OWN INTERVIEW CONTENTS Vol.27 Meta Flower / Itsuki Kubota (Rapper/Sculptor)
At OWN (hereafter referred to as O) , please start by giving us a brief profile or introduction of yourself!
Meta Flower (hereafter M) I'm Meta Flower. I'm a sculptor and a rapper. My real name is Itsuki Kubota. I'm actually thinking about changing the name I use when I'm performing to my real name. That's because I feel like my work as a sculptor doesn't quite fit with my rapper name anymore. So, I'm thinking about what to do about my name in the future.
O KOHH also resumed activities under his real name.
It's M. When ECD wrote his book, he was called Yoshinori Ishida, and when Imazato (of struggle for pride) was a DJ, he was called DJ HOLIDAY. I'm a big-headed person, so I don't like the idea of continuing to work under a name that somehow doesn't fit me.
O I see. Do you change your name for each activity?
M: I wonder if that's going to happen. "Aka" is kind of lame now, isn't it? (laughs)
O I wonder (laughs). Well, first of all, could you tell me about your career as a rapper?
M I entered Tokyo University of the Arts when I was 21, having failed the entrance exam three times. When I moved from Kanagawa to Tokyo, I met up with the guys from LSBOYZ , a crew I'd been hanging out with for a while, and we started hanging out. When I started hanging out with LSBOYZ again, I wondered if I was there as a sculptor? Or rather, it was just that we were good friends and we were together.
OSo you weren't initially involved as a rapper.
M : That's true. But then Young Cee, the leader of LSBOYZ, had to go on a little trip. So he told me, "While I can't rap anymore, you have to solidify your position. I'm counting on you." That's how I started rapping (laughs).
It 's almost forced (laughs).
M : It was really like that (laughs). But I thought it would be a good opportunity, so I might as well give it a try. From there, I heard that Emishi (rkemishi) was making beats, so I asked him to teach me how to record, and that's how I started my career as a rapper. I think Emishi and I made 6-7 demo songs in about a week. I was still an amateur, and didn't even know the words mixing or mastering, but I gave away and sold about 100 copies of those demo CD-Rs. I was already active as a sculptor, so the title "Mate Real" is a double meaning, combining "material" with "mate (friend) and real."
ODo you do live shows from there?
M Thanks to Emishi-kun being featured on that demo, I got to perform at his live shows. From there, I started getting more performances. I think I got off to a great start as a rapper. But the guys around me who'd been rapping since their teens teased me a little. Like, "That guy's starting to rap" (laughs). Peedog said, "I'm not doing a song with you." I'll never forget those words (laughs).
O (laughs) Before you started rapping, which artists did you like or were influenced by?
M: My hometown is Fujisawa, so I listened to DLiP RECORDS. Also, when I was in my late teens and had failed the entrance exams, I liked ECD's work and listened to it, so I think I was influenced by them.
O I see. Last year you released your first solo album, "The Priest." How has the response been? 
M: I don't think it sold that well (laughs).
O No no (laughs). This is just my personal opinion, but I felt that this album had a strong message and also exposed a frank side of the band.
M: I wanted to settle what was inside me. That's why I rapped all the songs by myself, with no feature artists. It was like I was letting out all the poison inside me. So, from now on, I don't want to do any aggressive raps. I feel like I've already let out all the poison, so I don't want to say anything negative. In the future, I'd like to be able to rap smoothly, like Febb. It might be good to change my rap style to say positive or cool things. I feel like this album is a break from my past.
I thought it must have been pretty tough to produce, considering the content that was being released .
M : Yes, that's true. It was quite tough mentally. I'd like to turn that into something positive and move forward.
O Itsuki, how did this first solo album turn out for you?
Of course, the content of the M -rap is important, but I also wanted to reflect my own preferences as a sculptor, so even though I knew the CD wouldn't sell, I attached a sleeve and film and paid particular attention to the artwork. I think it was a good product because I was able to put a lot of effort into it. The physical version was released for 3,000 yen, but some people on the internet said it was expensive (laughs).
