DJ KORIN Interview: “ARMAND,” Jetlag, T.U.G. and NEIGHBORS TAPE 2
DJ KORIN is a Hyogo-born, Osaka-based DJ, producer and beatmaker. In this HIPHOPCs interview, he explains how “ARMAND” began with a direct request from Jetlag, why he imagined T.U.G. over a melancholy, pain-centered beat and how the song pointed toward the larger project he was still preparing at the time.
The conversation matters because KORIN does not describe production as a beatmaker imposing a complete world on two rappers. He describes listening in advance: imagining what their voices and words could do, then building a frame strong enough to carry them.
Translation note: This English edition was translated and edited from the original Japanese interview. Repeated editorial interpretation in the Japanese page has been condensed so that DJ KORIN’s own answers remain clearly separated from HIPHOPCs analysis.
Post-interview update, August 21, 2026: The official streaming record now shows “ARMAND (feat. Jetlag & T.U.G.)” as a single released on April 1. DJ KORIN’s album NEIGHBORS TAPE 2 followed on April 15 with 12 tracks, placing “ARMAND” first. The interview below preserves the earlier moment when KORIN could discuss the album’s direction but not yet reveal its full cast or track list.
Who Is DJ KORIN?
HIPHOPCs: Could you begin by introducing yourself?
DJ KORIN: I’m DJ KORIN. I was born in Hyogo Prefecture in 2000, and I work from Osaka as a club DJ, producer and beatmaker.
That combination matters throughout the interview. KORIN speaks as someone who thinks about recorded production and about the physical response a track must create in a room. His repeated language—melancholy, pain and emotional weight—is not a genre label imposed by HIPHOPCs. It is how he describes the center of his own sound.
Where “ARMAND” Sits in DJ KORIN’s Work
HIPHOPCs: What did “ARMAND” represent for you when you made it?
DJ KORIN: “ARMAND” was one of the advance singles for the album. It carries the kind of melancholy, pain-centered texture that I feel is one of my strengths as a producer. Jetlag and T.U.G. brought powerful lyrics to that sound, so the track became especially important to me.
It was more than a song released ahead of the album. My own color as a beatmaker and the force of their rapping fit together properly. That made it an important record inside the project.
The official release page now identifies Jetlag and T.U.G. as lyricists and rappers, with DJ KORIN credited as composer, producer and pianist. Those distribution credits support the division of roles; the private creative chronology remains KORIN’s interview account.
The Starting Point Was a Request From Jetlag
HIPHOPCs: How did “ARMAND” begin?
DJ KORIN: It started when Jetlag said, “I want to make a song with T.U.G., so make us a beat.” That was the beginning.
From there, I thought about what kind of beat would fit those two best. I arrived at the melancholy, pain-centered style that I know well. The initial request was simple, but I kept expanding the image from it.
The order is important. In KORIN’s account, Jetlag did not receive a finished beat and then search for a feature. He first wanted to work with T.U.G.; KORIN then designed the production around the chemistry he imagined between them.
Why Jetlag and T.U.G. Made Sense Together
HIPHOPCs: What did that combination mean to you?
DJ KORIN: As I said, the combination began with Jetlag wanting to make a song with T.U.G. But it was meaningful to me too. I already had an image of how I wanted those two to rap over this kind of atmosphere, and I turned that image into a beat.
When I heard the result, each of them brought out his own intensity and the weight of his words. It became a song that could only have come from this particular pairing.
KORIN’s phrase “turned that image into a beat” is the clearest statement of his method in this interview. He was not only selecting drums or harmony; he was anticipating two voices before the recording existed.
Pain as Space for the Rappers’ Words
HIPHOPCs: What atmosphere did you protect most carefully while producing “ARMAND”?
DJ KORIN: I think the two rappers made the record what it is. I was not deeply involved outside the beat, so when I was producing it, I put a lot of importance on imagining how I wanted them to ride it.
I wanted more than something flashy. I wanted an atmosphere where melancholy and pain would remain. The strength of a pain-centered beat is not simply that it sounds dark or emotional. It can make the words and feelings placed over it reach the listener more forcefully. That was especially important to me.
