Lucky number 7 has come and gone, and the best way to say goodbye to the old and hello to the new is to do one last recollection.

Most Played-Out Song of 2007

Sure, there was plenty on the pop side (”Get Freaky!”) and even in enka (”Sen no Kaze ni Natte” anyone?), but there was one particular song that captured the ears and hearts of many, while others screamed “AGAIN!?” everytime it came on. I was the latter.

SoulJa - Koko ni Iru yo (feat. Aoyama Thelma)

Okay, so maybe it was bearable the first hundred times, but the catchy chorus sung by Aoyama Thelma slowly became more and more annoying as time went on, and SoulJa’s whisper-rapping didn’t help. But then Thelma released “Soba ni Iru ne” which just happened to feature SoulJa and have the same hook! Are you kidding me?

Best Holiday Song of 2007

Fresh new Japanese holiday songs were as scarce as a good-tasting fruit cake this year, but we still had a couple good ones. Among the many cover albums that came out this holiday season, Full of Harmony and Exile’s winter songs stood out the most, but since I have to pick one, it’s gotta be Exile.

Exile - I Believe

“Ima sugu ni dakishimete…” If that line didn’t get stuck in your head after hearing Exile’s R&B winter song, then I don’t know what will. “I Believe” had just enough winter and season references to count as a song for the holidays, but was centered more around love than anything else, making it suitable for the winter months after Christmas as well.

Breakthrough Artist of 2007

Many artists made their stake in the Japanese Urban music industry in 2007, but few did it like this woman. As much as I’d love to give this title to Foxxi MisQ, nobody did it like Thelma.

Aoyama Thelma

She went from being totally unknown to being one of R&B’s biggest names without even releasing an album. Starting with her collaboration with DS455, “Summer Paradise,” her catchy hooks and beautiful voice pushed just about any song with her in it to the top. After finally releasing her first single, “One Way,” she appeared on SoulJa’s “Koko ni Iru yo,” and then released her own re-hash of it, “Soba ni Iru ne.”

Comeback Artist of 2007

On the pop side, it’d be hard to not give this title to the Brilliant Green, but as far as urban music goes, ISSA was definitely in the running with his single “Chosen Soldier,” but after a three year lull, Japan’s Wu-Tang came back with a new album.

Nitro Microphone Underground

2007 was NMU’s year. A new album, entitled “Special Force,” was released in November, along with their own Nike Air Force Ones, and one of the best selling Hip-Hop DVDs of the year.
Hottest R&B Album of 2007

This is totally my opinion, but I think it’s hard to disagree with. Other R&B singers came out with good albums this year, including Juju, Kato Miliyah, and May J, but this girl’s great singles “Not Over” and ‘Next Door” were just precursors to the awesome album that she released in November.

Aria - The Jukebox

Combine a beautiful voice with solid production and almost as many collaborations as an M-Flo album, and you’ve got The Jukebox.
Hottest Hip-Hop/Rap Album of 2007

Well, there were a ton of awesome albums to choose from, including Dabo’s “Baby Mario World Vol.1,” Zeebra’s “World of Music,” NMU’s “Special Force,” and Kreva’s “Yoroshiku Onegaishimasu,” but none achieved the level of Hip-Hop greatness that this album did, in my opinion.

Big-O and DJ Watarai - Straight to Next Door

DJ Watarai and Big-O on every single track? It was clear that the album was going to be hot, and it received more hype and publicity than I have seen for a Hip-Hop album in a while. Throw in a couple NMU members, some other really good but not well known Japanese MCs, and the always enjoyable Lupe Fiasco, and you’ve got an album full of listening pleasure.

Male Artist that Owned 2007

I didn’t want to call it “the best” male artist of 2007, because that’s all about opinion, but there’s no denying this guy was in charge of the charts all year long.

Kreva

That’s right. His crossover R&B/Hip-Hop/Pop vibe took the oricon charts by storm this year, with a ton of singles that broke through the top 50 and a couple that claimed spots in the top 10. With his first mix album in March and his third full solo album in September, Kreva was on fire all year long.

Female Artist that Owned 2007

This woman went from topping the charts with her candy pop to doing the same thing with her stylish “Hip-Pop,” of which she is definitely the queen. In almost every store I walked into while in Tokyo, they were playing either Koda Kumi, or this girl’s new album. Who else could it be?

