Weekly J-RAP Songs
Reading Filix Wang’s “Hip-hop Ain’t Poppin’”: A Two-Minute Track That Says Nobody Wants Three-Minute Songs
Hip-Hop ChartsFilix Wang’s “Hip-hop Ain’t Poppin’” (“ヒップホップ流行ってない”), released September 30, 2026, is the two-minute title track of a two-track single, built on a NEMLAND beat. The title flips Dau90000 comedian Sho Hasumi’s remark that comedy isn’t popular. It lays out skipped intros, 15-second clips and silent live shows, then repeats “I want to change that” four times. A close reading of…
MU-TON’s “Everything” Lyrics: Recording the Important Things He Might Forget
Hip-Hop ChartsMU-TON’s “Everything,” released September 26, 2026, is a 4:08 single produced by kbz. The hook sings of “everything words can’t express,” while the verses write down, one by one, the important things he knows he will forget. We read the song through its lyrics.
Reading Sonsi’s “FUSUMA” Lyrics: A 93-Second Audition Track That Ends Where It Began
Hip-Hop ChartsSonsi’s “FUSUMA” was his video-audition song for ABEMA’s Rap Star 2025. In 93 seconds he covers his grandmother’s pension, his father, Osaka and a police station, then ends on the same hook he started with.
Red Eye’s “Nothing holds me down” feat. NORIKIYO: Lyrics About a ¥90 Million Budokan Show and Life After Prison
Hip-Hop ChartsRed Eye’s “Nothing holds me down feat. NORIKIYO” (September 23, 2026, 4:49) puts two losses side by side: the ¥90 million a Budokan show cost, the ¥50 million he says he was scammed out of, the revenue and releases that were cut off, and the free shows that followed. NORIKIYO, back on the outside, calls his trial a farce and…
Kianna’s ‘LA’ Lyrics: Grammy Dreams and Choosing Who to Let In
Hip-Hop ChartsKianna's "LA" is track five of Kianna's debut album "Instinct" (September 18, 2026; 2:36). Read through the lyrics: a city seen from a plane, an economy-class seat, a can of Sprite, a Grammy dream accepted as "an ordinary dream," and a line drawn against people who will make money by any means.
HIPHOPCs English
HIPHOPCs English is the English edition of HIPHOPCs (hiphopnewscs.jp), a Japan-based hip-hop news site: English originals and translations of our Japanese reporting on Japanese and global hip-hop, artist profiles, Rap Atlas regional guides, and songs and reviews. Visit the Japanese edition for Japanese-language coverage.
Latest stories
DJ Yuko Interview: From DJ KAORI’s Hiroshima Show to Dodger Stadium
From her first club set at DJ KAORI’s Hiroshima show to Dodger Stadium, DJ Yuko has built a life behind the decks. In this interview with Sei, she recalls moving to Los Angeles in 2011, explains how she reads a crowd, and shares her plans for DREAM DJ Service.
yummma on BAD BLOOD: “At Least in My Songs, It’s Okay Not to Hide Anything, Right?” [HIPHOPCs Interview]
yummma on debut EP BAD BLOOD, her past in lyrics, her one boundary, what surprised her more than 10 million views, and FEMALE UP. A HIPHOPCs interview.
jza Interview | No Quantization: Drums Built by Ear and the Warmth of “jzaturument”
Cook Oliver interviews Tokyo beatmaker jza on jzaturument, drums built by ear, Ableton Live, SP, sampling, stripping back sounds and creative blocks.
BraidKingNori Interview: OZworld, Black Hair and Self-Expression
BraidKingNori talks to HIPHOPCs about OZworld, braiding, cultural respect and the deaf client who helped inspire his videos without spoken commentary.
DJ KANJI Interview: Accepting Himself, THE SOUL and the People Behind the Music
DJ KANJI talks with Lucie about starting out as a DJ in Hamamatsu, the changes behind THE LIFE, THE VOICE and THE SOUL, and making music with collaborators including MIKADO and Young Coco.
Doll-E Girl Interview: Chicana Rap, Japan and Still Being in Her Prime
Doll-E Girl discusses Chicana rap, Japan’s lowrider culture, artistic ownership, motherhood and finding a new season after more than 20 years in music.
Artist Profiles
DJ Yuko: Hiroshima Roots, Los Angeles DJ Career and Music
Meet DJ Yuko: her Hiroshima roots, move to Los Angeles, club work and DREAM DJ Service, with official sources and HIPHOPCs’ full interview.
DJ MOTORA: Nagasaki, TEAM KEN RECORDS and Working with ELIAS
DJ MOTORA’s profile traces his Nagasaki base, TEAM KEN RECORDS, THE LOST TAPE and the creative process behind CRAZY BABY with ELIAS and KAYO.
Oddy lozy: Yvng Patra, Episode.0 and the Work of a Beatmaker
Oddy lozy’s profile connects his HIPHOPCs interview, work with Yvng Patra, Episode.0 credits and his ambitions for beatmakers in the age of AI.
