Richardine Bartee
It’s not every day that we come across a Toronto-based Black Japanese-speaking rapper; ヤスケ (Yasuke) is aware of that rare occurrence. Teaching himself how to speak the language two years ago, he has built the confidence to release his brand of bilingual music. The song isn’t as deep as you may think based on its visual. The Canadian artist keeps the rap bravado intact with a catchy yet cliché hook about basically hooking up with someone’s bitch. We don’t fault Yasuke for that. At least he did the work to come from a unique, less-travelled path.
If you aren’t aware of Japanese culture, the name Yasuke derives from the first retainer of African origin serving under Sengoku Period Japanese daimyō Oda Nobunaga, which all means he was the first non-Japenese Samurai of darker skin. Although Yasuke is of Chinese heritage, his admiration for the Japanese culture is present in the visual directed by YUTAKA.
Check out the ‘イタ(Ita)’ video shot in Japan below featuring RITO; produced by Casket:Jones.
