From music to devices to fashion, hip-hop is constantly evolving and seeking freshness. Cypress Ueno, who has been on the scene, is one of those who know both the older generation with its rigid hip-hop-isms and the younger generation with its abstract, unconventional style. Having grown up in Yokohama, he has seen both sides of the spectrum, so what does he feel when he comes into contact with new technology? What should change and what should stay the same, as seen in his enjoyment of Huawei's new tablet, which also focuses on sound.
MC, born in 1980. In 2000, he formed "Cypress Ueno and Roberto Yoshino" with Roberto Yoshino, who was his junior at Yokohama Dreamland, a pioneer theme park in Totsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. He is also active as a DJ under the name "Legend of Legend a.k.a. Cypress Ueno," as well as the first monster of Freestyle Dungeon, a radio personality, and a host, among many other activities. He recently released his first major full-length album, "Dream Ginza" by Saue and Rokichi.
This tablet is just right because it's easy to carry around; with a PC, I would break it (laughs).
You usually perform in various places, and I know that you often travel to the countryside. What do you do while traveling?
Cypress Ueno (hereafter referred to as Sagami). I listen to music, radio, read manga, and sleep. . I listen to the radio through an app on my phone.
. You're using your travel time in a meaningful way.
coffee loungeBut I do something, and the next thing I know, I'm asleep (laughs). (laughs). I don't often just sit idle. There was a time when I had to go to Kyushu in advance of a festival, but I couldn't get a flight, so I had to take the bullet train, which was a long trip.
Shinkansen from Shin-Yokohama to Kyushu is not so easy.
coffee loungeIt took more than five hours. I ate about two lunches (laughs). (Laughs.) Then we were deep in the mountains again, so there was nothing to do, and in the end, I felt like I was having a drinking party all by myself on the way.
I know you usually carry a smartphone or computer with you, but do you ever use a tablet?
coffee loungeYes, there is. But mainly at home. I used to watch the Koshien regional tournament at home . It wasn't on terrestrial TV. Then, a friend of mine saw me watching the tournament and said, "Why don't you use this? He lent me his tablet. He lent me his company-issued tablet (laughs). I put an app on it, put it up on the dining table, and watched it all the time.
I know that you sometimes check music videos and other videos for your work.
coffee lounge. I basically use my smartphone now. It's hard to watch because it's so small, but I often drop my PC, so it's a bit of a hassle to carry it around with me. I often drop my PC, so it's a bit of a hassle to carry it around with me.
Isn't that fatal for a person who also DJs? (laughs).
coffee lounge. that's right. I finally got run over the other day. The young guy was very considerate and brought my stuff with my computer in it and left it there, but I didn't notice it. I don't know if he didn't want to talk to me because I was too busy talking to him or what. I don't know if he was just talking to me or if he didn't want me to talk to him. I heard a cracking sound from behind me, and I said, "What's that? I heard a sound from behind me, and I looked over and saw my bag! I looked over and saw my bag! I looked up and saw my bag! I was hit by a truck. That was shocking.
It must have been a rare sight to see.
coffee loungeYes, that's right. I was told by many people not to carry around a PC anymore, but I thought, "I can't DJ with that.... So I am in the process of buying a new computer. I'm having a lot of trouble because I don't have a computer at the time when I'm going to use it for various purposes before the release of my album. I can't open the gigabytes of data that came in, and so on. It's hard to check music videos on my phone, and I break my PC, so a tablet might be just right because it's easy to carry around.
You used HUAWEI's HUAWEI MediaPad M5 and HUAWEI MediaPad M5 lite this time, what did you think of them?
coffee loungeIt looks quite easy to use. . I think the smaller size of "HUAWEI MediaPad M5" is also suitable for me. HUAWEI MediaPad M5 lite" can also take notes with the included pen, right? Let's see, Cypress...Ueno.... . Oh, it's easy to write. Roberto ... Yoshino ... .
Microsoft Office Mobile" is preinstalled, and Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook allow users to input handwriting using the included "HUAWEI M-Pen lite" when in drawing mode. The app recognizes the characters and converts them to text, so it is OK even if your handwriting is usually poor.
coffee loungeI see . If I get used to it, I might be able to write lyrics with it.
The pressure sensitivity is also very fine, with 2048 levels, so it almost feels like you are writing on paper. In terms of size, the HUAWEI MediaPad M5 is about 125 mm wide and 210 mm high, and weighs about 320 g, making it easy to hold in one hand. Since it is easy to carry around, it can be used for purposes other than watching Koshien at home.
coffee loungeThat's right (laughs). I'm currently using an app called "BandLab" to record my voice, but there are a lot more studio-type apps available these days, and the screen is big and easy to see, so I can do a lot of things with it. I can also quickly send a track to a track maker for confirmation. I used to record lyrics I wrote on my phone with a voice memo, but I thought that was a bit awkward because there was no sound on the recording. With this, as long as I have the sound data in a dropbox or something, I can put my voice on it. If it's this easy, I think I'll use this one.
