Rap Atlas Japan: Regional Guides to Japanese Hip-Hop

Explore 14 core acts and three artists to watch through Tokyo neighborhoods, records, production and venues, from 1989 to JUMADIBA’s Kibarashi in September 2026.

Explore 17 core acts and one artist to watch, 27AM, across Yokohama, Kawasaki, Sagamihara and Shonan. A 1989–2026 timeline connects regional histories, records and collaborations.

Follow 13 core entries and four artists to watch across six Saitama zones. One entry covers both Namedaruma and BADSAIKUSH, keeping the group’s history distinct from the individual’s origin.

A guide to Osaka rap through recordings, studios, battles, bridges and collectives, with sixteen representative editorial entries and two emerging artists.

A sourced Nagoya and Tokai rap atlas: 14 representative acts, four emerging artists, and documented lineages linking Suzuka, Hamamatsu and the wider region.

Explore rap across Kyushu’s seven prefectures through eleven core entries and three acts to watch, with records, labels, venues and local activities.

Follow Okinawan rap through 098, Room 604, Akatsuchi and collaborations across the islands and mainland: nine representative artists, three to watch and records predating 2006.

THA BLUE HERB built an independent label in Sapporo; N.C.B.B made a major-label debut while keeping the city as its base. Follow these different routes through Hokkaido rap, from CLUB GHETTO to ILL-BOSSTINO and DJ KRUSH's XO.

Ten overlapping group and solo profile entries and two artists to watch: follow Tohoku through records, collaborators, Morioka’s shops, Sendai’s music and Shirakawa’s battles.

PSYCHO BLOW's Hiroshima events, Okayama's battle circuit, KOWREE in Shimane and JAKE in Tottori reveal a region with several centers. This guide follows twelve main acts and one emerging act through records, venues and national breakthroughs.

From Bushi's Kagawa catalog to Watson's Budokan show, Shikoku rap has several routes to a national audience. Seven main acts and one emerging artist connect this guide's records, parties and battle histories.

Five prefectures, no single center. This atlas maps 10 core acts across four prefectures, Toyama production ties, official UMB records and a 1999–2026 timeline.

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.