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Brown Rice Family - Souljah
Japan's embrace of hip hop - from the groundbreaking djs like Honda and Krush, to its robust population of b-boys - has been fairly well documented over the years. Though it has received less attention, Japan also has a small but no less devoted group supporting Jamaican culture. The movement received perhaps it's greatest validation in 2002, when Japanese dancer Junko was named Dancehall Queen, the first non-Jamaican to ever receive the honor. Yet Japanese Rastafarians have been around since the 70's, focused mainly in Osaka.
It was recently brought to my attention that a community of Japanese Rastafarians has sprung up in Brooklyn. The most notable members of that community being the above Brown Rice Family, a roots band that was founded by two musicians from Japan but has since incorporated members from Jamaica, Haiti, Nigeria, and the Bronx. To support their musical careers - and to further their goal of promoting healthy living - the group manufactures and sells their own soap made out of, you guessed it, brown rice. Check out a profile of their soap making business below:
Brown Rice Family - Etsy Profile
For more on the Brown Rice Family, including links to download a few of their other songs, check out their website. And finally, here's one more of their videos:
Brown Rice Family - I Feel Like Dancing
3/18/2012 6:30:00 PM posted by Fresh