Feature - Back Numbers
Beef or Chicken (2005.12.05)
Music, fashion and brand synergy, all happening in the international marketing mix, boom, boom, boom, say yeah, Teriyaki Boyz in the house y'all!!! Music and fashion have had a loose partnership since pompadours and pegged pants, but hip-hop has taken the combo to new heights, and now Japan is upping the ante on the altitude.
Japan has been into rap from the fairly early days, with Run DMC's debut in 1984 selling substantial amounts on import, well before rap was embraced by major labels. It wasn't long after that Japanese rappers started popping up, although early pioneers like Takigi Kan and Vibrastone received mild interest and mixed reviews rather than mega-sales. The first bona fide Japanese rap hit was East End x Yuri's million selling humorous smash of 1994 "Da Yo Ne", which loosely translated means "ain't that right".
Later some Japanese rappers tried to be hardcore and "gangsta", but it just didn't ring true. Japanese kids like the music and the fashions of hip-hop, but the lyrics are mostly difficult or impossible to be make out, and the gangsta lean of much American hip hop comes from a very distant world. The amount of Japanese young people who have guns, sling crack, disrespect their teachers, aspire to be pimps and bitch-slap the police would nearly fit on the head of a pin. As a result Japan has developed their own variations on hip-hop, which usually involve funny and/or positive messages, and frequently dancing. Eminem, Nelly and other American rappers sell decent numbers in Japan, but foreign hip-hop sales are dwarfed by the homegrown versions. While they all have their detractors, claiming they are too much this or too little that, Ketsumeishi, Rip Slyme, m-flo, Kick the Can Crew, Dragon Ash and Def Tech have all sold in the hundreds of thousands, and sometimes over a million.
With the fashion aspect, again Run DMC were at the forefront, hooking up early with Adidas via their 1986 track "My Adidas". Since then a long line of rappers have jumped into the shoe business, including Jay-Z, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Nelly. In Japan, if not the first, at least the most successful street fashion marketing maestro was/is Nigo, who famously created and blew up the Bathing Ape brand. He also got involved in all kinds of other marketing tie-ups, including deals with major brands like Pepsi and Sony. Reaching internationally, Nigo opened Bathing Ape stores in New York and London, and worked with Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes and Reebok to create the Ice Cream sneaker brand. Not all American hip-hop stars that sell a million in the States are able to create big sales in Japan, some are nearly completely ignored (say, Master P). Likewise European club music hits may or may not catch on in Japan. The sharp marketers have not left things to chance. For example the Beastie Boys have frequently toured in Japan, signed Japanese artists ( Cibo Matto, Buffalo Daughter) to their record label, have shot videos in Tokyo subways, and are hugely popular. Likewise France's Daft Punk collaborated with Japanese animator Reiji Matsumoto, and scored a massive hit in Japan.
And so the stage was set for the Teriyaki Boyz and their Def Jam album Beef or Chicken, released Nov. 16th. The supergroup consists of MCs Ilmari and Ryo-Z of Rip Slyme, Verbal of m-flo, Wise of (B)ape Sounds. On the production side there is Adrock of the Beastie Boys handling four tracks, Daft Punk, Cut Chemist, Pharrell (who also MCs on his track), DJ Premier (Gang Starr, Nas, Mos Def, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z), DJ Shadow, Japanese-American Dan "the Automator" Nakamura (who has worked with Dr. Octagon, JSBX, Galactic, Gorillaz) and Japan's own Cornelius, a long-time friend of Nigo's, and a fellow Planet of the Apes obsessive. Nigo is listed on credits as DJ/producer, but it seems his main contribution was putting things together.
Nigo has also outfitted the group in Bathing Ape clothing, and features a Bathing Ape styled Rolls Royce in the video for the Teriyaki Boyz first single "Heartbreaker". Daft Punk signature sneakers also appear in the video. The Teriyaki Boyz sound is overall is pop-tinged hip-hop, so folks looking for murder sagas or political rants will be disappointed, but Japan is lovin' it. The album entered the Oricon charts at #4, and seems to be on a steady roll. "Heartbreaker" is all over radio and music video channels. The Teriyaki Boyz will do a tour of Japan starting Dec. 6 in Sendai and finishing up Dec. 23 at Zepp Tokyo. So far the album has only been released in Japan, but it seems likely that it won't be long before Beef or Chicken will be served internationally.
