This is a list of Japanese hip hop musicians and artists.

Rappers and crews

(in alphabetical order) * 213 HIGH ROLLAZ * Afra * Ai * Awich *

Bennie K Bennie K was an Urban Contemporary female duo formed in 1999 that consists of vocalist Yuki and rapper Cico. They met while Yuki was in Los Angeles undergoing voice training with Roger Burnley. They made their debut in January 2001 with the sin ...

chelmico chelmico (チェルミコ ''cherumiko'') is a female rap duo from Japan composed of Rachel Watashiga and Mamiko Suzuki, known professionally as Rachel and Mamiko, respectively. 'chelmico' is a portmanteau of the duo's names. Career chelmico ...

CREAM Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this process ...

Dohzi-T is a Japanese rapper, singer and songwriter who has been active since 1989. Biography Dohzi-T belonged to hip hop band "Zingi", formed in 1990. He debuted as a solo singer with the single "Shōnen A" (lit. "Boy A") on October 10, 2001. He associ ...

Dragon Ash is a Japanese rap rock group founded in 1996 by Kenji "KJ" Furuya and Sakurai Makoto. They were one of the first groups to popularize hip hop in Japan. Dragon Ash is a member of Mob Squad, which is an affiliation with the bands Source and End ...

* East End X Yuri *

Halcali , were a Japanese J-pop duo consisting of Halca and Yucali from Meguro, Tokyo, Japan. Its name is a portmanteau of and . Their debut album, ''Halcali Bacon'', reached #5 on the Oricon charts, making it the first album by a female hip-hop artist ...

Heartsdales Heartsdales was a Japanese-American hip pop duo composed of sisters and , known by their stage names Rum and Jewels, respectively. Yumi was born on December 17, 1981 and Emi on December 4, 1976 in Tokyo, Japan. Their family moved to the Yonke ...

Hi-Timez is a Japanese hip-hop/reggae group. The name "Spontania" comes from the English word " spontaneous". In 2010, singer Kaori Natori became the permanent vocalist for the band. Members *Massattack (マサタック ''masatakku'' ?) **Born in Yoko ...

Hifana is a Japanese breakbeat musical duo, consisting of KEIZOmachine! (Keizo Fukuda) and Juicy (Jun Miyata). The group formed in 1998, in the Tokyo neighbourhood of Kichijōji. History Prior to forming as Hifana, the duo were collaborating with Yam ...

Hilcrhyme is a Japanese two member hip-hop group. The band's name is a pun on the Japanese pronunciation of hillclimb and the word rhyme. They are best known for their 2009 hit song "Shunkashūtō", which has been certified for 1,000,000 cellphone digital ...

Hime is the Japanese word for princess or a lady of higher birth. Daughters of a monarch are actually referred to by other terms, e.g. {{nihongo3, , 王女, Ōjo, literally king's daughter, even though ''Hime'' can be used to address ''Ōjo''. ...

Home Made Kazoku was a Japanese hip-hop trio from Nagoya, formed in 1996, and whose hiatus started in 2016. They are signed to Ki/oon Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music. Biography Home Made Kazoku is a trio, consisting of members Micro, Kuro, and DJ U-Ichi. ...

Ilmari Ilmari is a Finnish male given name. It is a short form of Ilmarinen, a mythological smith in the Kalevala. Notable people with the name include: * Ilmari Aalto (1891–1934), Finnish painter * Ilmari Auer (1879–1965), Finnish politician *Ilmar ...

K Dub Shine , known professionally as K Dub Shine, is a Japanese rapper. Early life Kagami was born in the Shibuya ward of the city of Tokyo, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is ...

Ken the 390 , AKA Ken the 390 (''Ken za Sankyūmaru''), is a Japanese hip hop and R&B singer/rapper and voice actor who is an artist of the Rhythm Zone label owned by the Avex Group. Life and career In 1999, Ken the 390 helped in founding the Da.Me.Reco ...

Ketsumeishi is a four-member Japanese pop and hip hop group that incorporates singing and rapping into their music. They have had several major hits in Japan, including " Sakura", which reached number two on the Oricon yearly chart for 2005 and was featured ...

