"911 Song" was released on September 11, 2002, the one-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

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Japanese hip-hop Japanese hip hop is hip hop music from Japan. It is said to have begun when Hiroshi Fujiwara returned to Japan and started playing hip hop records in the early 1980s. Japanese hip hop tends to be most directly influenced by old school hip hop ...

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King Giddra King Giddra was a Japanese hip hop group that started in 1993. They were signed to the indie label P-Vine Records. After a six-year hiatus, they would go on to sign with DefStar Records, a sublabel under Sony Music Entertainment Japan (SMEJ) f ...

. King Giddra released this single as part of their album ''Saishuu Heiki/The Final Weapon''. The song delivers potent, politically charged lyrics that challenge the United States government and their role in the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Lyrics

The song uses a repetitive chanting of the phrase "Remember that day, that day, that day" as its chorus in memory of September 11, and the attacks that clearly resonated across the world. Both MCs in the group, K Dub Shine and Zebra, deliver verses that urge the world to question not "what, where, who, but why" the attacks happen. K Dub Shine ends his verse with a critique of the Bush administration, saying "It's always civilians who are sacrificed, even so, Bush sleeps in his bed tonight." The lyrics as well as a music video can be found at http://web.mit.edu/condry/www/jhh/mov/KG-911-small.mov.

Cultural analysis of "911 Song"

While it may seem interesting that one of the main Japanese hip-hop groups has released a single about a terrorist attack in the United States, this attention to the United States, especially New York, should come as no surprise. Japanese hip hop draws incredible homage to the United States for its rap culture and its African-American culture. Youth in Japan have even been known to darken their faces, in a style known as burapan, to mimic the look and style of blacks in America.Wood, Joe. "The Yellow Negro" Transition 73:40-67 However, as the lyrics of the song show, Japanese hip hop heads are not simply going for the look of black youth, they have a message, and often a politically charged message, that falls into lockstep, (or rhythm) with black youth. King Giddra was not the only hip hop group to criticize the American government for the terrorist attacks:

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean (; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, musician, and actor. At the age of nine, Jean immigrated to the United States with his family. He first achieved fame as a member of the New Jersey hip hop group the Fugees, a ...

, the

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

, and countless other groups have released songs in the wake of 911.

References

{{Reflist 2002 singles Music about the September 11 attacks