King Giddra - Style of Music

Style of Music

Their style is influenced by the American rap group Public Enemy, which is evidenced by their political views on the state of Japanese society in the lyrics of their songs, such as "Bullet of Truth." The song's opening lyrics are "Facing us is an illusion... the noise of a completely corrupt society/ Giddra lights a fire in the war of ideas in a 20-faced disguise forcing a new association of thoughts." The lyrics are indicative of a broader theme in hip hop of being critical of the greater majority in one's society. The line referencing a "new association of thoughts" promotes the efficacy of hip hop to go beyond complaining about problems and actually change the way people think. "This song is a throwback to the socially conscious lyrics of Hip Hop's beginning in the inner-cities of America." In this song, King Giddra questions the education system that "crushes the dreams of children" as well as the media overload, especially in terms of advertising, sex and violence, which becomes a kind of mind control. Their debut album (The Power from the Sky) is also inspired by Public Enemy, from their song "Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos". The title song, uses a sample from that PE song. By using American samples and rapping about Japanese issues, King Giddra mixes local and global perspectives of the world into their hip hop.

As the popularity of hip hop in Japan increased in the 1990s, mainstream J-Pop began to produce J-Rap, which was just party rap with no real political message. Those in the hip hop culture of Japan noticed the success of J-Rap and wondered if rap in Japan should discuss socio-political issues or if it should remain mainstream with lighter lyrics. King Giddra chose to make Japanese hip hop more political and about social issues that those in Japan faced. This also helped to create a Japanese style of rap that was not just an imitation of American rap because King Giddra discussed issues specific to Japan. For example, in their 1995 song, "Bullet of Truth", the group discusses how the education system "crushes the dreams of children" by making them think they will have a successful job after graduation, when in reality, unemployment is very common among young Japanese adults. They also criticize the media by saying that its advertising is overpowering and becomes a sort of mind control. Japanese society is condemned for its "heartless commercialism" and "despoiled environment".

By the early 2000s, different aspects of King Giddra's political perspective began to emerge. Though still claiming inspiration from African American groups such as Public Enemy, projects such as The Ultimate Weapon (Saishuu Heiki) contained more overtly nationalistic statements. In 2002, K Dub Shine produced the soundtrack for "The Sakura of Madness," a film chronicling the adventures of a "Neo Tojo" gang who aimed to attack foreigners in Shibuya as a way of "cleaning up the trash." In an interview with Remix magazine in 2009, K Dub Shine openly expressed his right-wing views, including his belief that Japanese soldiers who died in World War II should be honored as fighting for the betterment of Japan. He compared the Occupation of Japan after World War II to the enslavement of black people in America, calling the two a "shared experience" of oppression, and described the Black Panthers as a right-wing organization.