Kick the Can Crew Kick the Can Crew is a mainstream hip hop group from Tokyo, Japan, consisting of members Kreva, MCU, and Little. Formed in 1996, the group enjoyed popularity for their top singles "Good Music" and "Sayonara Sayonara". Warner/east west release ...

King Gidora King Giddra was a Japanese hip hop group that started in 1993. They were signed to the indie label P-Vine Records. After a six-year hiatus, they would go on to sign with DefStar Records, a sublabel under Sony Music Entertainment Japan (Sony Mus ...

* Kohei Japan *

KOHH , better known by his stage name KOHH, is a Japanese hip hop recording artist from Oji, Kita, Tokyo. Early life Chiba was born in Oji, Kita, Tokyo. He was raised by a single mother along with his younger brother. His younger brother is also ...

Kreva Kreva ( be, Крэва, ; lt, Krėva or Krẽvas; pl, Krewo; russian: Крéво) is a township in the Smarhon District of Grodno Region, Belarus. The first mention dates to the 13th century. The toponym is derived from the name of the Krivi ...

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 fo ...

Matsushita Yuya is a Japanese pop and R&B singer and actor under Japanese Dream Records. His debut single " foolish foolish" was released on November 26, 2008. He had his first breakthrough as Sebastian Michaelis in the '' Black Butler'' musical and since then ...

Mellow Yellow "Mellow Yellow" is a song written and recorded by Scottish singer-songwriter Donovan. In the US, it reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Outside the US, "Mellow Yellow" peaked at No. 8 in the UK in early 1967. Content The song was ru ...

Mihimaru GT Mihimaru GT were an urban and pop music group signed to Universal Music Japan and managed by Tearbridge Productions, a subsidiary of Stardust Promotion and Avex. History Mihimaru GT was a Japanese duet made up of composer, lyricist and vocalist, ...

Miliyah Kato (born June 22, 1988), better known by her stage name of is a Japanese pop and urban singer, songwriter, fashion designer, and author. In 2003, Kato started her career as a singer when she provided vocal to Reggae Disco Rockers' song "Cherry Oh ...

Miss Monday Miss Monday (born 1976) is a Japanese hip-hop and R&B artist.Deming, MarkMiss Monday Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2011-06-19 She sings as well as raps, and has collaborated with other artists such as Sowelu, JAMOSA, and Youngshim. She began he ...

* nobodyknows+ *

Rhymester Poetaster , like rhymester or versifier, is a derogatory term applied to bad or inferior poets. Specifically, ''poetaster'' has implications of unwarranted pretensions to artistic value. The word was coined in Latin by Erasmus in 1521. It was fir ...

Rip Slyme Rip Slyme (often stylized as RIP SLYME) is a Japanese hip hop group. In its best known incarnation, it was primarily composed of four MCs (Ryo-Z, Ilmari, Pes & Su) and a DJ, Fumiya. Pes and Su have since parted ways with the group. Their sou ...

Scha Dara Parr , or SDP for short, is a three-member Japanese hip-hop group that formed in 1988 and debuted in 1990. History The group consists of two MCs, Bose and Ani, and one DJ, Shinco. Scha Dara Parr is often compared to rap trio the Beastie Boys d ...

Seamo is a Japanese hip hop recording artist better known by his stage name Seamo (シーモ ''Shīmo''). He made his debut in 2004 using the alias , but later changed his name to Seamo. He made his solo debut in 2005 with the Japanese record label ...

Shakkazombie Shakkazombie (シャカゾンビ) is a Japanese hip-hop group. Formed in the 1990s, the group consists of Osumi a.k.a. Big-O (Takeshi Osumi), Hide-Bowie a.k.a. Ignition Man (Hidehiro Iguchi), and Tsutchie (Shinji Tsuchida). One of Japan's influen ...

