Leon Fanourakis, the spearhead of the Japanese hip-hop scene, releases his first full-length album in a year and a half.

Hip-hop has become the mainstream of the music scene in recent years. The news that hip-hop/R&B sales have surpassed rock music in the U.S. music market gives us a glimpse of the power of this genre.

And here in Japan, too, hip-hop is receiving a lot of heat, especially from a number of young artists who are emerging and giving the scene a boost.

Among these young artists, Leon Fanourakis stands out from the crowd, having established a solid reputation through his appearances on "High School Rap Championship" and "Birth of a Rap Star.

Leon Fanourakis
Photo_Cherry Chill Will.

Leon, whose theme is "Japanese rap for the world," is now releasing his second album "SHISHIMAI.

The guest artists on the first full-length album in about a year and a half include labelmate WILYWNKA, his ally SANTAWORLDVIEW, and rising stars LEX and JP THE WAVY, who are just 18 years old.

International producers also made their mark, with worldwide collaborations with GHXST from New York, who wrote the music for 6ix9ine, and KrissiO from Norway, who provided the music for Famous Dex.

SHISHIMAI" consists of 15 songs in total. In addition to songs with addictive and ferocious voices and fast flows, they have also taken on the challenge of singing from this album, resulting in a more emotional work.

The distribution will start on January 22 (Fri.). Before that, "ZEKKOCHO," produced by U-LEE, a trackmaker belonging to the hip-hop crew "YENTOWN," will be available exclusively on Apple Music and Spotify.