 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Japanese-Peruvian rappers melding cultures
By Gonzalo Robledo.
Tokyo, Sep 20 (EFE).- Three young Peruvians of Japanese descent
have burst onto the Tokyo hip-hop scene with a CD sung in a
Japanese-Spanish argot dubbed "Japoñol" that is an element of
fusion between two dissimilar cultures.
The album released this month bears the same name as the hip-hip
trio, Los Kalibres, featuring the single "Dekasegi" (Immigrant), an
anthem for thousands of South Americans - mostly from Peru and
Brazil - who over the past two decades have pursued a better future in
their ancestral homeland.
Fernando Manuel Yrey, "el Nando", Orlando Salvador Nakaya,
"Lando," and Daniel Alonso Salvador Nakaya represent the dekasegi
generation, three Peruvian-born immigrants in their twenties who
arrived in Japan as boys or adolescents and speak fluent Spanish as
well as Japanese.
They keep their Spanish sharp by chatting on the Internet with friends
in Peru, and they hope to make a name for themselves in Japan with
the arrival of "reaggeton," a hip-hop subgenre sung in Spanish.
"The Japanese want to learn Spanish and the entire country is already
singing Daddy Yankee's 'Quiero gasolina' (I Want Gasoline). You hear
it more because it's easier than salsa since you can dance to it
however you want," said El Nando.
"Before each song, the 'Japoñol' lingo helps us explain in a simpler
way what we're going to sing about," he said.
The trio dresses in the traditional baggy clothes worn by hip-hop
artists in tropical colors, with t-shirts and jeans.
El Nando has a Japanese character that means success tattooed on
his neck, which has given him problems in this generally conservative
and conformist society.
"I put a towel around my neck to go to the pool," he said, as people
with tattoos are banned from bathing in public places in Japan, where
body ink is linked to the Yakusa, or Japanese mafia.
Los Kalibres cite as musical influences their parents' music,
including Rafael, Nino Bravo, Jose Feliciano and salsa's Celia Cruz
and Sonora Matancera.
Reaggeton has become a good means for reaching out to the Latin
American immigrants and Japanese alike, with an accessible beat
that is easy to dance to.
El Nando works in highway construction from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Lando
works similar hours as an electrician and Dani builds components for
a robot that manufactures cars.
"At night I write a little music and when I look at the clock it's already 2
a.m. and I have to get up the next day to go to work again," said the
singer.
"Dekasegis in Japan / looking for unity / because we are many / yes,
yes, you don't stop / dekasegis where are you?" the group rhymes in
Spanish in the song "Skit Immigration." Japanese settlers began
arriving in Peru in last years of the 19th century, most with the intention
of working, saving money and returning to Japan. Even so, studies
show that well over 80 percent of the first few thousand arrivals
remained in the South American nation and gave birth to what
became a large Japanese-Peruvian community.
The highest-profile member of that group was Alberto Fujimori, who
was elected president in 1990 and served until resigning in disgrace
from abroad amid a burgeoning corruption scandal. He took up
residence in Tokyo, and remains here to avoid prosecution on his
homeland on a score of charges. The "return migration" of Peruvians
of Japanese descent to their ancestral homeland in the 1990s was
enabled by a number of factors.
Japan, with a burgeoning economy, needed workers since most
Japanese young people were avoiding menial jobs. In 1990, Tokyo
revised its immigration law which granted descendants of Japanese
emigrants to South America and their spouses legal residence in
Japan. Late last year, the Japanese government said Latin Americans
ceased being the largest segment of immigrant workers in the Asian
nation.
Immigrant workers from East Asia, mostly China and South Korea,
over the course of 2004 passed in number those arriving from Latin
America.
About 64,400 Latin Americans entered Japan to work in 2004, but they
were surpassed by the 69,000 East Asians who came. EFE gr/rv/
Reggaeton, en clave "japoñol"
Por Gonzalo Robledo Tokio, 14 sep (EFE).- Tres jóvenes peruanos de
ascendencia japonesa se han lanzado a la escena musical nipona
con un disco de "reggaeton" cantado en "japoñol", una fusión de dos
idiomas para mantener la identidad latina en una cultura
diametralmente opuesta.
El título del disco que se pone hoy a la venta en Japón lleva el
nombre del grupo, "Los Kalibres", y su primer single es "Dekasegi"
(inmigrante) un himno a los miles de Sudamericanos que desde
hace dos décadas buscan en el archipiélago un futuro parecido al de
sus antepasados nipones.
"En Japón Nihon 'kasegue' (donde te ganas la vida) hermano
regresamos al país o nos quedamos caros carros como los del
'chacho' (patrón de la empresa) claro", dice el tema con el que
quieren asaltar el mercado discográfico.
Fernando Manuel Yrey, "el Nando", de 25 años, Orlando Salvador
Nakaya, "Lando" y Daniel Alonso Salvador Nakaya, de 24 años,
forman parte de la segunda generación dekasegi, inmigrantes
económicos, llegaron adolescentes o niños y hoy dominan ambos
idiomas.
