Masato Hayashi: Hachioji, Pablo Blasta and the Road to Iconic
Masato Hayashi is a hip-hop artist from Hachioji, Tokyo. He previously worked as Blasta, Pablo Blasta and Yomi before beginning his current chapter under the name Masato Hayashi in 2021. He finished runner-up on RAPSTAR 2025 and released the album Iconic in September 2026. This profile brings together his official biography, ABEMA’s announcement and HIPHOPCs’ own interview with him.
In that conversation, the recurring problem was how to keep making music while keeping a life going: recording around work and childcare, entering a competition he had hesitated to join, and learning to trust an audience with his songs. Following the changes in his recording name also reveals changes in what he needed music to do.
Read the original HIPHOPCs interview with Masato Hayashi (Japanese)
At a glance
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| Artist | Masato Hayashi |
| Hometown | Hachioji, Tokyo, as stated in his official biography |
| Earlier recording names | Blasta, Pablo Blasta, Yomi |
| Current name | In use since 2021 |
| Starting points | “やるしかねえ,” “Ain’t No Love,” and Iconic |
| Recent feature | DJ TATSUKI’s “地元どこ (Jimoto Doko),” featuring Masato Hayashi and Jin Dogg |
The earlier names are discussed in our interview. His hometown and 2021 restart appear in his official biography; the DJ TATSUKI collaboration is documented in the release credits.
Hachioji, Blasta and the first return to rap
Hayashi told HIPHOPCs that a friend introduced him to King Giddra’s “公開処刑” (Kōkai Shokei), one of his gateways into hip-hop. A senior acquaintance initially invited him to act as a DJ. Watching a recording session, he decided he wanted to record too. A friend who made beats helped supply the music for that first song. The account appears in the original Japanese interview.
His early work as Blasta preceded a period away from rap. The 2017 start in the official biography refers specifically to his activity as Pablo Blasta. “Tokyo Young OG” and features on DJ CHARI & DJ TATSUKI’s records helped introduce that name to listeners. Official biography
In our interview, Hayashi recalled writing “Tokyo Young OG” when he thought he might no longer be able to continue rapping. He found he still enjoyed writing. Friends encouraged him to release the song; DJs helped circulate it, and a video followed. His return involved both making another record and people around him helping that record reach an audience. Hayashi’s recollection
From Pablo Blasta through Yomi to Masato Hayashi
His official biography dates the hiatus to 2019 and the restart under his current name to 2021. In between, he used Yomi. He described that name to HIPHOPCs as belonging to the interval between leaving Pablo Blasta behind and becoming someone new. The name change in his own account
He also described making music after his child had gone to sleep, fitting it around work and childcare. As work and childcare replaced going out, he thought his lyrics became more introspective. That is his retrospective explanation of the change, and it gives the change of name a setting beyond a date on a timeline.
Issue, released on April 27, 2022, includes “やるしかねえ” featuring ELIONE and CHICO CARLITO. He subsequently released 1 and MELANISM. The distribution pages provide track lists and contributor credits for Issue, 1 and MELANISM.
RAPSTAR 2025: a chance to continue
Hayashi described his application to RAPSTAR 2025 as carrying two conflicting hopes: he wanted to advance, but rejection might also let him draw a line under rap. He reached the final and finished runner-up. His account of applying can be read alongside ABEMA’s confirmation of the result.
For listeners arriving through the competition, “HIROYUKI” and “Ain’t No Love” are useful starting points. “HIROYUKI,” composed by ineedmorebux, was released as a recording on January 28, 2026. ABEMA HIPHOP also publishes his final-stage performance of “Ain’t No Love.” ABEMA’s release announcement · Official final-stage video
Our interview goes into the uncertainty behind choosing beats and making decisions within the competition’s limited recording time. It offers a route from the result to the person making those songs.
Iconic and learning to trust the audience
Iconic was released on September 2, 2026, with 19 tracks. Its track list includes “Lowlife” featuring Kohjiya, “紙とペンと俺とお前,” and songs performed during RAPSTAR. The official distribution page lists each recording and its credits.
Hayashi told HIPHOPCs that he does not begin every album with a fixed concept. He described Iconic as a record through which listeners could see him during that particular period. His comparison was to people talking on the street: finding an engaging way to tell someone what has happened or what they have heard. Changes and contradictions between albums could reveal changes in the person making them. The original conversation about Iconic
Looking back on his Tokyo solo show, he said that trusting his listeners had made it possible to hand parts of a song over to them. It is an account of the present relationship between artist and audience, beyond the story of an artist repeatedly starting again.
Where to start listening
- “やるしかねえ,” featuring ELIONE and CHICO CARLITO: an entry into his early work under the current name, available on Issue.
- “Ain’t No Love”: performed in the RAPSTAR 2025 final and available in ABEMA HIPHOP’s official live video.
- Iconic: listen across the 19-track album and return to his account of the period it documents.
- DJ TATSUKI’s “地元どこ (Jimoto Doko),” featuring Masato Hayashi and Jin Dogg: released on October 25, 2026, this collaboration places him alongside another rapper responding to the same hometown theme. Single and credits
Continue with the interview and the regional guide
HIPHOPCs’ full interview (Japanese) was conducted and written by Lucie, with YTG/Sam participating. This English profile draws on that published conversation and the linked official sources. It is not a separate interview; Japanese statements above are paraphrased in English.
The Tokyo Rap Atlas in English places individual careers within Tokyo’s smaller local geographies. Hachioji is a city in the southwestern part of the metropolis, outside its central wards; its location is explained by the municipal government.
For a closer reading of the collaboration, see our Weekly J-RAP article on “Jimoto Doko”, following how Hayashi and Jin Dogg connect their hometowns with trust and responsibility to other people.
For updates, use Masato Hayashi’s official website, Instagram and YouTube.
Sources checked November 8, 2026. Personal recollections are attributed to Hayashi; release dates and contributor roles are taken from the linked release information.
Photo: Suguru Tanaka. Photograph used in HIPHOPCs’ original interview with Masato Hayashi.