The sound is also good because it is tuned by audio manufacturer Harman Kardon. The sound is quite three-dimensional, and is said to be much better than conventional tablets.
coffee loungeAh, it's true . The built-in speaker is loud enough, but the sound is great. I always used to bring a Bluetooth speaker to listen to music in hotels, but I was concerned about the bulkiness of the speaker. With this kind of sound quality, it seems like I can just take this with me.
With compatible headphones, they can also play high-resolution music. Mr. Saue, are there many people around you who use tablets?
coffee loungeThere are quite a few. When I go to bars, for example, there are guys who play DJ on their tablets. They are not the idol type, but that's the kind of DJs I'm talking about. They say, "It doesn't rub, and it has a synchronization function, so I don't mind at all! He said, "It doesn't rub, and it has a synchronization function, so it's totally fine! (Laughs).
B-Boys seem to be obsessed with stylistic beauty, don't they? They think vinyl is the way to go," etc. Especially in your hometown of Yokohama, there is a strong tendency to do so. Especially in your hometown of Yokohama, there is a strong tendency toward this kind of thing, isn't there?
coffee loungeSo it's tough (laughs). . because it's a place where people maintain a mysterious awareness that they have to win.
In that sense, Saue and Rokichi's new album, "Dream Ginza," was both fresh and a renewed sense of authentic B-BOY colors.
coffee loungeThe very first track I made was "NO LIMIT," the last track on the album. The DJ who made this track, MISTA SHAR, is also a hip-hop fundamentalist, or rather, a strictly hip-hop person. He is a senior DJ in Shonan, and he is very particular about vinyl and other things, and whenever he posts something on Instagram, he gets "likes" from Lord Finesse.
. the conversation is getting a bit gray (laughs). In terms of the track makers involved in the album, it is gorgeous, although it is quite a wide range, from DJ PMX, an OG in Yokohama, to Takkyu Ishino.
coffee loungeIt's extravagant, isn't it? After all, our generation has been fed up with Denki Groove. I think this album goes into a place that might be taboo in the context of the "Yokohama hip-hop scene," but I don't get along with the locals, and in fact, they are very happy to see me at clubs on Saturdays. I don't get on bad terms with the locals, and they're very happy to see me at clubs on Saturdays. There are a lot of hardcore DJs in Yokohama who are the same age as me, and we have a lot in common, but they are usually very rude and say, "You're busy, and you're coming to a place like this? They said to me, "You're so busy, are you okay to come here? What? What have I become? (laughs).
It's the warmth that only the Hood can provide.
coffee loungeAnd everyone is always drunk in the morning. I feel like this has been going on for a long time.
But you're bitter about the younger generation DJing on tablets? (Laughs)
coffee loungeNo, that's totally fine too . At first I was like, "Oh, no, you're not a DJ! But there are a lot of young people who are a bit geeky, and there are a lot more people in my family who are like, "You're a DJ? I've seen an increase in the number of people in my family who are like, "You're a DJ? I've known them since I was a kid, and they have regular monthly events at bars with many of my posters on the wall. That kind of thing is becoming mainstream now. If I had this "Huawei," I could aim for a studio rec, or something close to that level of perfection, don't you think? (Laughs).
HUAWEI MediaPad M5
The slim 8.4-inch body is easy to hold and features a high-resolution 2K display with a screen occupancy of 821 TP10T. The sound performance is also particularly high, with high-resolution audio that supports a wide sound range thanks to acoustic tuning by Harman Inc. of the U.S., and dual speakers that provide a wide range of sound. The WiFi model ¥37,800 + tax, SIM-free model ¥45,800 + tax (all prices are estimated).
HUAWEI MediaPad M5 lite
The 10.1-inch screen offers the power of a 10.1-inch screen, and the 10.1-inch screen offers the power of a 10.1-inch screen, and the 10.1-inch screen offers the power of a 10.1-inch screen. The specially designed stylus pen is compatible with the 20.1-inch screen. The specially designed stylus pen supports 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity, allowing users to take notes and draw without stress. The unimetallic body with glass edges and curves fits comfortably in the hand. ¥29,880+tax for WiFi model, ¥37,880+tax for LTE model, ¥37,880+tax for SIM-free model (with HUAWEI M-Pen lite exclusive cover) (All prices are subject to change) . (all at estimated market price)
