
Geinoh Yamashirogumi - Illusion
Danny Brown - Fields
South England producer Paul White sampled the trippy Geinoh Yamashirogumi track “Illusion” from Akira’s dream sequences for Danny Brown’s “Fields”. In classic Paul White fashion, this track layers numerous samples but this sample can be found in the song’s hook, utilizing the traditional theater-inspired vocals and winds from the 15 minute soundtrack song.
Sai Yoshiko - Taiji no Yume
Benny The Butcher, Harry Fraud - Plug Talk
For “Plug Talk” off of The Plugs I Met 2, the sequel to producer Harry Fraud’s collaboration with Griselda Records heavy hitter Benny the Butcher, Fraud tapped Japanese singer/songwriter Sai Yoshiko’s 2008 ballad, “Taiji no Yume”. This sample, looping Yoshiko’s poignant singing, compliments Benny’s and 2 Chainz’ reminiscent bars, discussing their formative years in the crack games of Buffalo, New York and Atlanta, Georgia respectively.
Hatsune Miku - DATA 2.0
Big Boi - Kill Jill
Big Boi of Outkast fame released “Kill Jill” as a single to his Boomiverse effort in late 2017 featuring Jeezy and Killer Mike. Produced by legendary Atlanta production outfit Organized Noize, who worked with Big Boi going all the way back to the early days of Outkast, this track prominently features samples from Vocaloid idol Hatsune Miku’s “DATA 2.0”, with the first 30 seconds featuring a Hatsune Miku solo and vocal clips brilliantly spliced into the drums.
Kiroro - Mirai He
Lil Peep - Lil Kennedy
One of the earlier tracks that rocketed the late Lil Peep to internet subculture stardom was 2016’s “Lil Kennedy”; an emo rap track in which Peep candidly discusses his struggles with addiction. The beat, produced by Nedarb Nagrom [who is renowned for his production in the soundcloud scene], samples Mirai He by Kiroro, a contemporary piano ballad featuring passionate lyrics about the struggles of moving on.
Junko Ohashi - I Love You So
No Regrets - Smoke Dza
Yet another example of the modern rap scene’s love of city pop, Smoke DZA’s 2021 single “No Regrets” featuring Dom Kennedy and produced by Harry Fraud, samples the sonically sun soaked Junko Ohashi track “I Love You So”. This track loops the delightfully 1980s glitzy winds and early drum machine percussion, coming together with synergetic lyricism from Kennedy and DZA.
Samples have the ability to introduce listeners to new music by way of their favorite artists, and as these samples become increasingly featured in today’s music, these Japanese tracks will undoubtedly gain more visibility outside the country.
These samples, thanks to their standout instrumentation, provide sounds for a new era of music. As the world becomes more aware of the music of Japan from prior decades, these artist’s musical efforts will continue to be appreciated by younger generations around the world.
About the author:
Kade Nations is the musical brain of the Sabukaru team.
