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Japan Beat: Rip Slyme
by Dan Grunebaum
With their joyful "Funkastic" single all over
the radio and MTV this summer, Rip Slyme are riding high amid Japan's
current hip hop boom. But like many of the groups on the scene who seem
to have emerged out of nowhere, the quintet have been perfecting their
act for years.
Formed in 1993 by Ryo Z and Ilmari, the pair began trading rhymes at events
like "Young MCs in Town," filling out their roster with
DJ Fumiya and rappers Su and Pes by 1998. That year also marked the release
of their first album, Talkin' Cheap, quickly followed by their
first participation in high profile unit Dragon Ash's Total Communication
event.
Signed to Warner in 2000, Rip Slyme really began to hit their stride at
a Christmas Day concert that year, selling out Shibuya's Club Asia
in three hours. The past two years have been a whirlwind of activity for
the band, with constant touring capped recently by their receiving awards
for Best New Artist and Best Hip Hop Artist at this May's MTV Video
Music Awards Japan.
"Funkastic," meanwhile, was only the first single in their
just released album, Tokyo Classic. Their first big budget effort, the
album shows what Rip Slyme can do if afforded the means. They've
brought on LA based funk orchestra, Breakestra, and soul singer Alfred
James Ellis for the uproarious leadoff track "Chicken,"
and punched in expensive sounding samples like blues legend Muddy Water's
"Mannish Boy."
The result is a carefree romp that, like much contemporary Japanese hip
hop, owes more to the classic soul and funk of James Brown or War than
it does to the ego driven East and West Coast hip hop schools popular
in North America.
Rip Slyme round out their Tokyo Classic tour with an appearance at the
Rock in Japan festival on August 9, before heading off to Hong Kong, Shanghai
and Beijing. One wonders what the Chinese will make of these Japanese
B boys.
Rip Slyme play the Rock in Japan festival on
August 9. Tokyo Classic is available on Warner Music Japan.
Photo courtesy of Warner
Music Japan
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