Hiroshima and Chugoku Rap: Five Prefectures, Twelve Main Acts | Rap Atlas

Hiroshima, Okayama, Yamaguchi, Shimane and Tottori do not fit comfortably into a rap history told from one city. In Chugoku, the western region of Japan’s main island, independent labels, local parties and prefectural battle qualifiers have connected artists to audiences well beyond their hometowns.

SKRYU, from Yasugi in Shimane, released his first major-label full-length, The Light (ザ・ライト), through Warner Music Japan on August 5, 2026. His post-release Billboard JAPAN interview discusses the changes in his working environment and music after his major debut; Warner’s release announcement supplies the album details. That is one recent point on the map. It is not where the history begins.

Katsuya Kobayashi, from Fukuyama in Hiroshima, recorded “Uwasa no Come to Hawaii” in 1982. Raijin began performing in Hiroshima in 1994 and formed PSYCHO BLOW in 1998. In the 2000s, the group’s own event ran for a decade. Shimane also has KOWREE’s continuing body of work; Tottori has JAKE and Inaba Records. A gap in easily searchable documentation cannot establish a gap in the scene itself.

Before the recent breakthroughs

Katsuya Kobayashi & The Number One Band’s Momo (1982) contains “Uwasa no Come to Hawaii.” In a later Natalie interview, Kobayashi explains combining English and dialect as he worked out how to rap in Japanese. The track uses Hiroshima dialect and a mixed Japanese idiom modeled on Japanese Americans. It belongs in the history of recordings; it does not, by itself, date the formation of a sustained local scene.

PSYCHO BLOW provides a more continuous record. According to Oricon’s profile, Raijin began working in Hiroshima in 1994 and formed the group with his younger brother ILL SKILL in 1998. They released the vinyl single “Hiroshima Rijo Sanka” in 2007 and THE LUST ALBUM in 2008, establishing KIMERA RECORDS around the same period.

The group’s event, called “HIPHOP,” began in 2000 and continued for ten years. A 2021 club G archive recalls its role for younger local artists. Raijin’s September 2010 post ahead of the final edition also describes giving younger MCs a stage and thanks participants for the decade. These two accounts support the event chronology.

Yamaguchi’s 2-EIGHT began in 2003. Later artist information on TuneCore and manufacturer-supplied copy at HMV describe “Hana” as a hit in Japan’s mobile ringtone market, claiming six consecutive months at No. 1. The underlying independent chart records were not verified for this edition, so that rank and duration remain attributed promotional claims. Separate records document a 2009 homecoming show and the album Senaka at KRY Yamaguchi Broadcasting, and later rap-school work in Hiroshima at Chugoku Shimbun.

club G opened in Nagarekawa, central Hiroshima, on December 1, 2006. Alongside the PSYCHO BLOW event and KIMERA RECORDS, it gives the 2000s history a physical location as well as a catalog of records.

Five prefectures, different connections

Okayama: records and battles

Benizakura (紅桜) began rapping at 16 in 2001 and formed ILL FLAMINGO in 2003, according to his iFLYER profile. The mini-album Holale!! arrived in 2013 and his self-titled first full-length in 2014, following roughly a decade of local activity. His nine-track BACK TO THE HIPHOP followed on August 3, 2026.

His Okayama UMB qualifier wins span 2011, 2013, 2015, 2018 and 2019. Tower Records’ biography covers the first three; the organizer’s 2018 qualifier results name him as the November 18 Okayama winner, and the national bracket records his semifinal appearance, while UMB’s 2019 official video follows that year’s local victory. The later records extend the older profile.

FEIDA-WAN won the qualifier in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2012, reached the national semifinals in 2006, and finished runner-up in 2010. He also represented Okayama at the 2014 and 2020 finals (artist profile; 2014 results; 2020 results). The TOU GEN KYOU frontman runs THE DILLINGERZ FIRM alongside his recording work. His catalog includes the 2025 releases “Big Blessed Already” and “SPELL (feat. RAWAX).”