So , what kind of activities would you like to do in the music field in the future?
M: Honestly, I'm struggling with how far I want to go as a rapper. Maybe it's time to rethink my image of what a rapper should be. I also think that the underground scene has been in decline, the country's power has declined, and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused venues like clubs to be reset. With a new generation of young people now bursting with energy, I've been wondering why I want to pick up the microphone and get on stage. So, in the music field, it might be interesting to organize my own events and be on the side of nurturing young artists.
OIt 's about when to quit as the person participating.
M : Yes. Of course, I think it's still too early. But maybe it's just that I've been busy with sculpture and my vibes have been low (laughs). I don't want to quit or give up, but I feel like my place and where I should be are a little unclear. This is just something I feel, but I'm glad that I was able to release this solo album and put an end to it. I can now aim for the next thing. Does that mean you've grown as a rapper?
M : That's right. It's growth, and for me it's actually a very positive thing. I wonder if I'll become an artist who doesn't write dark songs anymore. Or maybe I'll become like DJ KOO (laughs).
OThat's too extreme (lol).
M (laughs). But I think that positive songs definitely give more positive energy in many cases. With so much negativity in the world, it's a bit much to have negativity in your ears... That's what I think now. There have been so many bad times lately, it's hard to know how to counter it. But I'm also looking forward to seeing what kind of rap I'll do in the future.
Now , I would like to hear about your other side as a sculptor. What are your main activities these days?
He is best known for his sculptures made from the energy of M- explosions, which became a hot topic, but he also creates works that redefine the concept of "writing lyrics."
OIs this work different from the explosion sculptures you've made so far?
M : That's right. I had the opportunity to exhibit my explosion works in various places last year and the year before. So I'm continuing to make explosion works as my life's work, and now I'm working on other works. Those explosions were underground, and I was making them with the idea of liberating something, but now I'm thinking about finally trying to physically mix sculpture and music.
It's okay to say as much as you can, but I'd like to know what kind of work it will be.
The starting point of M -rap is poetry and sound, isn't it? A concept that emerged in the 1950s and 1960s was "concrete poetry," which is "reading words as shapes." There is also something called concrete poetry, which takes away the meaning of words and shows them as shapes. I'm planning a work that attempts to connect this with sculpture.
O Sorry, I can't keep up with it (laughs).
M : I agree, sorry for getting so passionate about it all of a sudden (laughs). So, what does it involve? You choose three words in response to the question, "What is your life?" In my case, I guess it would be something like "music," "sculpture," or "drunk." Then you break them down into six kanji characters: "音/楽/彫/彫/磁/動 (music/carving/mud/drunkenness)." You then hand them over to the person next to you, and ask them to create a sentence from that single character. By asking someone to create a sentence from the characters that potentially represent you, you will get a different word in return.
O That's amazing. You turn your thoughts into letters or symbols.
M : That's right. We also record the voice at that time. Human voices can be divided into frequency bands, so when you read the poem, the vowel frequencies called formants come out. These can be further divided into F1, F2, etc. in ascending order of frequency. These are quantified, and when the overlapping parts of the human voice cause vibrations, the sand can be moved... It's a rather deep and complicated story to explain in words (laughs).
OThat 's right (laughs).
M: Let me show you a little video.
O I see! So the shape that comes out is different for each frequency.
M : That's right. When you change the frequency band in various ways, complex shapes like this emerge. I'm thinking of this piece as a sculpture, where the vibrations of the people's voices create a three-dimensional shape, and as the sand that falls off piles up, an "island" will eventually form...
OHow is the progress?
M: I'm still stuck at the experimental stage. It's a little too difficult (laughs). I'm studying poetry, and I'm also studying vocal analysis. I also need to study industrial vibrators, which are used for vibrations.
(The interview itself was conducted in March.)
I had no idea that you were doing something so new while still being active in music .
