Saw this on twitter:
MC挟んでいいなら♪( ´▽`)RT @miri_sid: @mao_sid マオくんは全曲連続で歌えますか?(^-^)
Can't find the Japanese definition of MC anywhere. What does that say?
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Sign up to join this communitySaw this on twitter:
MC挟んでいいなら♪( ´▽`)RT @miri_sid: @mao_sid マオくんは全曲連続で歌えますか?(^-^)
Can't find the Japanese definition of MC anywhere. What does that say?
MC
in Japanese nowadays most commonly means a talk (by a singer) in between songs at a (pop) concert. It is a 和製英語 (wasei-eigo) under this meaning. It seems to have derived from the phrase 'master of ceremony'. In a broader context, it simply means a talk at some event.
In hip hop or dubstep events, the MC is the person rapping using the microphone, besides the DJ. I have used the term only in Japan, but it seems to exist in other countries as well:
In the 1970s and 1980s, the term MC (short for Master of Ceremonies, and sometimes misrendered emcee) was generally associated with what is now called rapping in hip hop music. MC has also sometimes been reported to stand for Microphone Controller, but this appears to be a backronym. This uncertainty over the letters' expansion may however be evidence to the ubiquitousness of the acronym: the full Master of Ceremonies is very rarely (if ever) used in the rap scene.
There are a lot of small parties in Tokyo with open MC where anybody can take the microphone and rap in accordance with the DJ.
In English, MC means "Master of Ceremony" -- not just a person talking, but the MAIN person doing the talking to the audience at any live event, not just musical. The MC is kind of like the "announcer" for an event but an MC is typically someone the live audience can see whereas an announcer may just be a voice over a loudspeaker. Also the MC does not just announce the performances but does other talking like interviewing performers, generating crowd excitement, and giving the audience additional information related to the performance. There can be more than one MC at an event if two or more people are fulfilling that role. The MC is not typically performing in the event. The MC typically has a certain notoriety and brings some of their own personality to the event.
MC
term in the comment thread under sawa's answer. I agree it doesn't actually talk about the the Japanese adaptation of the word, but it does actually explain the word's origins.
– jkerian
Jul 9 '12 at 18:54