HIBIKI reached the final of the third High School RAP Championship on March 23, 2013, losing to HIYADAM; SKY PerfecTV’s official final video preserves the match. He later represented Okayama at UMB 2017; MC BATTLE CHANNEL’s profile connects these competition appearances. This guide has not verified that identically named streaming releases belong to him. His inclusion rests on the documented historical route from Okayama to national battles, not an assumed recording catalog.

Tottori: JAKE and Inaba Records

JAKE, from Tottori City, began performing in 2007. Before Tottori had its own qualifier, he went through Shimane to reach UMB’s national stage. He reached the 2015 semifinals and finished runner-up in 2024. His artist profile dates the founding of Inaba Records (因幡レコード) to 2015 and his catalog includes the five-track State of Becoming, jointly credited to NAGA9, JAKE & BoNTCH SWiNGA and released on May 29, 2026. Battles, a local label and continuing releases all belong in this account of Tottori.

Shimane: KOWREE and SKRYU take different paths

Based in Izumo, KOWREE first entered a rap battle in 2008 and won the Shimane UMB qualifier in 2012 (San-in Chuo Shimpo). A June 2026 distributor profile lists five wins: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2019. His first album, Straight Out From Cloud, appeared in 2013. Later work includes KROSS OVER with Koenma (呼煙魔) in 2025 and “Sky’s the Limit” with DJ RIND on June 20, 2026 (Apple Music catalog).

SKRYU’s career crossed a prefectural border early. From Yasugi, he began through the Okaido cypher in Ehime, which he took over from Disry. He won the Ehime UMB qualifier three years running from 2018 and reached the 2020 national semifinals. His Warner Music Japan major debut came in February 2026, followed by The Light in August (Natalie; 2020 UMB results; Warner Music Japan).

SKRYU played the two The Light shows at Pia Arena MM on August 29 and 30, 2026. The first night was titled “PINK” and the second “SEPIA,” with different programs, according to Warner Music Japan’s September 3 concert report.

Hiroshima in the 2020s: leaving, returning and staying

ACE COOL, JAKEN and 5Leaf illustrate different choices of base. ACE COOL left Kure for Tokyo in 2013. GUNJO (2020) drew on his life and memories of Kure (THE MAGAZINE). He followed it with Meian (明暗) on May 29, 2024; its official release notes describe the album, in his own account, as a personal exploration of happiness. His March 25, 2026 single “Nakatani,” over a C.O.S.A. beat, connects his ambition to boxer Junto Nakatani’s pursuit of world titles (Natalie).

JAKEN, from Hatsukaichi, moved to Osaka at 18. “Seaside Flow,” released through the YouTube channel 03 Performance in 2023, widened his audience. After PUSHIN J (2024) and SEA SIDE LAND (2025), he moved his base and studio back to Hiroshima (THE MAGAZINE interview). His official release page lists the two-track Cartie Yori mo (Cartieよりも) on March 29, 2026. HIPHOPCs has also covered his appearance on “DIRTY Seaside Flow” (Japanese).

5Leaf, also from Kure, debuted with “Way of Life” in September 2023 and released the first album bud and EP En in 2025. Shibuya WWW’s event page lists the January 24, 2026 solo show and same-day tickets; the later artist profile records that first solo performance as having taken place. This guide does not add attendance figures or performance details without a post-event source. “JIMOTO” followed on August 5, 2026, while Hiroshima remained the artist’s base for living and making music.

These choices have precedents in the area’s local events and independent labels, without implying a direct line of mentorship in every case. What has changed is the range of ways a record or performance can travel: physical releases, mobile downloads, battle broadcasts, YouTube and major-label distribution overlap.

Yamaguchi: BUPPON’s album-by-album route

BUPPON debuted with the independent vinyl release “SYNCHRONICITY” through THE AXIS RECORDS in 2008, followed by Chikuseki Time Lag (蓄積タイムラグ, 2011), LIFE (2017) and enDroll (2019), according to an Asahi interview. KOJOE served as overall producer on enDroll. His current TuneCore profile instead dates the first recording to 2009. This guide uses the 2008 date in the independent interview while retaining the discrepancy. The catalog also lists the nine-track Scent (Instrumentals) with ZIN and KOJOE on August 4, 2026.

