A Charleston hip-hop artist is embarking on a unique tour this month.
Semkari will be touring Japan from May 19-27, performing at venues in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Nagoya with a homecoming show planned at The Royal American in downtown Charleston on May 29.
While several local acts regularly tour up and down the East Coast and many even venture out across America for a variety of showcases, it’s rare to make it overseas. And when they do, it’s typically across the pond to Europe, not the other way around to Asia.
This Charleston hip-hop artist is headed to Japan, with a homecoming show set at the end of May.
Provided
Geographically speaking, it’s quite the jaunt. But also pricetag-wise, it can be financially unrealistic to travel that far for performances. It makes sense if your fans are based there, though, or if there’s real potential in an untapped market. Or for the adventure of a lifetime.
For Semkari, it’s a little bit of all three. Semkari’s rap style falls into a more experimental category, with video game- and anime-inspired touches.
Plus, there have been fundraising efforts locally, including support from Digital Ignite, Garden & Gun, Duffy Law Firm, Hammer & Bell and other donors, gathered by booking manager Marcus McDonald, who also serves as the lead organizer of Charleston Black Lives Matter. Semkari is also working with L.A.- and Japan-based management for the tour and has a videography connection in South Korea. A promotional documentary will be filmed during the tour.
The only other Charleston artist I’ve heard about touring Japan in the last decade is husband-and-wife duo Tape Waves, who I wrote about back in 2018. Their reverb-laden shoegaze dream pop hits became big in Japan, with their Asian fans topping their homegrown fans as far as streaming statistics.
Working with management teams in Charleston, L.A. and Japan, Semkari is making a dream come true by touring Japan this month.
Provided
Semkari is also hoping to connect with his Japanese fans — and make new ones along the tour.
The rapper grew up an anime fan; it began with popular Cartoon Network series “Dragonball Z,” and he has since delved into the culture that hails back to the early 1900s in Japan. The crossover of anime and Black American hip-hop and rap music is now at an all-time popularity peak, offered Semkari, citing popular rapper Megan Thee Stallion’s various anime cosplays on magazine covers and at red carpet events.
For Semkari, it’s aspirational and a niche he falls into and gets excited about. During an afternoon interview at Secret Studio off Meeting Street, he starts passionately discussing “Tokyo Ghoul,” a Japanese dark fantasy manga series based around a tattoo artist, water paintings and a sensational storyline.
“No one is going to Japan,” he said. “I’m pushing the boulder down the hill, getting the ball rolling, trying to start something big for us. A lot of rappers are stuck in a local bubble, but I’m breaking out of it, taking the town’s energy and going to Japan with it.”
Semkari has been into anime for a long time now, so heading to Japan is dream come true.
Provided
Representation is key as well.
“There’s not a lot of African American people I know who have been to Japan,” said Semkari. “I want to show we can do anything, the Charleston hip-hop community can do anything. … Invest in your dream.”
In addition to exploring Japanese food, anime, fashion, history and architecture (Osaka Castle is on his list), Semkari is looking forward to riding the bullet train. If only Charleston had that kind of public transportation, he mused.
AloJapan.com