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Suite Chic
Suite Chic was a collaborative project between some of Japan's top and up-and-coming R&B and hip hop artists, writers, and producers, which debuted on December 18, 2002. Suite Chic served as a vehicle for pop singer Namie Amuro, who at the time was establishing herself as a credible R&B artist following a decline in her popularity as a pop singer. Since the dissolution of the project many of its participants have gone on to greater mainstream success and the project revived Amuro's career. In a late 2005 interview, Amuro said she would like to have Suite Chic make a comeback in 2006, but nothing came of it. History Ryosuke Imai talked with Verbal of (m-flo) about who was the Japanese Janet Jackson. They reached the conclusion that it was "Namie Amuro", who at the time had seen her career fade following a hiatus. They produced demos without permission and proposed them to Amuro. The project featured up-and-coming DJs and hip-hop producers such as DJ Muro, Dabo and hip-hop sing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans Japanese archipelago, an archipelago of List of islands of Japan, 6852 islands covering ; the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu (the "mainland"), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa Island, Okinawa. Tokyo is the Capital of Japan, nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto. Japan is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eleventh most populous country in the world, as well as one of the List of countries and dependencies by population density, most densely populated and Urbanization by country, urbanized. About three-fourths of Geography of Japan, the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreography became a catalyst in the growth of MTV, enabling her to rise to prominence while breaking gender and racial barriers in the process. Lyrical content which focused on social issues and lived experiences set her reputation as a role model for youth. The tenth and youngest child of the Jackson family, she began performing at the MGM Grand. She starred in the variety television series ''The Jacksons'' in 1976 and went on to appear in other television shows throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, including '' Good Times'', ''Diff'rent Strokes'', and '' Fame''. After signing a recording contract with A&M Records in 1982, she became a pop icon following the release of her third and fourth studio albums ''Control'' (1986) and ''Rhythm Nation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
DJ Muro
, better known by his stage name MURO, is a Japanese hip hop recording artist, DJ, record producer and designer. In 1987 DJ Krush, Microphone Pager, TWIGY and others formed the "KRUSH POSSE", a crew of rappers and DJs. During this time he excelled at DJing hip-hop and began producing hip-hop beats. His solo debut appeared 1993. In the late 1990s he worked extensively with Nitro Microphone Underground, one of Japan's most successful hip-hop crews. In addition to producing he also was active as a designer. Discography Singles *Street Life (1994/4/21) *THE VINYL ATHLETES (1999/12/22) *EL Carnaval (2000/7/5) *LYRICAL TYRANTS From Local To Global (2001/1/24) *SPACE FUNK 2001 feat. Nipps Albums *K.M.W.(King Most Wanted) (1999/4/21) *PAN RHYTHM:Flight No.11154 (2000/8/23) *INCREDIBLE!-BLUENOTE DJ MIX by MURO (remix) (2001/5/23) *KING OF DIGGIN' presents…Sweeeet Baaad A＊s Encounter (2002/6/12) *CHAIN REACTION (mini album) (2003/1/22) *BACK II BACK (best of album) (2004/3/10) (CCCD) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dabo
is a Japanese hip-hop rapper. He first appeared on the Japanese hip-hop scene in the 1990s, collaborating in a Shakkazombie song, ''"Tomo ni ikkou"''. Since 2002, he has released three albums: ''Hitman'' (2002), ''Diamond'' (2003), and ''The Force'' (2006). Dabo's lyrics are more hard-edged than most J-pop, or Japanese pop, and represent a tough Japanese street culture. He also appears as a playable character in the Japanese version of ''Def Jam Vendetta ''Def Jam Vendetta'' is a 2003 professional wrestling video game that combines hip hop with pro wrestling. It was released for the PlayStation 2 & GameCube by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label in North America & Europe, and the E ...''. Music career He became a member of ''Nitro Microphone Underground'' in 1997. In 1999 he released his first single, ''Mr. Fudatzkee''. In 2001, he was the first Japanese artist to be signed by Def Jam Japan. That same year, he made his major debut as a solo artist releasing ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zeebra
, known professionally as , is a Japanese hip hop recording artist and DJ who made his first appearance in 1995. Zeebra is a former member of the hip-hop group King Giddra, which also included DJ Oasis and K Dub Shine, and the older brother of fellow hip hop recording artist SPHERE of INFLUENCE. He went on to pursue a solo career shortly after in 1997, and signed with the Future Shock record label. Zeebra is one of the most popular rappers in Japan, and his popularity is not specific to either gender. He appears not only in hip-hop magazines, but also in fashion and street culture magazines. He often features in and produces other rappers' songs, and appears in their videos. He has also performed live with various rappers from America. In 1998 Zeebra undertook his first solo tour. He became recognized as an individual rapper for the first time, making hip-hop more familiar to Japanese listeners. In the same year he started the first hip-hop TV program in Japan, titled ''Beats to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc. was originally set up as a subsidiary of Original Confidence and took over the latter's Oricon record charts in April 2002. The charts are compiled from data drawn from some 39,700 retail outlets (as of April 2011) and provide sales rankings of music CDs, DVDs, electronic games, and other entertainment products based on weekly tabulations. Results are announced every Tuesday and published in ''Oricon Style'' by subsidiary Oricon Entertainment Inc. The group also lists panel survey-based popularity ratings for television commercials on its official website. Oricon started publishing Combined Chart, which includes CD sales, digital sales, and streaming together, on December 19, 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Japan Times
