Quote:
Originally Posted by Crystal_Ageha
I don't think Amuro should even be brought into that conversation, either, because she wasn't R&B/hip-hop until years after Hikki came out.
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Actually as I mentioned, several of Namie's 90s tracks had R&B influences; especially in her album tracks. It definitely wasn't all out like she would later do, but it is something along with Mariah, M.C.AT. and other R&B and hip hop influenced acts that were popular in Japan in the 90s that helped kind of add fuel to make it popular later. Hikki I see as the spark that made it ignite.
And yes, I agree about the marketing and image discussion - even Hikki to a certain extent relies on marketing in order to sell.