The Era When Being a "Shitty Guy Who Can Only Rap" Was Cool

POGGYDo you remember "212 Magazine," run by photographer Shimoyama in Osaka back in the day?

DABOYeah, yeah. The magazine that just took street snaps in New York, right?

POGGYI was looking through old issues, and suddenly, you appeared.

DABOSeriously?! (Laughs)

POGGYEmbroidered leather jackets, which were popular then, are trendy again, aren't they? Young people in America are wearing things like early 2000s A BATHING APE, UNDERCOVER, and BILLIONAIRE BOYS CLUB. It feels like the early 2000s vibe is coming back. Do you feel that?

DABOIt's amazing how kids today are wearing vintage brands from even before the early 2000s, like CROSS COLOURS or FUBU, which were popular when we were in our late teens. But they're wearing them differently now. Back then, it was about tanned skin and dreadlocks. Now, it's pale, slender kids with their waistlines cinched high, bob haircuts, glasses, and CROSS COLOURS. It's quite a strange sight.



POGGYAlso, remember the artist SISQO? A lot of kids are dyeing their hair like that now.

DABOIndeed, all the edgy kids are dyeing their hair. If I were a teenager now, I'd probably be dyeing my hair too.

POGGYNITRO has resumed activities this year after a seven-year hiatus. Is the return of the early 2000s atmosphere a factor in that?

DABONot directly, but when we released our first new song in this comeback, "LIVE19," I thought, "Maybe this could be something." Releasing it now might resonate with those who remember it, and perhaps feel fresh to a new generation. They might wonder, "What's this beat?" or "What kind of rap is this?" So, the timing felt right.

XBSIt's actually been seven or eight years since we released any music. So, we definitely wanted to give our long-time fans that "They're back!" feeling.

MACKA-CHINExactly. That "They're back!" or "They're here!" moment.

DABOLike, "This is pure NITRO!"

XBSIn that sense, seeing the comments on the YouTube video felt validating, like we achieved what we aimed for.

MACKA-CHINEach member has their own vision for NITRO, but personally, I want to express a NITRO that's true to our age, an updated version. I've been really into techno lately. I had a slower BPM techno track I'd been thinking of for a solo project, so I played it for the members, and since they all love music, they immediately jumped on it, saying, "This is wild, it's great!" So, we went into the studio in a sort of rehab state, and the first thing that came out was a techno track.

DABOThat track is dope. If that comes out after "LIVE19," people will be blown away.

POGGYI'm really looking forward to hearing it.

XBSRegarding "LIVE19," we have our first solo live show in a while on June 20th at TSUTAYA O-EAST in Shibuya. We needed to release something before that. We announced our restart on January 1st via social media, and then members did modeling for UGG and apparel for RAP TEES.




POGGYI was surprised by the RAP TEES collaboration.

XBSBut if we didn't release music or perform live, people wouldn't really see us as having made a comeback. So, we wanted to make a move quickly, and that's why we released the track.

POGGYThe music video for "LIVE19," using selfie footage, has a great, relaxed vibe.

DABOThat's exactly what we hoped for. It was a bit of a last resort, though.

XBSWe couldn't realistically get everyone together to film, so that concept emerged. CEKAI, who directed it, came up with something interesting that really fits the current era. We had wanted to collaborate with younger creators, and we knew that pairing CEKAI with NITRO would be exciting.

POGGYSpeaking of collaborating with younger artists, DABO, you recently appeared at BIM's live show. Are there any young artists you find particularly interesting?

MACKA-CHINPlenty. I'm actively involved in making compilation albums with younger artists, like Shakubozu and haruru犬love dog天使. I like those artists who aren't strictly hip-hop, more in the SPACE SHOWER vein.

POGGYI have no idea who you're talking about just from the names... (Laughs)

MACKA-CHINWell, nowadays, with computers and the internet, you have to do everything yourself. In fashion, it's like being a pattern maker, a designer, and also handling the factory. You have to push the self-production aspect as far as possible. This means it's not just about having good music or being trend-aware; it's about overall capability.




DABOIndependents who can do everything themselves are favored, and the art world is moving in that direction.

XBSThat's why it's becoming tough to just be a rapper these days.

DABOIn our era, there were guys who were "shitty rappers who could only rap" (laughs). And DJs who were "shitty DJs who only knew records." That was considered cool back then.

MACKA-CHINRight. It looked cool.

DABONow, if you're not on social media, you're immediately at a disadvantage. If you don't make music videos, another disadvantage. If you're not interested in fashion, same thing.

XBSWhether you can do modeling or not also makes a difference.

DABOIn that sense, I admire how young people can do so much on their own. They have a studio at home, design their own stuff, have friends who can film and edit videos. A group of four or five people can create a complete package. That's amazing, but I feel like we're losing that overwhelming aura that the "shitty rappers who could only rap" of the past possessed.

