Okinawan rapper Awich has curated a show-stopping segment called Japan Champloo in the Park set to hit the SummerStage on Sunday.
This weekend, New Yorkers are in for a treat featuring some of Japan’s most diverse artists. Thanks to an all-star segment curated by Awich for Sept. 14 at 6 p.m. at the Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, the performance will spotlight DJ U-LEE, OZworld, rapper JP THE WAVY, and pianist BIGYUKI in a segment entitled Japan Champloo in the Park.
amNewYork spoke with Akiko Urasaki, whose stage name is Awich, about her artistry, breaking through barriers, and shining a light on Okinawa’s culture.
“I was born and raised in Okinawa, a small island with a complex history and a very rich culture, and my music blends hip hop, Okinawa music, and Japanese like my roots,” Awich shared.
After World War II, Okinawa and the Ryukyu Islands were under United States administration for 27 years before they were returned to Japan in 1972. To this day, it holds the largest US military presence, creating a Western fusion environment that fostered Awich’s love for hip hop.
It was well past bedtime when nine-year-old Akiko Urasaki scribbled poetry inside of her notebook in her home on the island of Okinawa. Suffering from acute insomnia, Akiko pondered life, what it meant to be in love, and so many other questions that adults didn’t seem to have the answers to. Her philosophical musings paved the way to the world of music, cultivating the name “Awich,” which is short for the meaning behind her birth name, “Asia Wish Child.”
“When I was 14 years old, I encountered hip hop, and I felt like the words that were in rap music and hip hop were different from other genres of music. It was more focused on the message. It was more poetic to me. So I was drawn toward that, and I wanted to turn my poetry into rap music. I wanted to express everything I was feeling. All of the contractions I was seeing growing up in Okinawa,” Awich said.
At 14, her poems turned into rhymes as she dug deep into her roots. Far too often, Awich was told to act “normal,” but she wondered what this truly meant. She shared that as a teen, she had abstract questions regarding the meaning of life and what it means to love, to what it means to live in Okinawa. Awich shared that she has often been judged for being “too Americanized” by those who don’t live in her hometown, and yet those same individuals do not broach the subject of Okinawa having a large US military presence.
“What does it mean to live in Okinawa? You see all of this military base, you see all of this history about war, and like then you start making American friends, and then people outside of Okinawa say you are so Americanized,” Awich said.
Awich has taken her quest for inner truth and transformed it into art. In 2006, at the age of 20, she released her debut album, EP Inner Research. During this time, she moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to study and then subsequently released her full-length album, “Asia Wich Child,” the following year. As she pursued her music career further, Awich met and married her husband in Atlanta, and together they had a beautiful daughter.
“Growing up, I would try to prove to myself that I had skills. I’m the baddest. I know how to turn up. I have something to prove to the new audience that I’m presenting myself to,” Awich said.
Between traveling from Atlanta to Tokyo, Awich continued to write down her introspections. Her dedication led to breaking down barriers and becoming the first Japanese rapper to perform at Coachella and the first Japanese woman rapper signed to Empire.
“I could not do it without my team because people trusted me,” Awich said humbly. “I didn’t do it by myself. It was a collective effort.”
“For everyone who has a goal in their mind but people outside telling you don’t belong there, and feeling that it’s difficult to do, I feel like it’s always hard to be the first person who’s trying to do it. It’s always hard. It’s never easy, but it’s necessary…if you want to represent your community, if you have that vision, it’s going to be hard…but that also means you’re opening up the doors for the next person to go further,” Awich added.
By blending Japanese, Okinawan, and English in her thought-provoking music, Awich has established herself as one of the most profound global female rappers.
“I talk about my feelings because that is the type of art that could help people who are going through the same struggle,” Awich said. “When I am at the end of my life. I want to say I did it, and I don’t want to say damn, I wish I could have done that. I don’t want to look back and wonder. I want to look back and say I did that, it was hard, it was painful sometimes, but I did that.”
Awich feels a deep responsibility for her fame and music. She creates connections with her fans by articulating emotions that many have a hard time expressing.
“I want to touch a lot of people’s minds and hearts [with music.] I want people to be able to relate to it, [especially] Asian people all over the world. I feel like it could touch their lives and give them confidence and inspiration to follow their aspirations or ambitions. That’s my dream,” Awich said.
Awich also gives back through her charity called “Know the World,” which gives underprivileged Okinawan children the opportunity to study abroad. They even ran a homestay program, including American children who live in Okinawa. The children stayed in someone else’s home (locally) for a few days and wrote a report on what they learned. From that report, three students were chosen to stay in Atlanta (where Awich met her husband).
“I want to provide a chance for them to see the world, especially for kids who just don’t have the opportunity to do that,” Awich said. “It gives you tools to navigate through your life…it opens up horizons and gives you answers and a broader view of life so you can navigate through the bigger questions you have about yourself.”
Awich will continue spreading Japanese culture through her latest venture, “Japan Champloo in the Park,” and will participate in New York Fashion Week over the weekend.
AloJapan.com