88rising, interview with Sean Miyashiro（full script）

2019/1/30
Asia is rising.
A K-pop group released number 1 hits in the U.S. Television dramas featuring Asians are becoming increasingly popular. Perhaps for the first time in the history of entertainment, Asia is becoming mainstream in pop culture.
There is a group that’s leading the movement - 88 rising. It’s a musical collective comprised of hip hop artists and singers from Asia. They came to Japan in January.
NewsPicks sat down with Sean Miyashiro, the founder of 88rising.
What is 88rising?
88rising is a cultural company that wants to entertain people.
So when I say entertain, like just make people feel ... We want to make things that people experience, and it makes people feel some certain way, whether happy, sad, or whatever.
Music is a big part of us, but we also make videos, we also are like making movies, or trying to make movies. Because beyond music, the next thing that's going to make people feel something is, I think, film.
You tell a story and ... Obviously we're an Asian company too, and when I say that, I mean we want to ... We're not so hard-core about it. We're all Asian. Our artists are Asian. We operate out of America, and what we want to do is ... The stuff that we put out, the people who are putting it out, their faces look like us. You know what I mean?
It's important because you guys are here, everybody looks like us. But in America, it's not necessarily like that, and it's a process for getting Asian representation into different things. Especially in music, and especially in hip-hop. We're trying.
Did you know that Asians can do this good in hip-hop when you started your company?
I never knew that we were going to be like this, but ... No I didn't, actually.
We're the first ones to actually, in real hip-hop culture, in America, like get as much recognition and fan base and stuff like that. No, I didn't know, because we didn't exist yet. You know what I'm saying?
What was the beginning of 88rising? Did you know Asian rappers and creators have this big potential?
I didn't know, because we didn't know what 88rising was.
Even when I started this, it wasn't even called 88rising. We didn't even have a name. I was just like, "I want to create a company ..." Because all my friends, when I go out and eat in Koreatown, barbecue or some shit, the people who are sitting around the table, they're all really good at what they're doing. Like we have the ill illustrator, we have the ill photographer, we have a great rapper, and we were all just like friends.

Don't have to be only ones

I was thinking like, "Man, there's not a place on the Internet or any company that is just housing these people, and like helping them." And you know, there's so many Asian talents around the world. Not just us, but just everywhere. So it's like, "Okay, why don't we just try to do this?" And so it just started. It started like that, and we've grown. And now, we're going to take over the universe. You know what I'm saying? I'm just playing.
Even Japan in and of itself is like, when I'm here, I'm inspired.