-What did you want to be when you were little?

There were many things I was interested in… cooking, cutting hair, etc. But I mostly liked to fight. I imagined I’d become a legendary fighter one day. I connected with kids from various schools on the Internet and trained with my friends to fight them lol.

-Wow, you already had your fighter mentality since then! How did you spend your days in junior high before you got into Hip Hop?

As soon as I entered junior high school I quit baseball and started martial arts. Around the same time I got a motorcycle and started experimenting with drugs. I was heading in the wrong direction.

-Did you have a desire to be bad?

My father had a bad side to him, and I thought that if I become like him I would earn respect. I wanted him apologize to my mother for what he did. But the deeper I went into that world I didn’t like that I was just known as “his son.” Then I heard D.O’s “Poetry of the Criminal” and realized there was a different path for me.

-So you’d been looking for a way to make a name for yourself that could surpass your father’s, and it happened to be Hip Hop.

I never studied in school and all I thought about was fighting, music wasn’t on my radar at all. But once I heard D.O.’s song I realized this could be better way to make my name known throughout the country.

-You got to know the D.O's song from your peers, right?

That's right. My older friends liked D.O. and when they let me hear him I thought it was crazy dope. Listening to it I thought I had real life experiences that were more intense than what he had put into the song.

-Is that when you decided to become a rapper?

I wasn’t serious about it first, but I knew there was a battle coming up at the high school that I could enter. I started imitating songs I knew and then writing my own lyrics to them. My friends and I all started rapping together. It was pretty bad at the time, but that’s how it started.

-You did your first show when you were in the 9th grade. What kind of event was it and how did it happen?

I was rapping with my friends in the park and some older B-boys came into our circle and invited me to the cyphers they were doing. I wanted to get better so I joined them. Then one day they invited me to come along with them to their show and that was my first performance. It was at Sengoku President in Midoribashi, Osaka.

-Were you nervous?

Yes, very.

-So you started doing more shows after that?

Yeah. That place was like Osaka's super underground club with usually only about older guys come along. I took about 30 people to the first show and they were like, “You're crazy” lol. At first I was opening, but gradually become the headliner.

-That’s so cool to be able to that so young. Who was the most influential artist to you at that time?

D.O.  Since I've been on this path I realized that a lot of the street guys can’t really rap. It’s difficult to get the rhythm. But even though D.O is really from the streets, he has skills. He influenced me a lot.

-Soon after, you entered the high school rap battle. What was your mind state like at that point?

I had challenged myself to make my name known throughout the country. When I first entered, I just wanted the audience to get familiar with me and I ended up in the top four. But the next time I went out, I lost in the first round, so I really psyched myself up for the next one, saying I would quit if I didn’t do well.

-And you finally won the 4th time. How did that feel?

I was in a situation where I felt like I had to win, so I did what I had to do and wasn’t overly excited about winning. It felt like the work had paid off. However I am very grateful because I was able to make my name from this battle. I didn't go to high school, so this was like my education and I enjoyed it.

-What did you do after you won?

I wasn't interested in battling anymore. I wanted to put more effort into song production. I bought some beats and SHIMOTAKU and I started recording songs.

-What was the song that was your big turning point?

I think it's "POCKET".

-How did "POCKET" happen?

At that time I was writing the way I wanted to. One day Blackie of the KUSARI GROUP told me that it would be interesting to do a song with OVER KILL. We went into the studio together and made the song.

-The "POCKET" and "THUG LIFE," videos have pretty strong imagery. How did you decide on the concept?

I came up with some ideas with the director and cinematographer that we thought would be interesting. We got good feedback form people which made me happy.

-I would like to ask you about the double albums "LIVING" and "LEGEND" that were released last summer. What kind of feedback did you get?

I got a better reaction than I expected from people in the music industry. Before releasing these albums, I felt that people didn’t take me seriously because I was young. These albums changed that perception and it became easier to do work. I guess earned respect by doing songs with the legends.

-So the legends were open to working with you?

Yes, everyone was down to work. I was supervised, because in that position they easily could have said no to someone so young. I’m honored to be recognized by the people that influenced me.

-I’ve heard that you lost 24 pounds during the production, was that because of pressure?

Not really pressure, it was more my intense focus. My routine was off balance so I wasn’t eating regularly or going to the gym. I was just concentrating on the writing. After the production was finished I got back on track.

-What did you learn from the legends?

They had the amazing ability to put together great verses in such a short amount of time. That was very impressive to see. I understand why they’ve been at top of the game for so long. The reggae artists were masters at dropping a verse in one take.

-Are there any particularly memorable events?

Working with ANARCHY was so cool. We bounced some ideas off each other and he recorded 4 or 5 ideas in under an hour. I felt defeated after seeing his level lol. Other artists had the ability to change their style to match the flow of the record. That takes skill, so it was inspiring to see.

-You have your solo shows coming soon. How do you feel about it?

I did my first solo tour two years ago. I was supposed to go to five cities on another tour the following year, but it was postponed and eventually canceled because of pandemic. It looks like it will finally happen this time and I’m really excited. I wanna perform the new material.

-What do you want your fans to expect?

I want them to be aware of what I’m trying to convey. If you pay attention, you will feel it more than just see or hear it.

