RIP SLYME

Formed in Kanagawa, Japan in 1994, Rip Slyme is a Japanese hip-hop act founded by MCs Ryo-Z (real name: Tyouji Narita), Ilmari (Keisuke Ogihara), and Pes (Masatsugu Chiba). Influenced by old-school hip hop, the trio won an amateur rap contest, which led to the release of their debut EP, Lip’s Rhyme, in 1995. Adding new members Su and DJ Fumiya Takeuchi to the line-up, the group released their debut album, Talkin’ Cheap, in 1998. Signing to Warner Music Japan, Rip Slyme came to prominence in 2001 with their album Five, which climbed to the number 6 position on the Japanese Albums chart. In 2002, they won two honors at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan: Best Hip Hop Artist and Best New Artist. Rip Slyme’s next two albums – Tokyo Classic (2002) and Time to Go (2003) – hit the top of the Japanese Albums chart, as did their 2005 compilation Good Job! They continued to win honors at the MTV Video Music Awards Japan including Video of the Year (2003), Best Group Video (2003), Best Hip Hop Video (2003 and 2008), and Best Collaboration Video (2006). Rip Slyme continued to release a series of hit albums including Masterpiece (2004), Epoch (2006), Funfair (2007), Journey (2009), Star (2011), Golden Time (2013), and 10 (2015). They also released a series of hit singles including “Zatsunen Entertainment” (2001), “One” (2004), “Funktastic” (2002), “Rakuen Baby” (2002), “Dandelion” (2004), “Luvi” (2006), and “Nettaiya” (2007). The group announced their hiatus in 2018, although Pes had secretly left the band the previous year. In 2022, Rip Slyme returned as a trio featuring Ryo-Z, Ilmari, and DJ Fumiya and released a series of singles including “Human Nature,” “Gentleman,” and “After the Rain.”