[merylsilverburg]

Originally posted by Vicious_2003

He just released his first CD I believe not too long ago..it was a while after 9/11.

If this is the case, then I'm happy. Because I'm glad that there's a large majority of people who aren't still too hung up on "9/11" and actually listened to this guy's music and made him as popular as you say he is.

Weather something is "good" or not is in the eye of the beholder and if that person eyes are Japanese then yes they probably have a different idea of what is good and what isnt. Its called cultural differences and they effect nearly EVERY aspect of life. I mean I consider myself to be very open to music...If I hear something that I think sounds good then I listen to it regardless of whos performing it. But I must say Ive heard that J-pop and J/Rock stuff and I dont think its good at all. So i would say its not good and you would say it is good. Whose right...the answer.. neither of us. Basically you cant say that J-Pop is good yet wouldn't be liked in the U.S because were racist. Thats simply NOT the case. And yes it has alot to do with your taste in music . And that isnt effected by racism its effected by cultural differences. Im not racist against asian people at all.. in fact.. I would love (After this whole SARS thing is cleared up) To go to China/Japan and visit for a while.. the culture thier is very interesting to me. So Im not racist yet I stll dont like J-Pop or even think its good music.

Okay, look....we're not talking about you. You're not representing the entire US. Yes, you're not a racist, you're very open-minded, that's good to hear. But, you're living in a country where there's millions of people who are racist (some who are, some who aren't) and it is about the racism thing. Sure, you can say "Hey, I'll listen to anything as long as it's good"...there should be more people like that. But unfortunately, there isn't. So, if an Asian rapper comes along and even though he is good, a large percent will still make fun of him and "Why is this guy doing this to himself? Does he not know he sucks?". And if these same people tell their other friends "Man, don't listen to "insert name here" because he's just some Asian dude who can't rap" then the friends won't listen to him and sooner or later, no one's gonna listen to this guy, with the exception of a few people. And, this will cause this Asian rapper to be not popular or make it big, right? With this as a result, it means Asians shouldn't come over and rap. Only a small group of people might like this guy's rapping, but the majority wouldn't.
So now...why not? Why won't a large majority like him? Why? Because the guy is an Asian. And there's only a small percent of people like you who say "I'll listen to anything that's good". But these people who say "Don't listen to Asian rapping" are close-minded and refuse to give it a try because it's just the thought of an "Asian rapping". I mean, if they have an accent and whatnot, how cool is that to hear? It's just not, okay once again, "traditional" that Asians rap. It's just not normal or commonly seen. Maybe in their own country, it's okay. But going over to the US and trying to rap when there's real rappers who do a better job because they know how to really do it...is not. Yeah, it is a matter of tastes, but it's also race that plays a big part too.

Ok heres where U can benefit from an AMERICAN point of view on this one. I grew up in a black neighborhood and have gone to schools with a large black population all my life. (Keep in mind we are talking about your average urban African American here). And I can tel you that its not just Asians that are treated like that by black people. If a white kid tried to talk to them (The group of them you spoke of) hed be treated the same way and called whitey or something rather than chink. The only way you can get in with that kind of group is to act like them...essentially you must act black. Anyone could get to be friends with a group of black kids regardless of their nationality as long as they acted black well. (Acting black includes wearing black cloths.. speaking ebonics.. ya know that sort of thing). Theres a Chinese kid that looks VERY Chinese that hangs out with nothing but the urban.. rap obsessed black kidz in our school and is as much one of them as they are themselves. I mean you are right Meryl being Asian will get you trated differently...and theres always those ignorant.. immature people who think you have to be into martial arts but that can easily be put behind you if you if you adopt their style and get in with thier group. I mean sure no Asian is going to get in with a group of Ignorant American kids if he doesent act like them just as a white kid isnt going to get in with a group of black kids blasting country music and wearing tight cloths. Bottom line we ALL feel racism in one way or another it isnt just a "We hate Asians " kinda thing. We hate everyone...trust me. Were equal opportunity haters . . And fi you dont want to change your style its called "Get in where you fit in" its what we all have had to do at one point or another there are plenty of groups that would accept and befriend an Asian person who kept their culture close to them

What, do you think that I'm stupid? That I also don't know that whites get the sh*t beaten out of them by black people? I do, alright? Don't think that just because I'm Asian, I'm just "100% Asian patriotism". No. Like I've said before, when I was a kid, I hung around with whites, blacks (I went through a phase where I only hung around blacks and guess what? They said "Hey, you're cool.." but I know they were just saying that and I was never really accepted), and some Asians. And I've seen it too...unfortunately, in the town where I'm living in, a large percent of white people are black because they hang around blacks a lot. And they developed the whole black style and way of speaking. While you say that an Asian can hang around blacks as long as they're almost like them...these Asians are just fortunate. Yeah, because in my school, there's this one dude who is trying to be all black...I mean, the dude is literally trying his very best. And while I think he's doing an okay job, a large part of the blacks just ignore him. And he's got everything going on: the gold necklaces, the baggy pants, the whole "Ecko" shirts going on, the flashy Nike shoes, um.....gold hoop earrings in...both ears (which, IMO, does not look right 'cause he's a skinny dude LOL). And you know what? This guy even made fun of me. I'm for real...he's all making fun of me and the way I dress and look and I'm thinking to myself "Okay, he thinks he's 100% black". And yet, he's still not accepted.

This is getting way too off topic here. Anyway, Vicious, like you said:

Anyone could get to be friends with a group of black kids regardless of their nationality as long as they acted black well. (Acting black includes wearing black cloths.. speaking ebonics.. ya know that sort of thing).

Relating this statement with the whole anime thing, a Westerner can go off and do anime/manga but like you said, as long as they can draw incredibly well and relate a lot with the Japanese. If not, they can't. Not that they shouldn't, but they just can't...not until they get the whole style down, the culture down, etc. And there hasn't been many Westerners who've done that, right? (Drawing, I mean). And another thing, as I said before, it's not that the Japanese are racists, it's just they like to keep anime as a Japanese thing. It's the whole culture thing...just because America is more free and everything is fine, does not mean that we can expect the Japanese to allow anyone to go over and do whatever they want, anime-related.