-How do you think you have grown up, looking back on your success so far?

I think I’ve grown as a person. My mind is made up in some ways, but I have a wider point of view now. Also, I’m better at controlling my emotions.

-Can you be more specific about how you grew as a person?

When I first started to rap, I thought I could do it while keeping one foot in the street. I soon realized that was not realistic. I would say my turning point was when I won the high school rap battle at the age of 15. My thoughts of ​​what was cool changed drastically after that, so I think I've grown tremendously since that point.

-What is the best event that’s happened in your career so far?

Making songs with D.O and ANARCHY and other legends for the album was a dream come true. It’s so dope to work with them and see their energy.

-Have you ever felt any failures?

No failures, but the hardest time in my life was when my name was getting out there after the rap battle. I became well known but didn’t any have money.  When you have the respect of winning a battle like that, you can't go back to doing a regular part-time job. It might be hard to understand, but people will think of me like a loser. In reality teenagers shouldn't have much money, but the perception was that I was rich. It created an internal conflict, but looking back I think I did ok.

-So what do you value most when you write songs?

Honesty.

-I have the impression that you’re very straightforward. Like the type of person who can’t lie in general?

When I say something I do consider the place and the timing, but I'll always be straight up. No matter what people think is cool, if I don't think so, then it's not. I think somebody has to tell the truth. It's okay to follow others, but it’s important to realize if you follow because someone else thinks it’s cool or if you really think so. I speak carefully, but I always say what I really think.

-How do you think the Hip Hop scene in Japan has changed in the past five years?

In the past there wasn’t that much of a scene yet. Now it seems that the Hip Hop scene is gradually being formed. However, I think the values ​​and ways of thinking about Hip Hop are going different directions.

-What do you mean?

First off, there’s not much of a street element in Hip Hop here. It's kinda shocking to me. Right now we have a lot of nerds who are passionate fans, and that’s not Hip Hop to me. Originally Hip Hop was born in the States because of discrimination and poverty. Japan doesn’t have the same levels of disparities, but it is a suicide powerhouse and there are many internal problems. Those are issues that can be expressed in Hip Hop. Yes, the culture came from overseas but we can represent the Japanese way, not just imitate the US Style. That's my definition of Hip Hop. I don't think there’s the spirit now.

-What do you think needs to be changed?

My thoughts are a little biased, and maybe it would be difficult to reach outside of Japan with my internal approach. It might not be a great business move, but we shouldn’t forget who we are as a culture.

-By the way, I’ve heard you always follow news and economics.

I always check the news on my phone to see what is happening in the world or whether a law is likely to be decided. Most of it disgusts me though.

-So how would you describe your musical style in one word?

Lifestyle.

-What is your own favorite lyric?

That’s difficult. I can't narrow down to one, so I’ll pass.

-Which music video of yours is your favorite and why?

"Dear Family" and the "POCKET" remix I did with D.O and Jin Dogg. “Dear Family” is a song I wrote for my best friend who was in jail at that time. I didn’t have much money for the production and SHIMOTAKU helped me come up with some concepts to make it look good. With “POCKET” I was able to express myself the way I wanted to.

-You have a unique fashion style. Are there any people who you are influenced by?

Not at all. D.O's influence was big, but I don't want to look like someone else, so I don’t have any role models. I just do what feels good.

-What’s the word you use most these days?

The word "孤高(Kokoo, meaning alone) describes me lately.

-What kind of person do you think you are?

I think I’m loner.

-Do you feel a gap between what you think and the others think about yourself?

I don’t think I’m as mature as people think I am.

-What is your strength that you think is second to none?

Absolute confidence. Other people might wonder where does such self-confidence come from, and honestly I don't know either. I won’t fight if I don’t truly think I can win. So I would probably retire from rap if I believed there was someone out there who could beat me.  No one can do what I do better than me.

-Who do you respect?

SHINGO☆Nishinari, SHIMOTAKU, and the WAKA from 420 RECORDZ. They all go with their heart and sacrifice themselves for other people. I like the sprit of ​​Bushido and Ninkyo, and I respect those who have that mindset.

-Tell us the funniest thing that has happened to you or around you recently.

My grandma begged me to come to the temple with her. I got on the train with her for the first time in three years. On the train she was hit on by some random guy lol. I was sitting next to her, but the man didn't think I was her grandson. Once he noticed me, he left lol.

-Who would you like to collaborate with in the near future?

BACHLOGIC and ZORN. I want to work with cool people who are doing Japanese rap style in the same style as me.

-Are there any countries or places you would like to live in the future?

I want to live abroad. Maybe go to China to see what’s there, but I wanna live in a dope city in the States or Europe. But I don’t know them well enough yet so I'd like to see more and think about it.

-Please tell us your dreams and goals that you would like to achieve.

Mark my words, I will be the youngest rapper ever to headline a show at Budokan. I can already visualize it in my head so I will make it happen. I’m gonna move to Tokyo soon, build a successful foundation there and then go abroad.

-Last question, what does hip hop mean to you?

It's a way of life, and I think it's an ideology. My mentality has changed a lot in the last five years and it will continue to change. I would like for everyone to see my way of life and follow me as I continue to grow.