Bustin' Out from Kyushu: A Hip Hop Story

This past August, I attended an English Camp for high school students for 3 days. About 50 kids and many volunteers went to a mountain top retreat center for an intensive English experience. We did tons of games and activities and I was really surprised and impressed by such high levels of English of the students.

I worked with the second year students, 16 or 17 year olds. I was the leader of a group of 5 girls and the final activity of the camp was to create a skit and perform it in front of the other groups. As we sat down to think about what kind of skit to do, time started to pass...kept passing...silence...no ideas... So I threw an idea out: hip hop. It is a culture near and dear to many a Japanese teenager. Young people spend tons of money on hip hop brands and music. (Sometimes, as I walk down the street and catch the eye of a young thug pimped out in the latest Sean John and Vokal threads sporting corn rows to make Iverson jealous--I say hello and the dude shyly says hello and laughs as he quickly strolls away. Try that in NYC) As our small group discussion progressed, a story began to emerge:

Hip Hop Girlz -
5 teenage girls innocently try to go to a local hip hop club one fine evening. After a very awkward conversation with the club's bouncer (myself), a strange and embarrassing dance number and their subsequent ejection from said club, the girls make a decision. They must go and learn from the masters at Hip Hop Camp: (That's me, again playing DJ Finger, hip hop guru and camp instructor. The green and yellow symbol on their shirts means 'beginner' for just about anything in Japan.)

After some intensive drills in Shaolin Shadowboxing of the Wu-Tang Style, the crew copped some hot dance flows from the master. The girls were ready to take Detroi...er Japan by storm:

With their newly modified hip hop shirts and a deeper sense of appreciation for all things Biggie and 'Pac, the girls returned to the club. To the beats of Go-ju Sento (In Da Club), the girls proceed to bust their new moves and tear da roof off:

And just like Marshal Mathers lyrically slaying the D-town would-bes, the girlz knew what was next. As the skit came to a close, they spit proudly to the masses, "WE BECAME HIP HOP SUPERSTARS!"


It was a blast helping the girls and wathcing what they came up with. After my initial idea, they took it away and created the dialogue, props and scenes. (I provided the soundtrack with hot beats from 50 Cent and Dre.) I was proud when they got 3rd place in the skit contest and they screamed out in surprise.

An incredible story of 5 girls' rise from the trailer parks (inaka) of 8 Mile (Kumamoto) to become the hottest icons in the world (Japan). "Hip Hop Girlz" - Now playing at theaters worldwide.