This is the interview’s central distinction. KORIN does not treat sadness as decoration. He treats the beat as a structure that gives the rappers’ language additional weight.
What T.U.G. Brings to the Beat
HIPHOPCs: What kind of artist is T.U.G. to you, and what did this record reveal?
DJ KORIN: T.U.G. is an artist whose words and intensity are convincing. His presence comes through clearly on this track, and I felt that he answered the beat in a way that went beyond what I had imagined.
For a beatmaker, an artist whose response to a particular texture you can imagine is extremely important. T.U.G. is exactly that kind of artist. This song reminded me of that strength.
The Album DJ KORIN Could Not Yet Fully Reveal
HIPHOPCs: What could you tell us about the album at that stage?
DJ KORIN: There were still details I could not discuss, but I expected it to be filled with the sound and atmosphere that matter to me. “ARMAND” was one part of it. Across the album, I wanted listeners to feel the world of my beats.
I released this song ahead of the project because I thought it represented one side of the album’s atmosphere.
That forecast can now be checked against the finished record. NEIGHBORS TAPE 2 contains 12 tracks and credits DJ KORIN as composer and producer throughout. Its guests include Jetlag, T.U.G., YeLLyGOOD, TO2, Rotzzz, Dodge, DamnBoush, Dali Cardenas, NeS, Yatt, Blasty, B.monkey, NOAH, VelezLotus, haku SaKaGaMi, 3LEEPY, TAIJI, Ably, KENSEI, Tia Liberty, Lit Willy and $carlet. This list comes from the official distribution credits, not from names disclosed in the interview.
Turning the Beatmaker’s Color Into a Complete Record
HIPHOPCs: What ideas or themes were you trying to place inside the album?
DJ KORIN: I did not want simply to line up a group of songs. I wanted to give form to the sound and atmosphere I wanted to make at that moment. In particular, I wanted to bring together melancholy, pain and intensity—the things I feel strongest at—and let people hear them as one project.
I wanted the record to show my color more clearly as a beatmaker.
The completed track list supports that statement without turning it into a claim about private intent. “ARMAND” is one configuration of the method; the remaining songs put different rappers and instrumental choices inside KORIN’s production framework.
Choosing Collaborators for Chemistry, Not a List of Names
HIPHOPCs: What could you say then about the artists involved?
DJ KORIN: I could not reveal the details yet, but artists with their own character and intensity were involved, like Jetlag and T.U.G. on “ARMAND.” The album was not supposed to be a list of names. It brought together people who could create a real reaction with my beats.
That answer sets a useful standard for reading the final credits. A large guest list is visible now, but KORIN’s stated test was not size or fame. It was whether each artist could create a meaningful reaction inside his sound.
What DJ KORIN Wanted Listeners to Hear
HIPHOPCs: What did you most want listeners to receive from “ARMAND” and the album?
DJ KORIN: First, I simply wanted people to listen to the song. I hoped they would feel the atmosphere of the beat, the intensity in Jetlag and T.U.G.’s words and everything we placed inside it.
“ARMAND” brings together the beat texture I know best and the force of those two rappers. I wanted listeners to receive that. And through the album, I wanted them to hear my sound from more angles.
The official release page for “ARMAND” and the finished album now make that request easy to test. The single gives the concentrated thesis; NEIGHBORS TAPE 2 shows how widely KORIN could apply it.
Continue Exploring
- Read the original Japanese interview
- Explore Osaka’s rap geography in English
- Read the Noah Ezra interview
- Explore more HIPHOPCs interviews in English
Official Links
- DJ KORIN official TuneCore Japan profile
- “ARMAND” official release and credits
- NEIGHBORS TAPE 2 official release and credits
- DJ KORIN on Instagram
Editorial note: Interview and original Japanese article by Ito Kotaro. English translation and editing by HIPHOPCs. Official release dates, track count and distribution credits were checked on August 21, 2026. Private conversations, creative chronology and artistic intention remain attributed to DJ KORIN.
