The Japanese Rappers You Should Know In 2017

From Frank Ocean favorite KOHH to UK grime infused crew kILLa, these are the Japanese rappers and groups to know in 2017.

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YDIZZY

Hip-hop has long been a foundational part of popular culture in America, but in Japan it's still an outsider compared to the more traditional pop markets. However, the Japanese take on hip-hop culture has begun to boomerang its way back West—Japanese rappers are suddenly springing up on Frank Ocean and Travis Scott tracks. Such is the circle of life that is rap music.

In recent years, the alternative rap voices of Japan's major cities have started to multiply. Hip-hop first came to Japan via the likes of 1980s cult movie Wild Style and the proliferation of breakdancing. In the 1990s it began infiltrating Japan's fashion world, and hip-hop style became popular among the country's youth not long after. By the 2000s, Japan's own rappers had begun to find their individual rhythms, flow, and voices. Now, they're blossoming. Here are some new Japanese rappers to keep your eye on…

KOHH

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If you've heard the extended cut of Frank Ocean's “Nikes,” you've thus been exposed to the voice of Kohh. At the age of 26, he's one of Japanese rap's biggest breakout stars, after building a solid following at home with his self-released YELLOW TAPE mixtapes. He's quickly established himself as a fashion icon too, making appearances in Paris for the FACETASM label. Having grown up with a drug-addicted mother and a father who committed suicide, Kohh's narrative is a gritty look at his upbringing in the Oji district of Tokyo.

YDIZZY

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A member of the collective kiLLa, YDizzy talks a strong game, claiming to be the key to putting Japan on the map for rap. His flow slow and melodic, a languid drawl reminiscent of the likes of A$AP Rocky. His debut album DIZZiNESS has won over home fans, but it was his rap on the track “BMW” that sparked the interest of U.S. ears, like Pigeons & Planes. “BMW, it's my car, it's my car!” is just about the only English spoken in the whole tune, but the hard-as-nails delivery throughout gives you an idea of the braggadocio going on elsewhere.

Kid Fresino

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At only 23 years old, Fresino has tongues wagging as one of the fastest developing of Japan's new blood. He'd never rapped as late as his teens, but he did make beats and he DJ'd for the group Fla$hBackS. After attempting to spit bars on one track, he then found that he'd made a whole debut album within 10 months. A fast learner but shy to social media, he puts all his personal thoughts into his raps instead—employing an irresistible laid-back flow that reminds of '90s backpack rap. He mixes soul with cutting-edge beats, and is improving with every release.

KANDYTOWN

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Bound for international popularity, KANDYTOWN is a rising rap group signed to Warner Music Japan. Sporting a throwback style, their flows are very reminiscent of the '90s, the production not too many miles from Jay Z's Blueprint era. The difference is that KANDYTOWN is a collective of 15 members. Between them, they rap, produce, direct, and conceptualize entire projects, so they're prepared and armed for every eventuality.

S.L.A.C.K.

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Sometimes styled as “5lack,” S.L.A.C.K. makes music for anyone who misses 1980s LL Cool J slow jams. “Girl If You” is an earworm from the MC and producer worth checking out first. Hailing from Tokyo, he is a member of the trio PSG alongside his rapper and beat-making brother PUNPEE and their friend GAPPER. He also helps to run the label DOGEAR, which serves as a sort of tastemaking ground zero for other upcoming talents in the scene. ISSUGI—another rapper—is one of the label's co-founders and considered a don among the Tokyo underground.

THE OTOGIBANASHI'S

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This crew has been kicking around for a while making music quite unlike anyone else in Japan, or anywhere else, for that matter. They remind me more of The Gorillaz or The Avalanches than they any rap collective. Also involved in fashion, they run their own clothing label, CREATIVE DRUG STORE. Having known each other since high school, there's a brilliant playfulness to this gang's style. Dare we say it: They could be Japan's answer to the Beastie Boys.

kiLLa

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Also emerging from Tokyo, kiLLa is a gang that includes YDIZZY, but also a bunch of other ferocious-as-hell MCs, including kZm, KEPHA, and Blaise. Their dark and dank, trap-fuelled track “Poser” received some much-welcome attention from Noisey earlier this year. Provocative and menacing, they're tough to ignore and possess more parallels with UK Grime than they do U.S. hip-hop. Each member of this clique has their own burgeoning career, but together they're a revelation.

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