Been a second since writing about the hazy indie rap scene starting to emerge (or at least become more clear) in Japan, but that’s more because the artists in it are branching out to platforms not as friendly towards our brand of blogging. If you have access to a streaming music site, go seek out Sleet Mage’s newest number “Changes,” boasting a beat making me all wet-eyed thinking about American Football, and featuring a typically emotional performance from Sleet Mage himself. For everyone else, spend some time with Kaine Dot Co’s “☁,” a number floating in the same blunted-out zone as “Sleepy Trippie Mage,” but rather than being the perfect personification of “anime girl sighing on loop,” Kaine Dot Co flows through it in a more sturdy manner, laid-back bordering on monotone but exuding enough confidence over the dreaminess around them. And it hits on what I like so much about this corner of Japanese rap — besides being more melodic, it is also in no rush to prove anything, but rather content to do its thing. Listen above.