Aseguran que mantienen el castellano vivo a través de "chateo" por
internet con sus amigos en Perú.
Ahora sueñan con hacerse un sitio entre la música japonesa de la
mano del "reaggeton", cuya llegada a las islas habían anticipado.
"Los japoneses quieren aprender español y todo el país ya canta
'Quiero gasolina'de Daddy Yankee. Se escucha más porque es mas
fácil que la salsa ya que uno lo baila como quiere", afirma El Nando.
"Antes de cada tema el 'japoñol' nos ayuda a explicar de manera más
sencilla de qué vamos a cantar", explica.
El "japoñol" es una forma de usar palabras mezcladas, como los
verbos gambateando de gambarimasu (animarse a hacer algo) o los
cambios en sustantivos como vamos al eki (a la estación), hablé con
el chacho, (deformación de shacho, jefe de la empresa).
Los rasgos de los autores son orientales y su forma de vestir mezcla
la moda ancha del hip-hop y el colorido tropical, con camisetas y
vaqueros de estudiantes.
"El Nando" tiene en el cuello tatuado un carácter japonés que
significa éxito, a pesar de los problemas que le acarrea.
"Para entrar a la piscina me pongo una toalla al cuello", afirma debido
a que de lo contrario no podría bañarse en lugares públicos a estar
prohibido los tatuajes por su identificación con los Yakuza (mafia
japonesa).
Para sus creaciones musicales afirman beber de los discos de sus
padres, Rafael, Nino Bravo, Jose Feliciano y la salsa clásica de Celia
Cruz y la Sonora Matancera.
Los amigos de Perú les informan sobre la situación política y les
preguntan cuando van a componer el "reggaeton" del chino para el
regreso de (el ex presidente peruano Alberto) Fujimori.
"No queremos que nos tiren huevos", afirma el Nando en medio de
una risotada generalizada.
El "reaggeton" se ha convertido en un vehículo ideal para hacer la
comunicación con el publico japonés y el latino residente, es actual y
es fácil de bailar.
El Nando trabaja en la construcción de carreteras de 8 a 5, Lando en
el mismo horario es electricista y Dani construye componentes para
robot que manufactura automóviles.
"Por la noche me pongo a componer un poco de música y cuando
miro el reloj son las dos de la madrugada y al otro día hay que
empezar a trabajar de nuevo", señala el cantante.
"'Dekasegis' en Japón buscando la unión porque somos un montón,
yes, yes, you don't Stop 'dekasegis' donde están?" reza la canción
"Skit inmigración". EFE gr/jv/jac
By Gonzalo Robledo.
Tokyo, Sep 20 (EFE).- Three young Peruvians of Japanese descent
have burst onto the Tokyo hip-hop scene with a CD sung in a
Japanese-Spanish argot dubbed "Japoñol" that is an element of
fusion between two dissimilar cultures.
The album released this month bears the same name as the hip-hip
trio, Los Kalibres, featuring the single "Dekasegi" (Immigrant), an
anthem for thousands of South Americans - mostly from Peru and
Brazil - who over the past two decades have pursued a better future in
their ancestral homeland.
Fernando Manuel Yrey, "el Nando", Orlando Salvador Nakaya,
"Lando," and Daniel Alonso Salvador Nakaya represent the dekasegi
generation, three Peruvian-born immigrants in their twenties who
arrived in Japan as boys or adolescents and speak fluent Spanish as
well as Japanese.
They keep their Spanish sharp by chatting on the Internet with friends
in Peru, and they hope to make a name for themselves in Japan with
the arrival of "reaggeton," a hip-hop subgenre sung in Spanish.
"The Japanese want to learn Spanish and the entire country is already
singing Daddy Yankee's 'Quiero gasolina' (I Want Gasoline). You hear
it more because it's easier than salsa since you can dance to it
however you want," said El Nando.
"Before each song, the 'Japoñol' lingo helps us explain in a simpler
way what we're going to sing about," he said.
The trio dresses in the traditional baggy clothes worn by hip-hop
artists in tropical colors, with t-shirts and jeans.
El Nando has a Japanese character that means success tattooed on
his neck, which has given him problems in this generally conservative
and conformist society.
"I put a towel around my neck to go to the pool," he said, as people
with tattoos are banned from bathing in public places in Japan, where
body ink is linked to the Yakusa, or Japanese mafia.
Los Kalibres cite as musical influences their parents' music,
including Rafael, Nino Bravo, Jose Feliciano and salsa's Celia Cruz
and Sonora Matancera.
Reaggeton has become a good means for reaching out to the Latin
American immigrants and Japanese alike, with an accessible beat
that is easy to dance to.
El Nando works in highway construction from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Lando
works similar hours as an electrician and Dani builds components for
a robot that manufactures cars.
"At night I write a little music and when I look at the clock it's already 2
a.m. and I have to get up the next day to go to work again," said the
singer.
