Testimony 2SHOKICHI from EXILE,.
EXILE THE SECOND
(singer, songwriter, performer)
I got into NITRO when I was in high school, and I even copied the outfit perfectly.
I saw you at the venue of the first one-man show after the reunion. Could you tell us your honest impression?
SHOKICHI:The first moment DELI started shouting, I got goosebumps. Everyone's voices were coming out, and the sense of badness hadn't changed. I knew it wasn't Date.
What did you think when you heard about the reunion?
SHOKICHI:I wondered if we could get 8 people together properly ......? (laughs). (Laughs.) Until then, whenever I met Mr. Hoshina, the president of the NITRO office, or Mr. Bigzam, I kept saying, "I want to see NITRO! But Mr. Bigzam told me "We probably won't be able to get together. So, this restart is for real! I was like, "I've been solo for a while, but we are all here. I had never seen NITRO with all the members, although I had performed solo. So, to be able to see NITRO with all eight of us for the first time was quite exciting.
Who was the first member you became friends with?
SHOKICHI:That was Bigzam. I knew he was from Hokkaido, but when Bigzam started his solo career, I was still an amateur at the age of 19 or so, and we were in a chorus group called WILD STYLE, which consisted of four members. SWAY of DOBERMAN INFINITY was in charge of rapping, and we were in the singer's section.
So that's how you met! What was your impression of the first encounter?
SHOKICHI:What I remember very well is that Mr. Bigzam was very disciplined anyway. When I went to greet him, he shook my hand and said, "Nice to meet you! and shook my hand. I thought he was a manly man. He was stoic and didn't drink alcohol before the concert, and of course he was wearing a tank top (laughs). When I saw his tattoo up close, I thought, "Oh, it's real. ......
Do you have a relationship with him since then?
SHOKICHI:There's a bit of a pause, isn't there? I wonder how we could meet again? Maybe 10 years or so had passed and I was already in the exile. But I had a chance to see him again in private, and after I told him that I had actually played in front of him ......, Bigzam came to see our show and said, "You are doing a great job. From there, I feel we became very close. Once, we went on a trip to LA together, and I visited the area where Bigzam lived in LA, and we talked a lot about hip-hop while going to an NBA game. I have fond memories of the sunset at a hill called Signal Hill. It was a dope trip (laughs).
Please tell us about some of your favorite NITRO songs.
SHOKICHI:It's "NITRICH". It's not an album, but an EP. I put it on MD at the time and listened to it a lot. When they played it at the last one-man show, I was super excited from the intro.
I'm sure it's even more impressive when you've been a follower since you were a teenager.
SHOKICHI:I think so. I first heard NITRO at a friend's house when I was a sophomore in high school, and it was around the time when the fashion around me was changing from skater to B-BOY-like. I had been listening to hard rock and mixed music like LIMP (BIZKIT) until then, and then DEF JAM was at its peak, and I thought "hip-hop is cool. When I first started getting into NITRO, I even imitated their outfits perfectly, and I was already wearing NITROW (NITRO's former apparel brand) all over my body. I spent all the money I earned from my part-time job at a yakiniku (barbecue) restaurant back then (laughs).
(laughs). . It is a dream come true to have a joint venture like this now, isn't it? . Finally, what are your expectations for NITRO in the future?
SHOKICHI:I heard that there were many fans who couldn't get tickets for the last concert, and I think there are many fans who are waiting for it like me. I really saw the NITRO that I have been longing for, and I was reminded of myself as a boy, and I felt again how cool hip-hop is. Please invite me to another show!