M: My child has just been born, and I've been busy with the new house. Lately, I've been getting nervous even when I'm drunk (laughs).
O (laughs) But it's amazing that you're taking on the challenge of creating something new, different from your previous explosion works.
MIt 's a new endeavor for me. It doesn't have the same straightforward message as rap, but I think sculpture is something that can be communicated over a long period of time. It can have a policy or a hidden message. As I create these kinds of works, I think I need to be able to say, in the context of art history, where I actually came from, what influenced me, and why I'm making the kind of work I'm making now.
O Is that something you've been thinking about for a long time?
MNo , it was after I went to America. I strongly felt in America that if you want to call yourself an artist, you have to be able to talk properly about your roots as an artist. You can't be considered a full-fledged artist if you can clearly say that you were influenced by so-and-so from such-and-such a generation, that you were born and raised in such-and-such a position, and that's why you created this work.
So that's how it feels, that kind of logic. I thought artists were more intuitive in their thinking.
M : Of course, there is that sensory aspect to it. If you compare art history to a big tree, the roots are the origin. Religious paintings, for example. The image is that buds sprout from there and connect to the big trunk. So, contemporary art like mine could be a flower branching off from that. Because of this concept, I want to be able to clearly talk about my roots as an artist.
The influences I received in America helped me to understand myself better.
MNo matter what art you make, you can't escape the reality that it's part of the tree, as I said earlier. I was a complete kid, so I just wanted to blow something up, and I created something interesting. It attracted a lot of attention. That's why I felt a sense of responsibility to be able to properly explain my work. You can only receive recognition when you can properly explain what you've created, and explain to a certain extent why it is the way it is. 
Do you have any plans to exhibit your work overseas, such as in the US, in the future?
New York is especially capitalist, but things related to art move at an incredible speed. When I realized that, I thought I'd like to fight in America. The sun fell in 1945. Then, one day, Japan buried explosives in the ground and worshipped the resulting explosion, calling it the sun. I wanted to create a science fiction-like story in my explosion work that is similar but not identical to the modern world. I put in various meanings, including the relationship between Japan and America. I thought that bringing that to New York would be the goal of my explosion work.
O Creating stories like that seems like a great way to utilize your skills as a rapper.
M: That may be true. My personality as a rapper helps me decide how to add a punchline and what message I want to convey. But when I'm faced with such a big challenge as a sculptor, I can't help but wonder if I don't have time to rap. It's like someone who raps while working but then their work gets too busy. It's difficult to decide priorities.
But I feel like Itsuki himself is becoming more and more unique. So, let's leave the talk about your work for now and talk about fashion. Is there anything Itsuki is into recently?
M : I'm really interested in eyewear right now. I recently bought some glasses from a German brand called "KUBORAUM." Also, there's a movie called "Public Enemies" starring Johnny Depp, and I thought the Pentagon-style glasses he wears in the movie were really cool.
O OWN chose the #09 two-tone frame .
M : That's right. I think the curves of the frame are beautiful. Also, the bridge has silver parts. I like to wear accessories, and I love silver, so I thought it would go perfectly with them.
O Itsuki, in what situations do you like to wear eyewear?
It's a bit cliche , but I'd like to wear them when I'm driving or on a date. I'd like to wear them when I want to look cool like that. I'd like to enjoy eyewear as an accessory. I feel like it would make me feel good too. In my case, I often wear pajamas when I'm working on sculptures, so maybe I want to stand out (laughs).
O : Is there any information you would like to share at the end?
M I had a solo exhibition for three days from May 31st to June 2nd at the KUMA Foundation, a gallery that has been supporting me since my student days. It was a presentation of new works, but I titled the exhibition Process because I feel like the work will never be completed. I'm also working on writing lyrics for a few songs. I may have to reassess the pace of my rapper activities, but I'll be releasing stuff, so I hope you'll look forward to it.
[INFO]
instagram @metaflower_w.f
[Filming cooperation]
Instagram @dancingmood_shimotakaido
