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Japan Beat:
Kick The Can Crew
How many rappers rhyme from inside a toilet bowl? This three-piece hip
hop crew does in an attention-grabbing video for their debut major release,
Vitalizer (east west japan). Not only that, but as they rap, a woman approaches
and proceeds to rain a stream of piss down on them.
This mildly shocking video was not the only thing that caught my notice.
Tokyo-based Kick The Can Crew, as heard on
Vitalizer, have some of the supplest rhymes around, and a diverse collection
of beats and samples that keeps things moving nicely along through the
14 songs on the album.
Kicking off with the funky guitar pattern of "The Theme of 'Kick',"
Vitalizer travels through the mellow, bedroom vibes of "Oneway"
and on to the nostalgic funk samples of "Watchaname?" with stops
at gangsta, electro and even bossa nova along the way.
While it's hard for a non-native speaker to fathom exactly what they're
going on about, one gets the feeling their lyrics would strike a chord
with any Tokyo teenager living in a cramped six-mat room at their folks'
place in the suburbs.
And well they should, for the trio of Kreva, MCU and Little (Japan's "littlest
rapper") still live out in the Tokyo 'burbs, hitting the downtown
clubs on weekends to deliver their material to packed hip hop spots like
Bed in Ikebukuro and Izm in Shinjuku.
Formed in 1998, Kick The Can Crew quickly gained street cred among Japan's
B-boy tribes, with Kreva taking top prize at Japan's MC Battle three years
running. A succession of singles and songs written for film and television
followed, leading to the band's signing with Warner/east west for Vitalizer.
Vitalizer is available on east west japan. Kick The Can Crew play Shibuya
AX Mar 16 and Shibuya Kokkaido May 3. They also can be experienced live
the first Saturday of every month at Ikebukuro Bed, every third Saturday
at Shibuya Family, and every third Thursday at Shinjuku Izm. They will
also appear on the Spaceshower TV Music Video Awards Mar 25, 7-9pm. Info:
www.kickthecancrew.com (Japanese)
Image: East West Japan
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