The Japanese underground hip-hop scene has always been a place where creativity thrives, far away from commercial expectations and mainstream pressure. While big-label rappers dominate radio and TV, it’s the underground that carries the heartbeat of the culture. And in late October 2025, this part of the music world showed just how powerful and innovative…
A key figure in the genesis of Japanese hip-hop, CAKE-K, a historic member of B-FRESH, is making a grand comeback with a new album after 20 years of absence. A pioneer of Japanese rap, he stood against watered-down versions of the genre, embodying a revolution that laid the foundation for the Japanese rap scene as we know it…
Rapper SHINGO★NISHINARI has officially announced the release of his new album, Drum Can no Uta, which will be released on April 29, Japan’s national holiday Shōwa no Hi. Three years after his last project, this highly anticipated album consists of thirteen carefully selected tracks from around thirty contenders. As a preview, SHINGO★NISHINARI is unveiling the title track Drum Can no Uta today, a response to Ningen Hatsudensho by BUDDHA BRAND….
It has been announced that IO will release his fifth album, “JUST ALBUM“, this spring. Among the highly anticipated tracks on the album is “1942”, a new song that he premiered during the event “VALLAD presents RYDE ROMANCE”. No further details about the album have been revealed at this time. Alongside this announcement, IO has also revealed a solo…
Harlem Named for the New York neighborhood that gave birth to a legion of world-famous names and a renowned style of rap, this nightclub in Shibuya hopes to follow in the footsteps of its American namesake as a meeting ground for Tokyo’s new and established talent. Bloody Angle Located in Shibuya, this record bar draws…
Tokyo-based rapper Leon Farounakis. Tokyo’s earliest rappers followed their American counterparts in language as well. Initially, Japanese acts tended to translate their lyrics to English; Japanese, they feared, might not flow as easily. “I used to only listen to American rap,” says Fanourakis, whose original inspirations were American rappers like Busta Rhymes, A$AP Ferg, and…
A look inside the hip hop scene in Tokyo, Japan, from its rise in the 80s and 90s to now—plus, the best places to listen to hip hop while you’re in town. Like most great music scenes, hip hop in Tokyo emerged from the underground. Fans credit DJ and streetwear idol Hiroshi Fujiwara for introducing the music to…
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