Tokyo's Calling Megan Thee Stallion

Welcome to Golden Dragon, a newsletter by Eric Diep about Asians in hip-hop and my takes on trending topics in AAPI pop culture. Golden Dragon is a rotation of interviews, reviews, news, critical perspectives, and random blogs about music I recommend.

• Curator of cool Megan Thee Stallion fuels excitement for a future song with Atarashii Gakko!

• My review of Bohan Phoenix’s Make You Proud

• Diep Cuts featuring Saweetie, Megan Thee Stallion, JJJ, and The Ranjha

Megan Thee Stallion made the summer even hotter by introducing her fans to Atarashii Gakko!

At the beginning of March, the Houston rapper was in Tokyo for the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. She had the best time of her life during her extended stay in Japan, trying Habushu liquor, eating ramen (of course), and cosplaying some of her favorite anime characters. She was able to meet Atarashii Gakko!, joining them to do their dance from “Tokyo Calling” which was so Kawaii.

@japanleaders

@Megan Thee Stallion Wellcome to Japan🇯🇵✨ Happy to meet you!! #megantheestallion #新しい学校のリーダーズ #ATARASHIIGAKKO #tokyocalling

The Tokyo-based girl group’s name means “new school” in Japanese and comprises four young women: Suzuka, Mizyu, Rin, and Kanon. Their message is about conveying youth and having no age limit to feeling young inside. While I would categorize them as modern J-pop, they are an amalgamation of Kayōkyoku (歌謡曲), a music genre blending traditional Japanese music with Western influences that emerged during the Shōwa era, hip-hop, punk, and dance.

I love that they aren’t defined by one genre. They dress in sailor suits to enhance their live performances or videos, symbolizing strong leaders and refusing to be objectified. These new Pretty Guardians are a progressive J-pop group rebelling against idol stereotypes.

You’ve probably seen their Tiktoks come across your timeline, a first entry point for any new artist these days. I’ve been obsessing over how expressive their imagination is through their dance moves, which I learned they choreograph themselves. I’m very close to popping my phone on a tripod to record myself doing their dances at Klyde Warren Park in Dallas. These moves have channeled classic butoh (舞踏) theater, heavy metal headbanging, and hip-hop street dancing. Even Cardi B became a fan after they did her song “Up” a few years ago.

Megan Thee Otaku got her and AG!’s fans wondering when they would collaborate on music. With “Tokyo Calling” still breaking through in America since its October 2023 release, fans are doing mashups of various Megan Thee Stallion verses to see how they would sound together. Imagine Megan over this doomsday aesthetic with increasing intensity, screaming “Real hot girl shit!” with snappy bars?