How anime has influenced "clout chasing" in Rap culture

Rapper "lil Uzi Vert" as trunks from Dragonball Z

As we are all aware of, anime is beginning to reach a new peak with tons of new fans. With anime becoming more "main stream" as a result, rappers of this current generation seem to be anime fans in most cases. Before the spike of "Soundcloud Rap" it was more uncommon to hear a rapper refer to anime in the lyrics of their songs. Before we would here slight references to Dragon Ball Z and the infamous Goku but in today's era we hear Rappers referring to Naruto very often. " Throw up gang signs, Naruto, Put metal in my nose like Pain" (New Patek-lil Uzi Vert) While Naruto is far from an underground anime it doesn't quite have the same popularity as the legendary Super Saiyan. While rappers like lil Uzi have used their knowledge of anime to produce clever rhymes there is another side of rap and anime that the community needs to take in question. An instance where rap and anime collide in a not so respected way is when the lore is represented inaccurately. Platinum artist Trippe Red began to freestyle on Instagram live when he made a mistake that would cause many fans to mimic him "I feel like Naruto Uchiha, if your talking down kamehameha". Now while this does seem to be a simple mistake this slip up became an on going joke on his Instagram profile while fans questioned his credibility in the anime culture.

Its safe to say that anime has sparked within the rap community simply because they are both so popular. With both being so popular some rappers are actually specifically known for there ties to anime. The rapper Rob Bank$ is actually very well respected by anime fans due to his actual depth knowledge of the culture. while there are many well respected rappers for their anime knowledge Rob Bank$, and Xavier Wulf (Memphis rapper) are some rappers in the community that have made a positive reputation for themselves. In all rappers are drawn to anime frequently just like everyone else is; except how they use anime in their music is a different question. Some use it as a way to express something they love while others try their best to implement it due to its popularity. Some have succeeded in using anime for clout and some face repercussions.

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