I stare at the blinking cursor on my screen for what feels like hours. I start looking around everywhere but my screen. I have never noticed the texture of that wall before, I have never felt how comfy this chair was before — stop!

It is distractions like these that keep me up past my bedtime. I decide I need something to help me focus. I turn on some music, but within minutes, I am hyper analyzing every lyric, every rhyme, every little hidden metaphor that I can find — stop! 

The cursor continues to tease me, I take my AirPods out of my ears. 

I give myself a break, though I have not really done anything to warrant one. I scroll through YouTube, clickbait title after clickbait title, until something catches my eye, “j-rap that goes HARD.” 

I am a little skeptical, but I put my AirPods back in and I get back to work.

The first song plays, and instantly I am hooked. For me, music is not always about the lyrics and meaning, but the feeling I get from listening to a song. I may not be able to understand Japanese, but the energy I get from listening to Japanese rap is unmatched. 

From that one playlist, my love for j-rap grew. I dove more into the culture and became interested in artists such as Awich, Takayan, WILYWNKA and JP THE WAVY. These artists all make music I love, because of their beats and the flow they have in their raps. The culture is still relatively new, but it’s rapidly growing. 

The samples used in j-rap often have a more synthy edge, comparable to hyperpop. Sometimes incorporating traditional Japanese drums, j-rap is a harmonious blend between western rap and traditional Japanese music. This versatility is one of the reasons the genre has such an appeal for me.

J-rap also stands out for its strong representation of female rappers. Artists such as Awich, Chanmina, CYBER RUI and NENE have made a huge impact on the culture of j-rap, showing that women have a place in the genre.

Not only has j-rap had an influence on my music taste, but it has also influenced the clothes I wear and has made me a more confident person. When I first got into j-rap, the fashion and visuals drew me further into the genre. Graphic tees, baggy pants, cartoony accessories and fast cars really encompass the j-rap aesthetic. As I watched more music videos, I began to change my personal style as well. 

It has been about a year since the moment I first discovered j-rap, and since then I have made a six hour long playlist that I continue to add songs to to this day. I listen to j-rap to workout, to study and to walk to class. It motivates me in a way no other music genre does. 

I know that on the days I feel demotivated, I have j-rap to pump me up. Sometimes it’s not the lyrics that matter, but the emotion that music can hold, even through language barriers.

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