![]() On his YouTube channel and in his song, “Scumbag,” Kazuo openly addresses the unique challenges and prejudices he faces as a biracial man. In addition to rapping about these issues, he has created TikTok and YouTube videos about the toxically competitive school culture, racism, and the difficult family life he faced there. He is unapologetically critical of Japan and outspoken about the negative effects his childhood there had on his mental health. His lyrics and tone are angry: “Always told that I need therapy / I then agree like yes indeed / But I’m too broke to get a shrink, so I’ll just fall off mentally,” he declares on “Boombox!” But Kazuo has a complicated relationship with his Japanese background. In addition to Japanese lyrics, song titles such as “Arigato,” “Kaiju Freestyle,” and “Ichiban” are explicit allusions to his Asian heritage. But Kazuo appreciates his bilingual, bi-cultural heritage by rapping in both English and Japanese, switching between the two languages with ease, often in a single line. Upbeat, loud, expressive rap contrasts with a traditionally conservative Japanese culture. Kazuo’s style is particularly striking when rap and Japanese culture are juxtaposed side by side. ![]() Kazuo often raps about feeling like an outcast, in part due to growing up with multiple cultures: “Never did I fit it with the crowd / Even was hated by the outsiders / Was the weirdo to the weirdos / Had to learn to be a fighter,” he says in “88Rising.” He blends his Asian heritage into his music with influences from Korean rap and the Japanese language. Kazuo is confidently self-aware of his vulgarity and grittiness and lack of conformity to one genre or one culture, yet he confidently embraces this contrast in his album. The Japanese word akuma roughly translates to “devil” in English, and the album certainly delivers the demonic, explosive shock factor that its name would suggest. I don’t know how you got ahold of the albumīut it’s very vulgar, we have to do some revisions ![]() The first lyrics of AKUMA are “I don’t give a f- / Y’all can suck my dick.” And the outro of his song “Onlyfans” is a sample of a phone call by his manager interrupted by Kazuo: Right away, Kazuo makes it clear that he does not care what anyone else thinks. In an interview with Listen Magazine, Kazuo describes his music as “a sword-wielding samurai wearing Timbs and a Yankee fitted.” Inspired by the gritty sounds of ‘90s rap, AKUMA is an unforgiving, explosive rap album that does not shy away from vulgarity. The rapper seamlessly flows between English and Japanese lyrics layered on top of hard-hitting NYC beats. ![]()
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