She has been dubbed “the Queen of Japanese hip-hop”, plays major tours, collects praise from Hypebeast to our homegirl Eva Ries and RZA and – probably most importantly – creates contentual and visually stunning art: it’s Awich, and she doesn’t just have one story to tell – there are hundreds.
Her upbringing on the island of Okinawa, which was colonized by Japan in the 17th century. The associated question of identity. Her personal strokes of fate, such as the death of her husband, who was murdered after a prison stay, three days before the birth of their daughter. Being a mother. Or the hurdles she faces as a woman in a male-dominated rap scene:
Regardless of whether her mostly Japanese lyrics are explicitly influenced by the aforementioned or not, the determination and urgency are evident in every sillable and every single gesture by the 37-year-old artist. The remarkable thing about her delivery is that she still raps with a simultaneous calm and composure though – which perhaps is due to her penchant for journaling and meditation, but what most definitely feels like a breath of fresh air.
In case you haven’t checked out Awich yet, here’s her latest video where she and her Yentown collective delivered a note-worthy ‘From The Block’ performance against a picturesque backdrop:
