Title: NG

Artist: CHANMINA

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Setting:

NG is primarily set in an office full of cubicles. The video opens with the camera panning along the bottom of a bathroom showing the different stalls and their occupants. At first, the stalls only have one person in them but as it pans we get a couple of stalls with two people. The last stall is the one with CHANMINA and then it swings to the very tightly packed office. You get different aspects of the office including the elevator – both inside it and directly outside. There’s also a bathhouse set that is just incredibly fun and what looks like a boardroom but could also be a classroom. Either way, very well-used sets.

Sound:

I think that NG’s sound is a really good example of how to do transnational hip hop. To me, she very perfectly balances what’s hot/trending in both Japan and the United States’ hip hop cultures. It’s to the point where I was like “oh, I want her in more transnational hip hop”. I want to hear her stand her ground – both with her rapping and with the quality of her lyrics – against rappers from other countries… because I think she could do it. Her flow also, unlike many of the Korean rappers I usually listen to*, doesn’t hinge on one source? It’s not LE-inspired or Yoon Mirae flow jacking (hey, Truedy!!), but something that feels relatively original to me?

(*I say this because CHANMINA is Korean-Japanese and had her Korean single debut within the past two years!)

Styling:

This music video has such impeccable visuals. Yes, there are potentially “problematic” aspects of the fashion such as CHANMINA’s usual tooth gems but honestly, at this point? That’s between her and her dentist. Overall, I love the styling in this video. The first time you see CHANMINA after her heels and panties in the beginning in the bathroom stall, it’s belly first. She is so massively pregnant in this video and it is fantastic to see. CHANMINA’s stylists chose pieces that work with her pregnancy and she looks gorgeous. I think my favcorite look is when she’s in the elevator rocking a buzz-cut and a partially see-through dress (censored in the chest for the video). She looks gorgeous!  

Full Thoughts:

I’m so serious when I say that I think “NG” is probably one of CHANMINA’s best releases thus far. I like her as a rapper but haven’t given her the focus I have to other rappers in her cohort – either in Japan, Korea, or the United States. That’s my mistake.

“NG” is incredibly fun. The song itself is enjoyable to listen to and I’ve had it on repeat on YouTube as I work. While I don’t speak Japanese and have to rely on translations and eager fans to get the full cultural contexts, it’s clear that this is a song that’s got an edge. In fact, in an interview with Sotaro Yamada for Billboard Japan, she says that one aspect of motherhood and marriage that she can already see impacting her work is that sharpness. “I’ve gotten back that thorniness I used to have,” she tells Yamada. “I lose my temper easily. I think that’s because the ‘womanly’ part of me is taking a bit of a break, in a way.”

I’m objectively interested in how pregnancy changes people – ask any close friend how annoying I’ve been when they were pregnant and you’ll get it – and I find it fascinating that unlike the wild tradwifery expectation that motherhood “calms” you, CHANMINA Is out here like “actually I’m short tempered now” about it. And you can kind of clock that in the song because she’s so very bold about who she is!!

But this is “Music Video Anatomy” so let’s talk about that music video.

I knew that Chanmina was pregnant because I actually make it a point to know about as many celebrity relationships in my interest zones as possible. I didn’t realize how pregnant she was until she and that big ole belly took center stage in her music video. (By now, she might have even had the baby considering how huge her belly is. Either way, I’m rooting for her and her husband, rapper Ash Island!)

One of the things that makes “NG” stand out to me is that it’s outright empowering on a visual level. CHANMINA doesn’t hide her belly at any point. Every single outfit she wears highlights the fact that she is incredibly pregnant, and you can’t look away from her because she’s the star of the show. I’d have to look this up – but feel free to chime in in the comments if you know the answer – but I feel like it’s rare to see female idols or rappers in either Japan or Korea work this far into a pregnancy? I know Beyonce really garnered a lot of attention for performing while pregnant and Halsey talked a lot about their pregnancy – unsure if she also worked while going through it though. But it’s not super normal to see a celebrity that pregnant get on stage, I feel? Regardless of their country, I think it’s pretty novel?

I also enjoyed the choreography in “NG”. While CHANMINA’s dancers do the most because she’s… super pregnant… that doesn’t mean that CHANMINA isn’t out there shaking it and trotting around.

Overall, this was a very fun video for me and the combination of great video and good song means that I may need to revisit CHANMINA’s discography. It also means that I’m kind of lowkey hoping that she gets to do a remix for Megan Thee Stallion and Yuki Chiba’s “Mamushi” once she’s recovered from the birth and has some downtime.

Fingers crossed, friends!