SUGA SHACK Suga may refer to: * Suga, Iran, a village in Qazvin Province, Iran * Suga language, a language of Cameroon * Suga (rapper) (born 1993), South Korean rapper, songwriter, and record producer * ''Suga'' (EP), 2020 EP by Megan Thee Stallion * ''Sug ...

Shing02 , better known by his stage name Shing02, is a Japanese hip hop recording artist, record producer, activist and investor who was described by Patrick Neate as one of the Japanese emcees who "has addressed important issues from Japanese ethnicity ...

Sky-Hi is a Japanese rapper, singer, actor, dancer, and a member of the J-pop group AAA AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to: Airports * Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA) * ...

Soulhead Soulhead (known as SOULHEAD in Japan) is a Japanese urban contemporary/ R&B duo consisting of sisters Yoshika Sawayama (よしか) and Tsugumi Sawayama (つぐみ). Both were born in Hokkaidō; Yoshika was born on July 20, 1978 and Tsugumi was bo ...

Soul'd Out Soul'd Out (usually styled as SOUL'd OUT) was a Japanese hip-hop trio, consisting of Diggy-MO' (MC), Bro.Hi (MC/Human Beat Box), and Shinnosuke (DJ). Their name is a portmanteau of "soul" and "sold out", and the group is sometimes referred to by ...

Sphere of Influence In the field of international relations, a sphere of influence (SOI) is a spatial region or concept division over which a state or organization has a level of cultural, economic, military or political exclusivity. While there may be a formal al ...

* Steady & Co. *

Teriyaki Boyz Teriyaki Boyz are a Japanese hip hop group from Yokohama, Japan. History The group consists of Ilmari and Ryo-Z from Rip Slyme, Verbal from M-Flo, rapper Wise and Nigo, the DJ and founder of the popular Japanese streetwear brand A Bathing ...

* Tha Blue Herb *

Uzi The Uzi (; he, עוזי, Ūzi; officially cased as UZI) is a family of Israeli open-bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns and machine pistols first designed by Major Uziel "Uzi" Gal in the late 1940s, shortly after the establishment of the ...

* Verbal * Wise * Ya-kyim * Yurika *

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 ...

DJs and producers

* Cradle *

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 Fo ...

Hiroshi Fujiwara (born 1964) is a Japanese musician, producer, and designer. Life Fujiwara was born in Ise, Mie. He moved to Tokyo at eighteen and became a standout in the Harajuku street fashion scene. During a trip to New York City in the early 1980s he was i ...

DJ Honda DJ Honda is a Japanese record producer and DJ best known for his 1995 self-titled eponymous debut, '' DJ Honda'' (also shortened to '' h''). Biography DJ Honda moved to Tokyo at 17 years old to play in an American influenced rock band called 'T ...

DJ Kentaro Kentaro Okamoto (born c.1982), better known as DJ Kentaro, is a musician and DJ from Japan.''Tuff Kuts'' review, ''The Wire'', 2008, vol. 293-298, p. 70 He won third place in the Technics category of the DMC World DJ Final in 2001 and won it in ...

DJ Krush , better known by his stage name DJ Krush, is a record producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature and extensive use of jazz and soul samples. Early life Ishi was born in ...

* Mihara * DJ Muro *

DJ Okawari DJ Okawari is an independent Japanese DJ, record producer and composer born and based in Shizuoka, Japan. His style mixes instrumental hip hop, nu jazz, and japanese jazz. Piano is an instrumental theme in his music. In his career, he has relea ...

* Nigo *

Nujabes , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, b ...

Silent Poets Silent Poets is a Japanese electronic duo (now solo project). They have released six original albums and more than seven remix albums/EPs until now. Gaining international recognition, Silent Poets has been featured in countless music/fashion mag ...

Uyama Hiroto Uyama Hiroto is a Japanese record producer, DJ, composer, arranger and close collaborator of the late Japanese DJ, record producer, composer and arranger Nujabes. His style of music is a blend of heavy downtempo and ambient-jazz influenced hip- ...

References

{{Music of Japan * Hip hop musicians

Japanese hip hop musicians Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

Rappers and crews

DJs and producers

See also

References