Amuro Namie

“Baby Don’t Cry,” “Can’t Sleep, Can’t Eat, I’m Sick,” “Funky Town,” and “Hide & Seek” claimed top spots on the charts all year long, while other tracks from her new album, “PLAY,” were used all over the place, including in the Japanese versions of the movie “Sin City” and the TV series “Prison Break.” Not only is she the queen of Hip-Pop, she’s the queen of 2007.

I hope you enjoyed my recap of 2007, and let’s all hope 2008 is as good to the Japanese Urban Music community as ‘07 was! If you’ve got comments, questions, or maybe want to add/replace some of my choices, just leave a comment!

Seeda has been a busy guy. Not only has he kept up his Concrete Green projects with DJ Isso, but he’s been releasing albums like crazy. Just one year ago he released the highly acclaimed “Hana to Ame,” then he followed up with his first major debut album, “Machikaze,” and now he’s got another album coming out in late January, entitled “Heaven.” Perhaps Seeda is capitalizing on one of Koda Kumi’s methods for gaining fans — release as much as possible in a short amount of time.

Seeda is hardly new to the rap game. He’s been releasing albums since 1999, then under the moniker “Shida da Shadi,” and joined the group SCARS, after an impressive showing at 2000’s B-Boy Park MC Battle. His bilingual rhyme style has gained him many fans, both Japanese and foreign alike. After his release of “Hana to Ame,” he started popping up as a featured artist on many different albums, including Dabo’s “Baby Mario World.” Now, with his own official website and major debut album out, Seeda’s popularity is higher than ever. It’s no surprise that he wants to capitalize on it.

If you count next month’s release, Seeda will have six album releases in just 13 months; three Concrete Green albums and three solo albums. That’s not counting the three albums he’s been featured on this year: Dabo’s “Baby Mario World,” Sac’s “Feel or Beef,” and Aria’s “The Jukebox.” It’s a wonder the guy hasn’t ran out of material.

Seeda’s “Machikaze” was well received by Japanese Hip-Hop fans and currently has an average costumer rating of 88 on HMV’s site. However, the album didn’t have the emotion that filled many of the tracks in “Hana to Ame”, something that Seeda excels at incorporating in his rhymes. Perhaps “Heaven” will show off the softer side of Seeda. Instead of working with a plethora of different producers, like on Machikaze, he’s sticking to the two producers that have done him so well through his rap career — Bach Logic and I-Dea.

Seeda has burst out from the underground scene to challenge the best of mainstream Hip-Hop. Do you think he’s got the skills to take it on? What do you think of Machikaze, and how hyped are you for Heaven? Tell me what you think!

Sources:
www.hmv.co.jp
www.yesasia.com
www.wikipedia.org
seeda.tv

Bach Logic. If you’re a die-hard fan of Japanese Hip-Hop, or Hip-Hop in general, then you’ll probably recognize the name, however casual fans may not know of this mega producer. He has produced, mixed, and remixed for the best, and now he’s working with R&B superstars Exile. The combination can only lead to great things.

Bach Logic is sort of a Hip-Hop renaissance man. He is responsible for the creation of Doberman Inc and arguably the recent highly anticipated major debut of Seeda, who’s previous album was produced entirely by BL. He has produced tracks for everybody from Anarchy to Zeebra, and is one of the single most influential individuals in the Osaka Hip-Hop industry. He has even done remixes of some of America’s Hip-Hop and R&B greats, including Jay-Z and Akon. He not only produces, he has recently started to spit his own rhymes on tracks side by side with high caliber emcees, including Seeda, Bay4K, and Doberman Inc. Yet, producers remain the unsung heroes of the music industry; their songs are forever immortalized on albums without others even knowing it is their personal work of art.
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Fashion Designing star Yamamoto Yohji and Adidas have teamed up to make Y-3, a brand of clothing that combines Adidas’ street sensiblility with Yamamoto’s elegance and style. The project was started in 2003, but it coming to full fruition now, as celebrities worldwide are supporting it.

