Q&A: KAZUO

Stinging with clever wordplay, aggressive production, and explosive energy is the NYC based Japanese rapper, Kazuo. On his debut project, AKUMA, the rising rapper delivers nothing but versatility, leaping between English and Japanese seamlessly, as well as having an array of songs with a darker, gritty undertone. The project is also accompanied by records that reflect a very 90s-New York rap style. Often regarding himself as the underdog, his unorthodox and vulgar approach to topics helped in giving him a unique sound. Kazuo cites comic books and cheesy 80s and 90s films as his inspirations. We had the chance to delve deeper into the creation of his debut project along with him.

Do you mind introducing yourself? 

Hi, my name is Kazuo. I'm an artist from 2 different worlds. I rap and produce and stuff. My music sounds like a sword-wielding samurai wearing Timbs and a Yankee fitted. My hair is permanently damaged from bleaching it so much.

Do you mind going into detail about your project Akuma? 

I had released a good amount of singles onto streaming already so I knew at some point I would have to drop a project. The fans stayed bugging me about it. There were previous attempts at making one but they would end up getting scrapped because I would change the creative direction or simply I just hated everything I was making. Artists can relate. So instead of thinking about making an album per se, I just made a bunch of songs till I started to see a pattern/theme. Also, I've always been a huge fan of dirty, unmastered, demo quality rap songs from the '90s and knew I wanted to make something like that. By the time I made YABAI96 and How To Make Friends, I knew things were starting to come together.

I learned that AKUMA translates into “devil” in English. Throughout, there’s sinister like themes and an aggressive style shown in your production. What was the creative process behind it?

Being alone in your room for a long time with little to no communication with the outside world really fucks with your brain. In general, I'm a fan of loud sounds. Not to mention my voice carries a lot of energy. By the time I was at song #20 or something, I knew it was right to call the album AKUMA because everything I was making sounded demonic whether it was the production or just the things I was talking about. Also, because it's my favorite word.

Seamlessly transitioning between rapping in English and Japanese on AKUMA, you’ve also managed to incorporate an NYC style within some of the tracks. How do you balance the two identities within your sound?

I don't necessarily balance identities. It's just who I am. I'm hella inspired by the NYC sound and its evolution. So when I was working on AKUMA, those styles came to me naturally. Also, people ask when do I know to switch the language, but it's not like carefully executed or anything, I just do it. 

What was the inspiration behind choosing to rap in two languages?

Honestly, Korean rap. They incorporate English into a lot of their lyrics. It could be that some of the artists there are also American but yeah it was always cool to me that they did that. When I first did it, each language had a different voice to it which I didn't like so I practiced till the switching of languages sounded more smooth.

I also watched your YouTube video explaining the differences between the American and Japanese school systems. Do you mind talking about what it was like growing in between two cultures?

It's 2 different worlds. In Japan, I was already outcasted by other students and teachers so I never really felt like I had to live up to any standard despite the Japanese school system being hella conservative. Any time I attempted to 'fit in', I was always reminded that I'm different and that I don't belong so I said fuck it. Didn't care for approval anymore. That attitude was already embedded in me by the time I got to NY.

What’s your favorite track on AKUMA?

Obviously I like them all but I feel like YABAI96 was when I leveled up my production. SADBOYRADIO I also like it because of how vulnerable I was. 

Who are you currently listening to? 

A mixed bag of things. JPEGMAFIA, Bleachers, Denzel Curry, Run The Jewels, my boy Leon Fanourakis, slowthai, and The Cure, and many others I can't name right now.