OWN INTERVIEW CONTENTS Vol.10 (Part 1) rkemishi & MU-TON
OWN (hereinafter O): First, please introduce yourselves !
rkemishi (hereinafter referred to as r) : I'm rkemishi , a rapper based in Tokyo. I'm in a unit called owls with beatmaker GREEN ASSASSIN DOLLAR , and I also work with MU-TON . I also run a label called OYLE GATE .
MU-TON (hereafter referred to as M ): I'm from Shirakawa City, Fukushima Prefecture, and I've been living in Tokyo for two years. In Fukushima, I'm in a crew called UNDER THE MUG'S , and in Tokyo, I'm signed to MVP Records .
Could you each tell us about your career so far ?
Mr. M. Rkemishi has a long career. I'd like to know too.
I started rapping when I was about 14 years old, so I've been doing it for about 14 years now. At first I was in a unit called FAT SLIDE , and my partner at the time was PEEDOG, who is now in LSBOYZ . That was about 10 years ago. Since then I've released so many different things that I don't even know (laughs). Then, about 3 years ago, I started owls . I feel like more people have gotten to know me through owls , but I feel like what I'm doing hasn't changed at all.
How many titles has M Owls released?
r 4 albums maybe? There are so many releases that it's hard to know honestly (laughs).
M: I first appeared on the scene in MC battles around 2016 or 2017. Then, in 2018 , when I was 22 , I released my first album, " RIPCREAM ." However, my next album was "Hazuki," which I made with rkemishi in 2021 , so it feels like there's been a long gap between the releases.
How did O MU-TON and rkemishi meet?
My friend, director Itaru Sawada , introduced me to MU-TON , but I had known about them before that. I'd heard rumors that they were working with Oni-san and others in the Shinjuku area, as well as MC battles, and we naturally became friends after that, partly because we lived close to each other. We also probably have similar tastes in music. The things I thought were uncool were also uncool for him.
O You said that you knew about MU-TON from the MC battle, but what impression did you have of him?
Generally, I don't think much of people who appear in MC battles. But with this guy, I felt something special. I thought, "This guy is doing something cool." It's hard to put into words what made it cool. But I just felt it intuitively. Also, I don't know much about the people who are appearing in battles these days, so I can't really say, but when I met MU-TON , I felt a different vibe from the MCs who only appear in battles, a warmth that was similar to mine. I think he's an interesting guy. Also, I thought that out of all the people appearing in MC battles, MU-TON was by far the coolest in B-BOY fashion.
O MU-TON , did you know about rkemishi before you met him?
M : Yes, I knew about it. Of course, I listened to Owls , but the locals listened to it too. When I actually met him, I felt that Rkemishi embodied hip-hop culture not only as a player, but also when you look at the packaging and design of Owls , not just the music, but the whole picture. As a B-BOY , I felt like I wanted to be with him. It's no exaggeration to say that he's the person who's helped me the most since I came to Tokyo (laughs).
As for rap , I thought MU-TON was definitely flamboyant. He has a sense of song and an extraordinary sense of rhythm. He uses rhythms that I could never do, and has a completely unexpected flow. I'm the type to read the instructions before I do something. He's clearly the type to start without reading the instructions (laughs). But I think it's because he's so outlandish that he's received offers to perform on the RIZIN stage. He's shown me sights that I've never seen before.
It ended up being like we were praising each other (laughs).
M : It's a bit embarrassing (laughs). But I'm very happy. I hope that with your support, we can achieve a win-win situation .
By the way, why did you come to Tokyo , MU-TON ?
MMy hometown is really rural, so there aren't any proper places to record. I decided to move to Tokyo to continue making the music I love. Isn't hip-hop a culture that represents the local area? I want to make a name for myself in Tokyo and promote my hometown. So I want to make money from music and open a music studio in my hometown.
O I see! So, how did you two end up making an album together in the first place?
First, I met DJ JAM . He makes an endless supply of beats. JAM can do everything from mixing to mastering, and he even has his own studio, so I started making songs using his beats, but many of his tracks were quite tricky.
MThere were a lot of beats that Rkemishi wouldn't normally choose.
That 's right. At the time, I was thinking about making an album with a double name. At the time, YG and Mozzy released albums under double names. Ochiai and I got excited talking about that album. That album was so amazing that I got into the mood of "I want to do an album with a double name!". Owls only has one MC , so it's not possible, so I was thinking about finding someone... and then I remembered MU-TON (laughs).
M: I was also blown away by YG and Mozzy 's albums, and I often talked to rkemishi about how amazing that album was. Then, when I listened to the version that was set to JAM 's beat, I thought that rkemishi 's way of putting it together was a little like Mozzy's . So I thought, why don't I step in and play the role of YG in the empty spaces (laughs).
O It all started with YG and Mozzy 's album " Community Service ."
In terms of M flow, YG is the type who packs in rap, while Mozzy is the type who picks up at the end and uses fewer words to make the most of the gaps. As I said earlier, rkemishi was using a Mozzy -like style of rhythm on JAM 's beats, so I thought that if I could use a YG- like flow on it, we could create something interesting.
If you think of it like a puzzle, MU-TON fit perfectly into the gaps. My rap is kind of textbook, and MU-TON is quite tricky, so it's a pretty good combination. In the middle of production, he got sick with a common illness, but we still kept going into the studio and finished the song in a month and a half.
O A month and a half goes by so quickly!
Another thing that I liked was JAM 's work. I think the song " MISSION " is easy to understand, but the way he cuts out the sounds is amazing. It's amazing how he can create something like that without saying anything. He mixed in a cappella along with the sounds, so I think it turned out better than the other recordings.
O What do you two think of the finished product of "Hazuki"?
Of course, there are things to reflect on after the release. However, I think it performed very well considering it was an album made in such a short period of time.
M: I also like this work. However, before the release, I was thinking about a lot of things ...
It was a tricky piece that I had never done before, so I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. But I pushed MU-TON and JAM , saying, "If we do it, it'll be an amazing piece!"
M: I feel like I've been reminded once again that having that kind of firm confidence is important.
O MU-TON , you have released works, but is there a reason why you continue to participate in MC battles?
I was in the middle of making an album with M. Beni (Benisakura) when he got arrested. At the time, Beni was scheduled to appear in a lot of MC battles. He asked me if I could take his place, so I accepted. But at the beginning of last year, I was just doing battles casually. Then, hearing rkemishi talk about his confidence, I realized I wasn't cut out to be an artist. Even though it was just an MC battle, the audience was watching, so I decided to give a proper performance. From that point on, I got serious. Also, I think everyone's aware of this, but frankly, there's not a single MC who keeps appearing in MC battles who can comfortably make a living from their music. Since I made my name through MC battles, I want to be the leading MC who can comfortably make a living from their music while also appearing in battles. I think that doing so will give back to the battle scene.
I think the overwhelming majority of MCs in battles today have never made a mistake. I've messed up so many times, and I think MU-TON does the same. That's why he's able to express in his battles that feeling of always looking up, which is why he stands out among the countless other battle MCs . I think that RYKEY , DO , Otoko, Name Tatsuya and the others who are making it in the current scene have all made mistakes in their lives. I think that they make use of that, or rather, that hip-hop is a music that makes the rust that comes from one's own actions shine.
To be continued in the second part (scheduled for release on March 1st!)
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