"Dekasegis in Japan / looking for unity / because we are many / yes,
yes, you don't stop / dekasegis where are you?" the group rhymes in
Spanish in the song "Skit Immigration." Japanese settlers began
arriving in Peru in last years of the 19th century, most with the intention
of working, saving money and returning to Japan. Even so, studies
show that well over 80 percent of the first few thousand arrivals
remained in the South American nation and gave birth to what
became a large Japanese-Peruvian community.
The highest-profile member of that group was Alberto Fujimori, who
was elected president in 1990 and served until resigning in disgrace
from abroad amid a burgeoning corruption scandal. He took up
residence in Tokyo, and remains here to avoid prosecution on his
homeland on a score of charges. The "return migration" of Peruvians
of Japanese descent to their ancestral homeland in the 1990s was
enabled by a number of factors.
Japan, with a burgeoning economy, needed workers since most
Japanese young people were avoiding menial jobs. In 1990, Tokyo
revised its immigration law which granted descendants of Japanese
emigrants to South America and their spouses legal residence in
Japan. Late last year, the Japanese government said Latin Americans
ceased being the largest segment of immigrant workers in the Asian
nation.
Immigrant workers from East Asia, mostly China and South Korea,
over the course of 2004 passed in number those arriving from Latin
America.
About 64,400 Latin Americans entered Japan to work in 2004, but they
were surpassed by the 69,000 East Asians who came. EFE gr/rv/
Reggaeton, en clave "japoñol"
Por Gonzalo Robledo Tokio, 14 sep (EFE).- Tres jóvenes peruanos de
ascendencia japonesa se han lanzado a la escena musical nipona
con un disco de "reggaeton" cantado en "japoñol", una fusión de dos
idiomas para mantener la identidad latina en una cultura
diametralmente opuesta.
El título del disco que se pone hoy a la venta en Japón lleva el
nombre del grupo, "Los Kalibres", y su primer single es "Dekasegi"
(inmigrante) un himno a los miles de Sudamericanos que desde
hace dos décadas buscan en el archipiélago un futuro parecido al de
sus antepasados nipones.
"En Japón Nihon 'kasegue' (donde te ganas la vida) hermano
regresamos al país o nos quedamos caros carros como los del
'chacho' (patrón de la empresa) claro", dice el tema con el que
quieren asaltar el mercado discográfico.
Fernando Manuel Yrey, "el Nando", de 25 años, Orlando Salvador
Nakaya, "Lando" y Daniel Alonso Salvador Nakaya, de 24 años,
forman parte de la segunda generación dekasegi, inmigrantes
económicos, llegaron adolescentes o niños y hoy dominan ambos
idiomas.
Aseguran que mantienen el castellano vivo a través de "chateo" por
internet con sus amigos en Perú.
Ahora sueñan con hacerse un sitio entre la música japonesa de la
mano del "reaggeton", cuya llegada a las islas habían anticipado.
"Los japoneses quieren aprender español y todo el país ya canta
'Quiero gasolina'de Daddy Yankee. Se escucha más porque es mas
fácil que la salsa ya que uno lo baila como quiere", afirma El Nando.
"Antes de cada tema el 'japoñol' nos ayuda a explicar de manera más
sencilla de qué vamos a cantar", explica.
El "japoñol" es una forma de usar palabras mezcladas, como los
verbos gambateando de gambarimasu (animarse a hacer algo) o los
cambios en sustantivos como vamos al eki (a la estación), hablé con
el chacho, (deformación de shacho, jefe de la empresa).
Los rasgos de los autores son orientales y su forma de vestir mezcla
la moda ancha del hip-hop y el colorido tropical, con camisetas y
vaqueros de estudiantes.
"El Nando" tiene en el cuello tatuado un carácter japonés que
significa éxito, a pesar de los problemas que le acarrea.
"Para entrar a la piscina me pongo una toalla al cuello", afirma debido
a que de lo contrario no podría bañarse en lugares públicos a estar
prohibido los tatuajes por su identificación con los Yakuza (mafia
japonesa).
Para sus creaciones musicales afirman beber de los discos de sus
padres, Rafael, Nino Bravo, Jose Feliciano y la salsa clásica de Celia
Cruz y la Sonora Matancera.
Los amigos de Perú les informan sobre la situación política y les
preguntan cuando van a componer el "reggaeton" del chino para el
regreso de (el ex presidente peruano Alberto) Fujimori.
"No queremos que nos tiren huevos", afirma el Nando en medio de
una risotada generalizada.
El "reaggeton" se ha convertido en un vehículo ideal para hacer la
comunicación con el publico japonés y el latino residente, es actual y
es fácil de bailar.
El Nando trabaja en la construcción de carreteras de 8 a 5, Lando en
el mismo horario es electricista y Dani construye componentes para
robot que manufactura automóviles.
"Por la noche me pongo a componer un poco de música y cuando
miro el reloj son las dos de la madrugada y al otro día hay que
empezar a trabajar de nuevo", señala el cantante.
"'Dekasegis' en Japón buscando la unión porque somos un montón,
yes, yes, you don't Stop 'dekasegis' donde están?" reza la canción
"Skit inmigración". EFE gr/jv/jac
| My Daddy Yankee.com |