Nostalgia is a powerful drug. While we've grown used to hearing an anime's opening and closing themes in their native Japanese, Western kids who grew up watching anime in the 1990s and early 2000s were treated to a fair number of theme songs in English -- many of them rap-oriented. It's fun to look back on this era of anime music and cringe a bit, but what made songs like Pokemon's "Pokerap," Digimon: The Movie's "Digi Rap," and the One Piece "Pirate Rap" so popular to kids in the first place?
The decision to go with rap-infused songs was almost certainly driven by both 90s-era hip-hop and the burgeoning rap/rock music scene in the West at the time. Artists like Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and P.O.D. extended that rap influence to a new generation of music listeners looking for something different that they could relate to. Likewise, when new anime shows were brought to the West for the first time, the English dub producers and songwriters wanted a way to make the content as hip, catchy, and relatable to young English-speaking viewers as possible. Thus, songs like the 4Kids Entertainment "Pokerap" -- with James "D Train" Williams and Babi Floyd on vocals -- were born.
Split into five parts, one for each weekday, the full song covered all of the original 150 Pokemon. What kid didn't enjoy turning on Kids WB, watching the new Pokemon episode, then staying tuned for the "Pokerap" to see if they had the skills to rap 'em all? The rap/rock influence continued further into Pokemon with the Orange Islands arc's catchy theme song "Pokemon World."
Of course, it's a very different experience with these tunes as a 2020 adult in the working world as opposed to a preteen circa 2000. Even looking back today, some of the songs' whimsical natures and cheesy, yet earnest lyrics, like One Piece's "Pirate Rap," managed to fit their respective show and time period really well. Others have aged about as well as that piece of fruit at the back of the kitchen cupboard.
Imagine what parents seeing 2000's Digimon: The Movie in theaters with their kids must have thought upon being subjected to, "The Digi world is Digi safe, and now will meet its Digi fate/Good Digimon to protect what's right, we'll have to Digi-fy" and a chorus that repeats about ten times in three minutes. Not exactly Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince quality. But did the kids care? Not a lick. The song was written specifically for them, Digimon fans, with lyrics they understood and rhythmic beats that called to mind popular hit songs they knew from the radio.
Although these particular songs are now 15+ years old, the era of the rap/rock anime theme didn't suddenly flame out after a certain point. The two genres still mix regularly in Japanese anime songs and soundtracks, as shown in the likes of 2011's Guilty Crown and 2014's Noragami. Even in 2019, The Promised Neverland's theme song "Touch Off" by UVERworld combines the band's classic alternative rock style with clear hip-hop influences to match the show's dark intensity. The genres may have changed and the songs no longer aim specifically at a younger audience, but the influence lives on.
It's okay to scroll through YouTube for your childhood anime raps and cringe a little -- or a lot. But don't pretend that you're not singing along too.
