 Rojak is a colloquial Malay word for “eclectic mix,” and is the name for a Javanese dish that typically combines sliced fruit and vegetables with a spicy dressing. In this recurring Flagship feature, we highlight the best newsletter writing from and about Asia. The geopolitics of rap Asian singers and rappers seeking global success are no longer driven by Western recognition, and are instead leaning into “Orientalism chic.” In the 2010s, Asian artists often replicated their American counterparts; rappers, for example, mimicked flows and aesthetics that originated in Atlanta. Culturally and geopolitically, there was a sense that music could be a global bridge, and that “‘Asian culture’… was not all that different from Western culture,” Patrick Kho wrote in his newsletter, The Chow. That dynamic changed as globalization-inspired optimism dimmed and US-China ties grew more tense. Asian artists are no longer emulating American styles, and are instead reclaiming depictions that would’ve once been considered “Orientalist” or stereotypical — think chopsticks, Fu Manchu mustaches, luxury city-kid lifestyles. “The old game of assimilation is no longer the meta,” Kho argued. “They must lean into difference, and recognize they are operating in a different world entirely.” Knocking on wood Modern Chinese artists are integrating historic woodblock printing traditions into their album covers. The technique, in which a design is carved into wood, began during the Tang Dynasty on Buddhist scriptures, and was later used for books. The rise of the mechanical printing press overshadowed woodblock printing, but it saw a political and revolutionary revival in the 1930s during the Chinese Civil War. Today, China’s alternative music scene is leaning into the aesthetic, Rachel Cabitt wrote in her newsletter, The Art of Cover Art, alongside music writer Jake Newby. As one label executive noted, woodcut “shares a similar spirit with the cassette tape as a medium for recorded music: a sense of rawness in visual/sonic textures, the rich physicality, and space for a certain degree of amateurism and experimentation.” Idolatry Japanese pop idols don’t make a killing despite generating millions in revenue for their record labels. Take it from a former idol herself. Amina Green, who was once part of Japanese girl group Chic Girls, revealed the payment structures that often leave singers with limited bargaining power. Some pop stars receive fixed salaries from their labels that also cover housing and training; others split gig revenue among the group’s members. Some call these models exploitative. Green defended the pay structures, noting they’re better than the situation struggling artists face — but said the real issue is that stars are unable to negotiate much. Even if a group makes lots of money, their payment might not change. It reflects how artists are often used as mere marketing mechanisms for profit-focused businesses. “Similar to Western influencers, Japanese and Korean idols make money because their job isn’t to sing,” Green wrote. “The job of an idol is to form a parasocial relationship with the targeted consumer audience.” |