Japan has been into rap from the fairly early days, with Run DMC's debut in 1984 selling substantial amounts on import, well before rap was embraced by major labels. It wasn't long after that Japanese rappers started popping up, although early pioneers like Takigi Kan and Vibrastone received mild interest and mixed reviews rather than mega-sales. The first bona fide Japanese rap hit was East End x Yuri's million selling humorous smash of 1994 "Da Yo Ne", which loosely translated means "ain't that right".
Later some Japanese rappers tried to be hardcore and "gangsta", but it just didn't ring true. Japanese kids like the music and the fashions of hip-hop, but the lyrics are mostly difficult or impossible to be make out, and the gangsta lean of much American hip hop comes from a very distant world. The amount of Japanese young people who have guns, sling crack, disrespect their teachers, aspire to be pimps and bitch-slap the police would nearly fit on the head of a pin. As a result Japan has developed their own variations on hip-hop, which usually involve funny and/or positive messages, and frequently dancing. Eminem, Nelly and other American rappers sell decent numbers in Japan, but foreign hip-hop sales are dwarfed by the homegrown versions. While they all have their detractors, claiming they are too much this or too little that, Ketsumeishi, Rip Slyme, m-flo, Kick the Can Crew, Dragon Ash and Def Tech have all sold in the hundreds of thousands, and sometimes over a million.
With the fashion aspect, again Run DMC were at the forefront, hooking up early with Adidas via their 1986 track "My Adidas". Since then a long line of rappers have jumped into the shoe business, including Jay-Z, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent and Nelly. In Japan, if not the first, at least the most successful street fashion marketing maestro was/is Nigo, who famously created and blew up the Bathing Ape brand. He also got involved in all kinds of other marketing tie-ups, including deals with major brands like Pepsi and Sony. Reaching internationally, Nigo opened Bathing Ape stores in New York and London, and worked with Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes and Reebok to create the Ice Cream sneaker brand. Not all American hip-hop stars that sell a million in the States are able to create big sales in Japan, some are nearly completely ignored (say, Master P). Likewise European club music hits may or may not catch on in Japan. The sharp marketers have not left things to chance. For example the Beastie Boys have frequently toured in Japan, signed Japanese artists ( Cibo Matto, Buffalo Daughter) to their record label, have shot videos in Tokyo subways, and are hugely popular. Likewise France's Daft Punk collaborated with Japanese animator Reiji Matsumoto, and scored a massive hit in Japan.
And so the stage was set for the Teriyaki Boyz and their Def Jam album Beef or Chicken, released Nov. 16th. The supergroup consists of MCs Ilmari and Ryo-Z of Rip Slyme, Verbal of m-flo, Wise of (B)ape Sounds. On the production side there is Adrock of the Beastie Boys handling four tracks, Daft Punk, Cut Chemist, Pharrell (who also MCs on his track), DJ Premier (Gang Starr, Nas, Mos Def, Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z), DJ Shadow, Japanese-American Dan "the Automator" Nakamura (who has worked with Dr. Octagon, JSBX, Galactic, Gorillaz) and Japan's own Cornelius, a long-time friend of Nigo's, and a fellow Planet of the Apes obsessive. Nigo is listed on credits as DJ/producer, but it seems his main contribution was putting things together.
Nigo has also outfitted the group in Bathing Ape clothing, and features a Bathing Ape styled Rolls Royce in the video for the Teriyaki Boyz first single "Heartbreaker". Daft Punk signature sneakers also appear in the video. The Teriyaki Boyz sound is overall is pop-tinged hip-hop, so folks looking for murder sagas or political rants will be disappointed, but Japan is lovin' it. The album entered the Oricon charts at #4, and seems to be on a steady roll. "Heartbreaker" is all over radio and music video channels. The Teriyaki Boyz will do a tour of Japan starting Dec. 6 in Sendai and finishing up Dec. 23 at Zepp Tokyo. So far the album has only been released in Japan, but it seems likely that it won't be long before Beef or Chicken will be served internationally.
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Originally submitted by: Keith Cahoon | See Edit History | Edit Article
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