In this lively ethnography Ian Condry interprets Japan s vibrant hip-hop scene, explaining how a music and culture that originated halfway around the world is appropriated and remade in Tokyo clubs and recording studios. Illuminating different aspects of Japanese hip-hop, Condry chronicles how self-described yellow B-Boys express their devotion to black culture, how they combine the figure of the samurai with American rapping techniques and gangsta imagery, and how underground artists compete with pop icons to define real Japanese hip-hop. He discusses how rappers manipulate the Japanese...