Some Videos Relating to Japanese Perceptions of Blacks

Here are some videos to check out pertaining to 'blackness' in Japan and how stereotypes of the Black Other persist today. To be honest, if I could get me a piece of that pie (selling commercialized, stereotypical notions of blackness), you damn skippy I would be in Japan right now! Perhaps I'll try my luck in East Asia one of these days and sell myself as a cultural ambassador or interpreter for the Japanese appetite for stereotypes of blackness? Check out this video about Japanese women's interest in hip-hop culture and that style's own troubled notions of 'blackness.' I believe this kind of stuff, this fascination with blackness on their own terms, is part of the appeal of Jero, the African-American (also of Japanese descent himself) singer of enka whose persona and dress is clearly influenced by hip-hop and 'blackness' in the US yet also a product of Japanese traditional music and culture. Blackness in this case is similar to the case of Dante, the black commercial actor. His blackness functions as a prop, a visual sign of a different type of Other. This type of Other, in order to be popular, must follow stereotypes of hip-hop and the black male other, although agency of these two guys must be seen as a reality, too. In this interview Jero claims "hip-hop" clothing is his style and utterly him, so who knows, maybe it wasn't just a marketing prop.