Hello everyone. I'm Nishioka, a black music lover (lol). As you may already know, those of you reading this blog have been listening to a lot of black music on Spotify (a music streaming service) since the beginning of this year.

Milestone decides on a concept each month and creates a playlist. If you're interested in the "milestone sound library," click here πŸ‘ˆ

We are fortunate to have 171 followers who know about milestone and love music. This is something we are truly grateful for. That's why we want to share the music we know with our listeners, and we select songs every month with the same feeling as a DJ. This is already Vol.8, and the concept is straight out "HIP HOP."

Why hip hop from here on?

On a personal note, in March 1995, right after graduating from high school, I moved to the United States by myself, to San Luis Obispo, a small town on the west coast of the United States. Back then, there was no LINE or Instagram. I wasn't particularly good at languages, but I loved hip hop, so I moved into the university dorms with a CD book that could hold about 100 CDs. I couldn't speak the same language as the other dormmates, but hip hop was the only common language we had, and I made many friends.

I started going to a record store, where I hit it off with Khalil, a black man who worked there, and we started hanging out. We shared the same interests, and "hip-hop" was the keyword, and he taught me all sorts of things, from how to use the AKAI MPC2000 drum machine, which has a built-in sampler and sequencer, to how to do studio mixdowns. By the way, when I make music, I go by the name SHUNAMI, and it was Khalil who gave me that name. He was also my ally, and he even mixed and mastered my album, Alliance , which I released under his own name.

A commemorative photo taken after the mastering of the album "Alliance" was completed at Shuha Studio

It was in San Luis Obispo, a predominantly white area, that I met another black man, Joshua. Khalil and Joshua formed a unit called Moonrocks, and the two became my mentors. After studying English at a language school and graduating from junior college, I moved to Oakland, across the Bay Bridge, to transfer to the four-year California State University, San Francisco. The reason I chose this city was undoubtedly because my two mentors were already living there. Also, unlike San Luis Obispo, Oakland had a large black and Asian population, making it an easy place to live for me.

My mentor Joshua later joined the California underground band LIVING LEGENDS as a DJ, which gave me the opportunity to experience authentic hip-hop live and become closer to it. The true underground pioneers were selling self-produced cassette tapes for $5 on Telegraph Avenue in Burghley, which was very exciting and fresh. I got to know many artists there and started going to events.

Left to right: my man K-ONE, LUCKY I AM PSC, SUNSPOT JONZ, SHUNAMI at Telegraph Ave, Jan. 1998

The underground hip hop of the 90s on the West Coast was hot. If you remember that time, the medley in the middle of the playlist will be irresistible.

For me, hip-hop is a communication tool, and, although it may sound exaggerated, it's also my reason for living. I still have a strong preference for the latest hip-hop, but I still love 90s hip-hop the most. Songs made with sampling (a technique of assembling jazz or soul material through looping and chopping) naturally have me nodding along. Before I know it, I'm getting into the rhythm, and that might be my definition of hip-hop.

August 11, 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. We've selected 50 of the best tracks. Milestone Sound Library #008 features hip-hop from the 90s. We hope you'll listen and nod your head to the rhythm.