Diana Farah

DUBAI: 19-year-old rapper Danny Jin is making waves with his politically charged music.

The grandson of Nakba survivors, Jin is using his art to highlight the Palestinian struggle and shed light on social injustices, both in Japan and globally.

Born and raised in Japan to a Palestinian father and a Japanese mother, Jin’s journey with identity was not always straightforward.

“I didn’t even know I was Palestinian until I was around 10 or 11 years old,” he told Arab News Japan.

Despite growing up in Japan, he never felt fully accepted as Japanese due to his appearance.

However, these experiences of being perceived as an outsider helped him develop resilience. “I guess that experience made me strong. Now, I’m not afraid to stand on stage and rap.”

Jin’s music gained significant attention after his song “Boycott” went viral, with about 16 thousand views on YouTube.

While he initially rapped in Japanese, he soon realized that his English-language songs had a broader impact.

“At first, I thought Japanese would be better since it’s my native language, but my English rap spreads more,” he said. This, he believes, is due to a general apathy among Japanese audiences when it comes to political and humanitarian crises.

“Many Japanese people don’t seem to understand humanity,” Jin said. “So when I speak about Palestine, I try to explain how it also affects Japan, how supporting Israel’s actions might have negative consequences for Japan in the future.”

Danny’s rap career began in August 2023, just months before the war in Gaza escalated in October of that year.

His early music reflected his frustration with various aspects of Japanese society, including political corruption, economic struggles and what he sees as a deeply flawed education system.

His passion for hip-hop started at 15, inspired by resistance-driven artists like Tupac Shakur.

“I was listening to Japanese rap and thought, ‘I can do better.’ There are no real resistance rappers in Japan, so I decided to step up.”

As he continues to grow as an artist, Danny remains determined to use his platform to challenge the status quo and give voice to the voiceless.

Through his music, he said hopes to ignite awareness and action, not just for Palestine, but for justice worldwide.

Jin last week released his latest song, titled ‘Team Genocide,’ in which he calls out Western states and Japan for their involvement in the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians.