Kohei Japan

Born in Yokohama, Japan, he discovered rap and hip hop while working as a chef.

[1] Many of his songs illustrate the contrasts between his Japanese culture and Western hip hop influences.

In his song "Hungry Strut",[2] he proclaims that he eats "rice, not bread, and fish, not meat", thereby asserting that while he is a member of the hip hop culture, he remains Japanese.

On his album "The adventures of Kohei Japan", he appears on the cover as a kabuki character in a woodblock print.

[3] On the album cover, his hands make the universal "funk" sign, showing the contrast between traditional Japan and hip hop culture.