Doll-E Girl: Chicana Rap, Set Up Shop Records and Japan
Meet Doll-E Girl through her HIPHOPCs interview, Set Up Shop Records, connections with Japan and official music including Moments, With You and Rap Life.
Kiii: Sacramento, TSE4VR and WIRE TRANSFER with SHEEF THE 3RD
Kiii’s Sacramento background, TSE4VR, album timeline and WIRE TRANSFER with SHEEF THE 3RD, through his HIPHOPCs interview and official catalogue.
Alif Wolf: Saitama, RAPSTAR and the Music After Prologue
Saitama-based rapper Alif Wolf, RAPSTAR 2025, Prologue, What Did You Say? and collaboration with Liza, with insights from two HIPHOPCs interviews.
Japanese rap news
SEDY NEZZ Interview: Kyoto Roots, RABAARBA and Choosing to Live Now
SEDY NEZZ talks about growing up with Black music, finding her voice, making RABAARBA and taking her Kyoto-rooted hip-hop out into the world.
BLAISE on Codein Dreaming with $AINT STØNE: Capturing Shibuya as It Happens
BLAISE discusses making Codein Dreaming with BSTA’s $AINT STØNE, preserving rough edges and turning everyday life in Shibuya into music.
dominguap Interview: MOB SONGWARS and Japan’s Underground Hip-Hop
Twitch streamer dominguap, also known as DMG, discusses MOB SONGWARS, discovering underground rappers and the sounds changing Japanese hip-hop.
Alif Wolf Interview: Turning Pain into Music After RAPSTAR 2025
Alif Wolf reflects on RAPSTAR 2025, writing through pain, finding fellow artists and the story behind “Prologue” in this HIPHOPCs interview.
Yuji Tanaka Interview: Rap, Business and Treating Life Like a Game
Entrepreneur and former kickboxing champion Yuji Tanaka speaks with YTG/Sam about rap, working with Zeebra and AK-69, and the life behind his music.
North Kanto Rap: Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma | Rap Atlas
Mito’s label connections, Tochigi and Gunma’s battle qualifiers, and digital releases from Tsuchiura and Shimotsuma form different routes through North Kanto rap. Eight main entries and two emerging artists guide this regional record.
Songs & reviews
Drake’s “Quebec” Lyrics: “All She Want Is Japanese Skincare,” and What 2 + 1 + 3 Adds Up To
Drake’s “Quebec,” track 13 on “HABIBTI (FOMO),” runs 2:10. It played in the short film “FOMO,” its YouTube video went private within a day, and it reached streaming on October 2. A reading of the lyrics: the stack of colors, the 2 + 1 + 3 line that lands on “the 6ix,” and the Japanese skincare line that comes right after the Phantom and the Cartier.
Quavo’s “Baby Breath” Lyrics: 15 “Bling”s, 8 “Baby Breath”s, and the Verse Tyler Said Should Be Studied
“Baby Breath,” the fifth track on Quavo’s album “QRÖMELIFE,” runs 3:47 with Pharrell Williams, Tyler, The Creator and A$AP Rocky. Tyler called his verse his best ever and said it “shall be studied.” That verse repeats “Bling” 15 times, threatens to buy someone’s publishing, then follows eight “baby breath”s with a taunt about taking that person’s income. A reading of a track where repetition and menace share the same bars.
Reading Filix Wang’s “Hip-hop Ain’t Poppin’”: A Two-Minute Track That Says Nobody Wants Three-Minute Songs
Filix Wang’s “Hip-hop Ain’t Poppin’” (“ヒップホップ流行ってない”), released September 30, 2026, is the two-minute title track of a two-track single, built on a NEMLAND beat. The title flips Dau90000 comedian Sho Hasumi’s remark that comedy isn’t popular. It lays out skipped intros, 15-second clips and silent live shows, then repeats “I want to change that” four times. A close reading of how Filix Wang, a former comedian, uses the language of comedy to take aim at hip-hop.
MU-TON’s “Everything” Lyrics: Recording the Important Things He Might Forget
MU-TON’s “Everything,” released September 26, 2026, is a 4:08 single produced by kbz. The hook sings of “everything words can’t express,” while the verses write down, one by one, the important things he knows he will forget. We read the song through its lyrics.
Reading Sonsi’s “FUSUMA” Lyrics: A 93-Second Audition Track That Ends Where It Began
Sonsi’s “FUSUMA” was his video-audition song for ABEMA’s Rap Star 2025. In 93 seconds he covers his grandmother’s pension, his father, Osaka and a police station, then ends on the same hook he started with.
Kirk Franklin’s “This Time” feat. GloRilla: The “Dey Know” Horns and “What That Mean?”
Kirk Franklin’s “This Time” with GloRilla brings the horns of Shawty Lo’s “Dey Know” into the heart of gospel. Inside GloRilla’s verse, Franklin keeps asking what her slang means, and that call-and-response is the center of the song.