Page 02.NITRO: "The Ultimate Outsiders"

Page 02.

NITRO: "The Ultimate Outsiders"

POGGYMusically, there are entirely new movements like grime and trap, completely different from the past. How do you all view these genres? Some people say trap is entirely separate from hip-hop.

DABOI think it depends on the perspective you're coming from.

MACKA-CHINEveryone probably has different interpretations and feelings about it. But I see them as part of the same family tree, with the same roots. Trap, grime, juke – they're all branches stemming from Black music. Also, I've been really into Gqom lately. It's like South African Gqom techno, and the music videos are so colorful with a really interesting fashion sense.

POGGYI definitely want to check that out.

MACKA-CHINGqom also comes from hip-hop, I think. It's like Yuya Uchida saying "Rock and Roll!" – we tend to categorize everything as "Hip-Hop!" So, I have no resistance to these branching genres.

POGGYHonestly, I had this image that you guys in NITRO were more like, "Hip-hop has to be THIS way!"



DABOLike, "That's not hip-hop!"? (Laughs)

POGGYExactly (Laughs). You have a strong core, yet you embrace the present era. I felt that.

MACKA-CHINMaybe it's because we had seniors who were more rigid, saying things like, "Hip-hop is..." But we weren't as bound by that. For example, DABO was always focused on rhymes from the start, but I wasn't as concerned. I focused more on the sound. Sometimes, my rhymes only match the very last syllable, like "...de sa!"

XBSDABO wrote on Twitter once, "We are the ultimate outsiders." That really resonated with me. I thought, "Ah, that's it!"

DABOWe've always been outsiders since our debut. We stand out wherever we go. Even though we were on the stage at "Sanpin Camp" (Note: A legendary hip-hop event held in 1996 at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall), we didn't follow that trend and did our own thing. By chance, people who were tired of the "Sanpin Camp" vibe welcomed NITRO at our debut. But all eight of us had different directions, and we all did different things in our daily lives. So, we don't have a fixed idea of "what hip-hop should be." However, I think that very attitude is what hip-hop is.

MACKA-CHINWe're from a generation that strongly resisted the village mentality, the collectivism of Japan. I grew up in Harajuku and was really taken care of by the seniors there. But I also felt that the fashion people in Harajuku formed their own tight-knit Harajuku village. Japanese rap also has its own village mentality. "If you're on good terms with X, you'll succeed." But we disliked that, and we weren't good at it. Maybe we were just not social. We preferred the shadows.

XBS contrarians.




MACKA-CHINBesides the group, we all have our own solo activities, which gives us flexibility. As for NITRO, we're like lone wolves. We make music independently, participate in events, and do fashion. We're truly eccentrics.

DABOJapanese hip-hop today has the freestyle scene, influenced by shows like "Freestyle Dungeon." On the other hand, there's the trend of tattooed, dyed-hair kids bouncing to trap. Those are the two major currents now. But people like me and the NITRO members don't really feel the need to jump into that; we observe it from a distance.

MACKA-CHINIt's probably because we each have our own preferences. "I'm like this because..."

DABOIt just occurred to me, but I think it's because we created our own trend with NITRO. We didn't follow trends; we created the NITRO boom. So, there's probably a part of us that feels, "It's lame to follow," or "Following is uncool."

MACKA-CHINSome of us dropped out of school, and in an era where "smart people are superior" and everything was judged by academic scores, we chose different paths. I myself loved high school so much I stayed for four years (laughs).

POGGY(Laughs)

MACKA-CHINSo, we're the ones who didn't fit well into society back then, and we've stuck together. Maybe that's why we can't quite blend into current trends? We don't consciously think about it, though.

XBSWe don't consciously think about it, but it's a very natural shared understanding. Even if we differ on many things, our feelings align on that point.

DABONowadays, there are so many people saying, "Sorry for being so unique." When in reality, they're incredibly unoriginal. "Sorry I dyed my hair red. This is just me!" or "Sorry I got tattoos on my face, but this is who I am!" (Laughs). The more they try to be unique, the more they become indistinguishable. But I think we are genuinely unique.




POGGYWith that stance, I'm really looking forward to NITRO's new techno track.

MACKA-CHINWe can't wait to play it for you.

POGGYWill you be playing it at the June 20th live show?

MACKA-CHINIf I can memorize the lyrics... (Laughs). But for this show, we'll stick to "LIVE19" and mostly play old hits (Laughs). Though, just playing some tracks might be okay.

XBSHit and run (Laughs).

DABOLike playing it softly as the audience is leaving.

POGGYI'll be looking forward to it (Laughs)!

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