''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by Motosada Zumoto on 22 March 1897, with the goal of giving Japanese people an opportunity to read and discuss news and current events in English to help Japan to participate in the international community. The newspaper was independent of government control, but from 1931 onward, the paper's editors experienced mounting pressure from the Japanese government to submit to its policies. In 1933, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed Hitoshi Ashida, former ministry official, as chief editor. During World War II, the newspaper served as an outlet for Imperial Japanese government communication and editorial opinion. It was successively renamed ''The Japan Times and Mail'' (1918–1940) following its merger with ''The Japan Ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ai (singer)
, known mononymously as Ai (, stylized as AI or A.I. ), is a Japanese-American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, spokeswoman, and actress. Born in Los Angeles, California, Ai moved to Kagoshima, at age 4. Motivated to become a singer, Ai returned to Los Angeles, attending the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. While in Los Angeles, Ai began her musical career performing as part of a gospel choir at a Mary J. Blige concert and as a dancer for Janet Jackson's music video, "Go Deep". She briefly joined the Asian girl group SX4 in 1999 until she graduated high school. After being discovered by BMG in 2000, Ai relocated to Japan and released her debut album, ''My Name is Ai'' (2001), to very little commercial success. Signing to Def Jam Records Japan in 2002, Ai became the first woman signed to the label. She released two studio albums under the label, ''Original Ai'' (2003) and ''2004 Ai''. With the release of her third studio album, Ai rose to mainstream promi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
M-flo
is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa. Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists for each song over three albums, including the likes of Namie Amuro, Bonnie Pink, Koda Kumi and BoA. Their mainstream success and critical acclaim established them as the most iconic and influential hip-hop production team in Japan with success throughout Asia. Taku Takahashi and Verbal also started successful side-projects outside M-Flo, such as the Teriyaki Boyz and Global Astro Alliance collaborating with international producers and artists such as Kanye West and the Beastie Boys. In 2008, the group announced a hiatus, stating that each member would be focusing on their respective side projects. In 2012 the group ended their hiatus with the release of ''Square One'' on March 14, 2012. On December 14, 2017, Lisa returned to the group an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music. The genre features a distinctive record production style, drum machine-backed rhythms, pitch corrected vocals, and a smooth, lush style of vocal arrangement. Electronic influences are becoming an increasing trend and the use of hip hop or dance-inspired beats are typical, although the roughness and grit inherent in hip hop may be reduced and smoothed out. Contemporary R&B vocalists often use melisma, and since the mid-1980s, R&B rhythms have been combined with elements of hip hop culture and music and pop culture and pop music. Pre-history According to Geoffrey Himes speaking in 1989, the progressive soul movement of the early 1970s "expanded the musical and lyrical boundaries of &Bin ways that haven't been equaled since". This movement was led by soul singer-songwriter/producers such as Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Metropolis (free Magazine)
''Metropolis'' is a 32-to-48-page free monthly city guide, news and classified ads glossy magazine published by Japan Partnership Inc. targeting the English-speaking community in Tokyo, Japan. As of April 2011, its circulation was claimed to be 30,000.Simone, Gianni,English mags approach milestone, crossroads, ''The Japan Times'', 26 April 2011, p. 12. History The magazine was first published in 1994 as the ''Tokyo Classified''. Early editions, in the broadsheet style, consisted of classified advertisements sourced from shop notice boards. Initially distributed with the ''Daily Yomiuri'', the free magazine is now distributed across Tokyo and beyond to companies, embassies, hotels, bars and restaurants. The magazine was originally owned and operated by Mark and Mary Devlin, renamed ''Metropolis'' in 2001, and sold to Japan Inc. Holdings in 2007. Since 1999 the magazine hosted an annual Halloween party "Glitterball" at Roppongi's Velfarre club at other notable clubs around Tokyo. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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