Yamamoto Yohji was born in Yokohama in 1943. 25 years later he graduated from Bunka Fashion college and started his own fashion line. In the mid-80s, Yamamoto, Kawakubo Rei, and Miyake Issei made Tokyo into the fashion capital of Asia, as it is today. Yamamoto has long been a star in the international fashion world, but if you’re as out of touch with that as I am, you may know him for his costume designs in Kitano Takeshi’s Brother, Dolls, and Zatoichi. He often works with Kitano, along with many other directors, both Japanese and not. His latest costume work was on Kitano Takeshi’s “Takeshis’” in 2005. His Y’s line has outlets all over the world, including Belgium, France, Italy, Hong Kong, and the USA.
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Janet Jackson, Destiny’s Child, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, and many other leading ladies of music have pioneered a style of R&B and Hip-Hop which some call “Diva Music.” This style has been a staple in the American music industry for decades now, but it is just finally making it’s way to the land of the rising sun. New artists like May J, Foxxi MisQ, Kato Miliyah, and Aria are building the bridge for “diva” music to enter Japan.

December seems to be the month of the diva, because May J and Aria both have new highly anticipated albums out, while other female artists are breaking into this genre with new singles.

May J, who just released her single “Do Tha’ Do Tha,” started her career out as a pop singer with the single, “All My Girls,” but the mini-album that was released with the song showed May J’s true colors, as most of the album consisted of R&B and Hip-Hop. May J, who has worked with Verbal, Ken-U, Zeebra, Rhymester, and many others, is looking to push R&B to the top of charts with her new album, Baby Girl.
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No Japanese company has taken the world by storm like BAPE and its playful Hip-Hop clothes. Nigo’s company, which started in 1993, already has shops in many of the world’s major cities, including New York, London, Los Angeles, and, of course, Tokyo. But Nigo doesn’t plan to stop there. “BAPE is a lifestyle company, including music, hair, even food. Everything you need to live,” says the fashion guru. He has already started his spread of the brand with a record label, a salon, and even a cafe, but Nigo has more in store for his Planet of the Apes inspired brand.
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Doberman Inc is known as one of Japan’s top Hip-Hop groups, but can they make it in the urban fashion world? Well, that’s what they are out to do with “Domain,” their new line of urban clothing.

In case you haven’t heard of them, Doberman Inc is a group of emcees that was formed with the help of big time producer Bach Logic in 2000. Bach Logic has worked with many artists before and after the group’s formation, including Seeda, Exile, and Sowelu, and has done remixes for many other stars, but he produces almost all of Doberman Inc’s material. The group consisted of five members until December of last year when MAB left the group, leaving Tomogen, Kubo-C, GS, and P-Cho. In August, they released a “Best of” album entitled The Best ~ Time 4 Some Action that also includes three new tracks, Brand New Day, Hypnotic (feat. Jay’ed), and a different version of Exile, Sowelu, and Doberman Inc’s collaboration, 24 Karats, that focuses on the four-man emcee group.

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Nitro Microphone Underground has just released their third album, Special Force, in tandem with their special edition Nike Air Force Ones on November 7th. The Hip-Hop mega-group and worldwide sportswear dealer are working together to promote the 25th anniversary of Nike’s Air Force One line of shoes.

NMU, dubbed by some as Japan’s Wu-Tang Clan, consists of many of Japan’s Hip-Hop heavyweights, including Dabo, Deli, Big-Z, Gore-Tex, Macka-Chin, Suiken, S-Word, and XBS. Their 100% rap style has been pleasing Hip-Hop fan’s ears since 2000, and their latest album is sure to live up to expectations. Some of Japan’s best producers have helped the group on this one too, including Jhett aka Yakko for Aquarius, DJ Watarai, Muro, Starwax, and Kashi da Handsome.

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SoulJa’s Koko ni iru yo with Aoyama Thelma has been topping the Oricon charts for almost a month now and has shown up everywhere from commericials to music shows, but will SoulJa be forever remembered as a one-hit wonder or will he become an overnight Hip-Hop superstar?

The singer, songwriter, and rapper known as SoulJa has little to give in experience on the mainstream music scene. He is an extremely new artist under Universal’s Nayutawave Records label, along with big names in the J-Urban community like Dohzi-T and ET-King, as well as J-Pop stars Mihimaru GT, TOKIO, and Spits. He’s so new that information on him, even on Japanese websites, is hard to find. His official website, http://www.soulja.jp, does have limited information about the artist. It is known that his mother is from Belgium, which explains his strikingly non-Japanese facial features, and that he is 24 years old, just recently celebrating his birthday six days ago (11/01).

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