Yo' Soul caliber ain't sharp enough

I originally posted this rant here,
http://www.cultureuniversal.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1180
but ain't no mothafuckaz responding so fuck it.
I'd be wondering why the hell it's so fucking dead, If I didn't already know about the background politics that goes on in that site
I can't post this ish at that other so called japanese "urban" forum, because they'll get all offended or what not.

Still it's annoying feeling like I'm talking to a fucking wall. If I wanted to speak to a fucking wall, I'd post at my goddamn blog.
As a matter of fact that's exactly what I'll do.

I stopped listening to Japanese hip hop ish for four years straight. (Since 2004)
I recently got back into it again after I got back into hip hop by listening to some explicit linez, cunnin lynquists & Immortal technique joints.
I come back to checking up the latest developments....
Damn, part-nah.... I do not like what I'm seeing.
There has been a sudden influx of hiphop & r&b artists, and most of them just imitate 90' American hiphop/r&b.
That's not a bad thing persay. Since 90's hip hop sounds infinitely more enjoyable than the most of the ish that gets passed for hiphop in the United States these days.

What i find quite irksome is how it seems like everybody can be a f'ng damn r&b artist these days.
You just need to be dressed up all pretty, & have a decent (but not so great) voice.
Call me crazy, but I ain't feeling Sowelu, Aria, Thelma, May J., Nana, etc. & most of these other artists who on that hip hop tip these days.
I'm also not feeling Crystal K. or Double. Crystal K is not bad. Her music just doesn't do anything for me. Double, as I said a long time ago. Sounds as if she's trying way too hard.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that most of these current hiphop/r&b acts lack "soul".
Or in another words the caliber of their soul is devoid of quality &/or lasting impression.
(I didn't name drop any rappers, because I don't know any. I've heard of SoulJa though & he sucks ass.)

I used to clown on Shimano Momoe & Tsubaki, but I've realized. Unlike the other artists I just name dropped.
Tsubaki & Shimano actually sang with heart & emotion. Most of all. They never came off as imitating American music. (Hell, Tsubaki mostly does soulful ballads. Which is something American artists haven't done successfully for years.)
This is what I'm getting at right here.
I remember the days when almost every J r&b chick could sing.
Tina, Bird, Aco, Sugar Soul (kind of),Mariko Ide, Toko Furuuchi, Shimano Momoe, Silva.
Most of them didn't dance, but so what that's unneeded. They had voices that could move an entire crowd, and I don't mean out of the fucking building.

About the only throw away artist that I could think of was Tyler, but she was actually hot.
(I MEAN SMOKIN' HOT. Most of these new girls just look like teeny bopper sensations.)
Note: What ever happened to Tyler anyway? I would've never thought that she would disappear from the Jhop scene one day.

What the hell did the 2000's give us? The only artists that come to mind are Juju & Tsubaki.
Juju is doing alright. I ain't really feeling her albums, but she does make some good "soulful" music still.
Peep her cut
"Lost & Found "

That's some pimp shit right there.

Tsubaki fell off, but she still makes good music. (Due mostly to her voice.)
The thing is, both Juju & Tsubaki aren't very popular when compared to all the other artists I mentioned earlier in this post.

What am I getting at you may ask?
I remember the days when artists such as Bird, & Aco would get constant airplay.
"Soul" is completely missing from todays Japanese r&b, and it's sad to see it go.
Shit, the only popular group that comes to mind who actually do sing from the heart are friggin' "The Gospellers".
Their singles may be weak, but trust me. They make some pretty on point joints in their albums.
That's another thing that pisses moi off about modern japanese r&b.
Why the F are they always dressed up & acting like hoes?
I like hoes, don't get it twisted, but only when that's part of their personality.
I also can't stand these "fake" tough street smart attitudes such as the vibe I get from the likes of Miliyah Kato or May J.
When I see these girls. I'm like "spend one sec. in a room with moi, and I'll make you cry for your mommy, because y'all haven't seen how hard life is."

PART 2
One thing I've noticed is that most of the artists in Japan who truly do have "soul".
Usually do not nor care about being affiliated with the hiphop or R&B label.
Case in point
Mariko Ide

Sorry, this was the only video that I could find that actually has Mariko singing in it.
Listen to Mariko's voice. Wait until it gets to the breakdown at 1:11.
When was the last time you've heard a Japanese woman sing like that?
This woman truly sang from the heart, and not her f'ng vocal chords.

Another woman who truly stands the test of time is
Toko Furuuchi Many (Japanese) people who have listened to Tsubaki's music have commented at least once about how similar she sounds to Toko Furuuchi.

I don't deny that, especially when you see songs like
Toko's
[b]ginza[/b]


Dare yoni suki nanoni
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qcf4q7yJsf0

Dare yoni suki nanoni was originally made back in the early 90's. Around 95/96, and guess what that song is so powerful that it still gets covered to this day.
Once by Three nation, & another time by Sowelu. Both covers suck dick.
Why, they lacked the emotional vigor of Toko's voice.
It pains me when I think about it.
The only modern day artist who can actually do Toko's music justice is Tsubaki, but she has fell off so hard ever since the height of her popularity back in 2002/2003 that nobody even remembers who she is anymore.

It pisses moi off, because Tsubaki's music actually has substance. I was down with her shit back in 2002, and it still sounds fresh to this day.
Unlike most of these new prepackaged r&b acts of todays Japanese r&b.

Compare a typical Tsubaki joint



"白昼夢 Hakuchuumu"
to a typical new school Japanese R&B cut.

Nana "SHOW GIRL"


May J. "Do'Tha DoTha


I'm not saying that these songs are bad. They're actually pretty good when you consider the style that they are pursuing.
Notice how the new school sounds & looks almost like a direct imitation of late 90's American clubbing music.
(I would've just said American clubbing music, but todays mainstream American joints don't even sound like music anymore.)
That's ok in small doses. However as an adult. I want to listen to music that actually has meaning. Rather than some throwaway shit for the club.
IMO, Namie Amuro is the only clubbing artist y'all really need, because her songs are consistently better than most of the new school Japanese R&B shit anyway.

These days it's getting increasingly harder to find Japanese artists who can sing like Mariko Ide, and Toko Furuuchi.
One look at Tsubaki's fall from grace can tell you exactly why that is.
They don't sell in todays market. Mariko & Toko are still relevant only because they are R&B/soul artists from the 90's. However the doors have been closed for any similar artists from the 2k era.