INDEX
Winner of the “Critique Rebirth School” held at the talk space “Genron Cafe” and started his career as a critic.
Takano:You became a critic after that, right?
Yoshida: In 2015, I started the “Critique Rebirth School” with critic Atsushi Sasaki at a talk space called “Genron Cafe,” which was established by Hiroki Azuma. There was a project where students were invited to read and write critiques in a competition format to foster critics and revitalize criticism, and I happened to be there.
Takano: I happened to be there.
Yoshida: It was a time when I often went to events at the Genron Cafe, and I happened to be there when they were saying, “We are going to start the Critique Rebirth School now”. I had never written a proper paper, let alone a critical review, but I intuitively thought, “I have to go,” so I applied. I entered the competition and found that it was a serious battle, so I was buoyed by the enthusiasm, and before I knew it, I had fought for a year and ended up winning the competition.
Takano: That’s amazing! It’s not an MC battle, is it?
Yoshida: It’s not an MC battle. (haha)
Takano:It’s interesting that it seems to have something in common with rap music.
Yoshida: The structure of the battle was close.
Celeina: What was the theme of the critique?
Yoshida: Every two weeks, we would invite lecturers from various fields such as literature, philosophy, film, and music. Three of these essays are chosen, and the students make a presentation on the spot about how great their essay is, and then they battle it out. So we were tested not only on our writing skills but also on our presentation skills.
Celeina：It was pretty spartan. But I guess the experience of being on stage helped you then, didn’t it?
Yoshida: That may be true.
Takano: Rap music is also about spinning and spitting out your own words, so I feel like there is a connection there.
Celeina: After the “Critique Rebirth School,” you started working as a critic in earnest. What areas are you currently involved in?
Yoshida: At the time of “Critique Rebirth School,” I did not intend to write about hip-hop, but I ended up receiving an award for my final essay on hip-hop. Through this experience, I realized that hip-hop is a genre that is difficult to verbalize, so I am now working on the theme of how hip-hop criticism can be developed.
Takano: I would like to interject a song here. I asked Mr. Yoshida to choose a song that he would like everyone to listen to together on the radio at this time. What song would it be?
Yoshida: I am very sorry, but it is my own song (laughs). Recently, I have been working with a hip-hop collective called Koto Yumin Dakota. I would like you to listen to the lead track “Jii” from the album.
