Awich & CHICO CARLITO Join ONE OK ROCK and Paledusk for Powerful YAO Single
Japanese hip-hop and rock collide with a deeper purpose as Awich, CHICO CARLITO, ONE OK ROCK and Paledusk reunite under their collaborative project YAO for the new song “ありふれた世界の果てに.”
Released on September 4, the track is YAO’s second release and pushes the supergroup beyond simply bringing major Japanese artists from different genres together.
This time, the focus turns toward Okinawa — its history, culture, scars and hopes for the future.
The song emerged from conversations between the members during the creative process, particularly around the experiences and perspectives of Okinawa-born rappers Awich and CHICO CARLITO.
Awich and CHICO CARLITO Put Okinawa at the Center
Awich and CHICO CARLITO have both consistently carried their Okinawan roots into their music.
For YAO’s latest release, those roots became central to the creative process.
Discussions surrounding Okinawa’s history, its culture and people still affected by the consequences of the past resonated with the other members of YAO.
Rather than approaching those subjects from the outside, the collaboration developed around listening to the perspectives Awich and CHICO CARLITO brought into the room.
That conversation eventually became the foundation for “ありふれた世界の果てに.”
The song looks at difficult realities while emphasizing peace, cultural continuity and the responsibility of carrying history into the future.
Hip-Hop Meets ONE OK ROCK and Paledusk
YAO is unusual because of how different its four core participants are.
Awich has become one of Japanese hip-hop’s most internationally visible rappers.
CHICO CARLITO brings another distinctly Okinawan perspective and a reputation built through lyrical Japanese rap.
On the other side are ONE OK ROCK, one of Japan’s biggest internationally successful rock bands, and Fukuoka’s Paledusk, whose aggressive mixture of rock, metal and electronic influences has earned attention far beyond conventional Japanese rock circles.
Those worlds collide on YAO without completely erasing what makes each artist different.
For the new song, ONE OK ROCK vocalist Taka also experimented with a melodic approach described as new territory for him.
The official credits list Awich, CHICO CARLITO and KAITO as lyricists, while DAIDAI and Taka composed the track. DAIDAI handled production.
Vocals come from Awich, CHICO CARLITO, Taka and KAITO.
YAO Is Becoming More Than a One-Off Collaboration
The project first emerged earlier in 2026, immediately attracting attention because of the unlikely combination of artists involved.
Instead of stopping after one experiment, YAO has continued developing.
“ありふれた世界の果てに” is officially the project’s second single, establishing that YAO isn’t simply a one-song crossover between famous names.
The September release also shows what the collaboration can become when those different backgrounds are used to explore something more personal.
Awich and CHICO CARLITO bring Okinawa and hip-hop into the conversation. ONE OK ROCK and Paledusk bring completely different musical histories and audiences.
YAO becomes the space where those perspectives meet.
New Behind-the-Scenes Video Shows How the Song Came Together
The story gained another chapter on September 21, when YAO released footage documenting the song’s creation.
The video takes listeners behind the finished record and into the conversations and recording process that shaped it.
That makes it particularly relevant now.
Rather than simply releasing another music video weeks after the single, YAO is giving listeners additional context for why the record was made and how the artists’ different backgrounds influenced its direction.
For a project built around collaboration, that creative process may be just as important as the final song.
YAO Pushes Japanese Hip-Hop Beyond Genre Boundaries
Japanese hip-hop collaborations have become increasingly ambitious, but YAO represents something different.
Awich and CHICO CARLITO aren’t simply appearing as guest rappers on a rock record, and ONE OK ROCK and Paledusk aren’t being treated as outside additions to a hip-hop track.
Instead, YAO is being developed as its own project.
“ありふれた世界の果てに” demonstrates what can happen when those musical worlds are allowed to overlap while the artists retain their individual identities.
More importantly, the second release gives that experimentation a subject with genuine significance to the artists involved.
By putting Okinawa, its culture and its history at the center of the conversation, Awich, CHICO CARLITO, ONE OK ROCK and Paledusk are turning YAO into something considerably more interesting than another Japanese supergroup.
