The packing essentials music lovers need

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 ScHoolBoy Q. “I had this idea that Japanese rap songs were harder to dance to. I also have many friends from different countries, and they would ask me why I would [bother to] rap if I couldn’t even speak English.”

Fanourakis continues: “That’s when I decided I wanted to make Japanese rap that would make those who don’t understand [the language] like it too. I wanted to develop a style that made Japanese rap sound as cool as American rap.”

Eventually, many artists felt the same, creating tracks using exclusively Japanese lyrics that distinguished them from their international peers.