Selected timeline, 1982–2026

Sources and qualifications appear in the sections above. The timeline records the selected acts, not the beginning and end of rap in the region.

Twelve main acts

The list follows the earliest activity, recording or competition established in this edition. Same-year order carries no value judgment. PSYCHO BLOW, 2-EIGHT and HIBIKI are included through the historical-role criterion supported by multiple sources. The other nine entries meet the criterion requiring official streaming releases together with verifiable mentions, appearances or chart achievements in national media, including specialist media.

• PSYCHO BLOW — Hiroshima: independent events, records and KIMERA RECORDS.
• Benizakura — Okayama: local performance, national battles and a continuing recording catalog.
• 2-EIGHT — Yamaguchi/Hiroshima: mobile-era distribution, local performances and rap education.
• FEIDA-WAN — Okayama: battles, recordings and THE DILLINGERZ FIRM.
• JAKE — Tottori: neighboring-prefecture qualifiers, national performances and Inaba Records.
• BUPPON — Yamaguchi: an independent-label career built across successive albums.
• KOWREE — Shimane: local battles, albums and collaborations with producers elsewhere.
• HIBIKI — Okayama: documented national battle appearances; identity matching to a streaming catalog remains unverified.
• ACE COOL — Hiroshima: memories of Kure carried into records made after moving to Tokyo.
• SKRYU — Shimane: a cross-prefecture cypher and battle career leading to major-label releases.
• JAKEN — Hiroshima: returning from Osaka to a Hiroshima recording base.
• 5Leaf — Hiroshima: recordings and wider live opportunities while based in the prefecture.

An emerging act: Supergirl MEI

Supergirl MEI (超少女MEI) is a junior-high-school rapper living in Fuchu town, Hiroshima Prefecture. She released “FIRE” on January 17, 2026. Performing with her father as Supergirl MEI & DJ DADA, she won the grand prize at the Hiroshima Flower Festival live-music contest on May 4, 2026 (Chugoku Shimbun; organizer’s results). The recent release and competition result support her inclusion in the emerging-act section.

Place does not dictate subject matter

Hiroshima’s international associations do not determine what its rappers write about. HIPHOPCs’ Japanese article on Moment Joon’s “WAR” examines an explicitly Hiroshima-related work. ACE COOL’s GUNJO, by contrast, draws on personal memories of Kure. JAKEN’s return concerns a working environment in Hatsukaichi; 5Leaf writes from her own life. PSYCHO BLOW names the city in “Hiroshima Rijo Sanka,” but that does not make its subject a compulsory theme for every generation.

Birthplace supplies context. It does not settle the meaning of a record before a listener hears it.

Inclusion, sources and corrections

Main entries require either an official streaming release together with verifiable mentions, appearances or chart achievements in national media, including specialist media, or a historical role in the regional scene supported by multiple independent sources. Emerging entries require a release within the preceding 24 months and at least one media feature, competition or festival appearance. The Japanese edition applies these rules to twelve main entries and one emerging entry. First-party profiles and independent reporting are identified separately in the text.

Placement and order are not sold. Missing facts about origins, criminal matters, records or sales are not supplied by inference. Submit a correction or proposed addition through the contact form; see the full Rap Atlas criteria and regional index.

The Japanese article’s baseline research dates to August 24, 2026. Targeted checks on September 21 covered Supergirl MEI’s release and contest credit, the joint credit for State of Becoming, UMB qualifier and national results, Warner’s post-event report confirming SKRYU’s August shows, and the official release notes for ACE COOL’s Meian. FEIDA-WAN’s 2014 national appearance is supported; a qualifier win that year is not asserted. The 2-EIGHT chart figures, BUPPON debut-date discrepancy and HIBIKI streaming-identity limit remain qualified above. Most linked sources are in Japanese.

Further reading

• More regions in Japan Rap Atlas
• HIPHOPCs interview with Benizakura and DJ KAJI (Japanese)
• POP YOURS 2026 lineup and timetable analysis (Japanese)
• BATTLE SUMMIT III on-site report (Japanese)