Black History in Japanese Music - Part 1 (Originally posted on 3/18/21)

I remember introducing one of my friends to Japanese City Pop by sending them a link to my YouTube channel, hoping they’d discover some new music they might enjoy. I wanted their first impression to be a positive one, but instead, they left an interesting comment, saying these Japanese artists were “just stealing American music,” and by extension, Black music.

That sparked a conversation. I wasn’t upset because appropriation is a real issue for many people. In the Black community, there’s a saying: “They want our rhythm, but not our blues.” There’s a lot of truth in that — our cultural contributions have often been taken without our stories, struggles, or voices being given the same space.

But over time, by learning more about the history of Japanese music, I’ve had the privilege of learning two important things:

1. The main way music evolves is through cultural exchange, so it's natural that you will hear elements of different cultures in one song, even if you don't realize it. This is especially true for American music.
2.  Many Black musicians played a significant role in shaping the evolution of popular music in Japan. This wasn’t just imitation — it was often direct collaboration, mentorship, and mutual respect, creating a unique cultural exchange that left a deep mark on both sides.

This article is my way of archiving and honoring that history. Expect multiple entries in this series, each exploring a different chapter of the story.

3+3 by The Isley Bros.

The Isley Bros. is an American R&B/soul group from Cincinnati, Ohio, established in the early 1950s, led by O’Kelly Isley. In 1973, they released their eleventh album entitled 3+3 for the Epic label on August 7, 1973. Well, it just so happened that Tatsuro Yamashita’s 1st band, Sugar Babe, was established that same year, around the same time this album was released. In fact, Sugar Babe’s only single, Downtown, was composed as an homage to one of the hit songs from 3+3, entitled

“If You Were There”, blending the Isley Bros. signature R&B sound with the folk-rock sound Japanese audiences were accustomed to at the time. While The Isley Bros didn't have direct involvement with the creation of Sugar Babe’s song, this serves as an important testament to the influence Afro-American artists had on City Pop, especially considering Tatsuro Yamashita himself admits to being a big fan of the Isleys and would go on to replicate their hard funk sound in later songs, such as “Bomber” & “Silent Screamer”.

Kimiko Kasai With Herbie Hancock ‎– Butterfly

1979- Kimiko Kasai & Herbie Hancock: When people think of Herbie Hancock, people usually think of the 1980s electronic hit “Rockit”, however, prior to that, he was a successful jazz musician. One album took him to Japan to work with chanteuse Kimiko Kasai (笠井紀美子), to create the 1979 album Butterfly. The album features a number of cover versions, including renditions of Stevie Wonder's “As” and a collection of Hancock originals, including “I Thought It Was You”, “Tell Me A Bedtime Story”, and the title track “Butterfly”.

Disco Otomisan

1979- Ebonee Webb: Ebonee Webb was a Memphis funk band led by vocalist Michael Winston and guitarist Thomas Brown. While they made very decent funk and soul songs in the early '80s, they had a very strange debut in the late ‘70s. For whatever reason, these seven musicians from Memphis, Tennessee, went all the way to Japan to record, as it’s promoted on the album cover, “ the most engaging debut album”, called Disco Otomisan, a strange compilation of disco songs composed to the melodies of Min'yō ( traditional Japanese folk music). The album was released in Japan in 1978, and another sequel album, Memphis Soul Meets Japanese Folk Songs, was released in 1979. While the band did not last long, several members would return to the States and form the funk and R&B group, The Bar-Kays.

TomTom 84

Thomas Washington, often credited as TomTom 84, is an American pianist, arranger, and producer, born: 1944 in Chicago, Illinois. Tom began his career training under the late James Mack while working at Brunswick Records, and since then has been producing some of the world's most iconic artists since 1970, from the Chi-Lites to Earth, Wind & Fire, to Phil Collins. However, his work isn’t excluded from the US, as he’s produced music with many Japanese musicians as well. His earliest known work in Japan was producing Toshiki Kadomatsu’s ( 角松敏生 ) 2nd album, Weekend Fly To The Sun in 1982, alongside a member of Earth, Wind & Fire. He’s also arranged music for singer Junko Ohashi ( 大橋純子) on her 1982 album, Postcard Fantasy, as well as pop idol Meiko Nakahara (中原めいこ), for her 1985 single "Gemini" (ジェミニ).

Stevie Wonder & Cindy ‎– Love Life

 Back on the subject of Stevie Wonder, the 8th wonder of the world himself actually produced a City Pop album, Love Life, in 1986, for Japanese R&B singer-songwriter Mayumi Yamamoto (山本真裕美), also known as Cindy.

Yogi Horton - 1984

1984 Yogi Horton: Lawrence "Yogi" Horton was one of the best session R&B drummers of the '80s, recording with everybody from Diana Ross to Luther Vandross. He also happened to be good friends with Japan’s very own Toshiki Kadomatsu, who had Yogi as a session drummer in his own music, including Toshiki’s 1984 single “Girl In The Box”, the 1985 album Gold Digger, 1985 hit single Hatsu Koi (First Love). Unfortunately, Horton suffered from manic depression and tragically took his own life on June 8, 1987, when he jumped to his death from a 17-floor hotel window in New York shortly after performing in a Luther Vandross concert. In response, Toshiki Kadomatsu released the 1987 single, She’s My Lady, in dedication to his life.

Ray Parker Jr 

Most people recognize Ray Parker Jr. for composing the theme song for the Ghostbusters franchise; however, he’s had a very prolific career as a session artist and songwriter for various artists, including overseas. Ray’s earliest involvement with Japanese music that I found was for J-Rock icon Yosui Inoue(井上陽水) in the 1974 single “Yudachi" (Evening Squall), as a guitarist. Ray has also written & composed music for various City Pop artists, including EPO’s 1982 single “Girl in Me”, and R&B singer Masayuki “Martin” Suzuki（鈴木雅之), his debut 1986 hit singles “Our Love is Special”, & “Love Overtime”.