Big week for rapper Nate, involved in two of the best songs released out of Japan over the last seven days. She takes centerstage on “Reflects My Self,” a woozy number that finds her sing-rapping (and adding in some delightful ad libs) over a rippling electronic beat close to Local Visions’ brand of out-of-time-ness. It…
A minute and 30 seconds might not seem like a lot of time to leave an impression, but Magical Ponika makes that run count on “Nemuru.” It falls somewhere between her more joyful cuts and something like “We Are Anyway Die.” It uses a bell-centric beat to create something apt for the nursery, but with…
Let’s actually back up a bit and start on a more optimistic note. Tokyo artist Magical Ponika has been kicking around for a little bit now, in the same zone as other underground Japanese rappers seemingly inspired by the whole “SoundCloud rap” thing . Initially, she delivered bright candy-shelled numbers that put her own spin…