A love song in Japanese pop rap

Girl feat. kojikojiSorane

Sora-ne / Girl feat. kojikoji - Official Music Video -

This is a collaborative track with kojikoji included on Soraune’s second album, “19FACT,” released in June 2020.

As Soraune has said—“I wrote from a girl’s perspective about a girl’s feelings”—the song stands out for a male rapper deliberately portraying romance from a female point of view.

It captures the inability to be straightforward and the complicated emotions toward a lover with a light, effortless flow.

Blending chill hip-hop and R&B, the soft vocals by kojikoji layer on top to create an intimate mood that makes you want to listen alone in your room at night.

Selected as MUSIC ON! TV’s “M-ON! Recommend” and Space Shower TV’s “it!,” this piece is a love song that resonates strongly with listeners of the same generation.

Only Holy Story featuring azumi from wyolicaSteady&Co.

only holy story steady&co.

Released in 2001, this song is included on Steady&Co.’s debut album “CHAMBERS,” and became a hot topic for its collaboration with wyolica’s azumi.

At the time, a renewed J-hip hop boom saw many promising singers and artists who originally loved hip hop offering to guest on tracks.

This song is a love ballad that expresses the longing to see someone against the quietly falling snow, and it remains highly popular today.

Baby Girl ～sweet lovesong～Mr.OZ feat CITY-ACE

Baby Girl ～sweet lovesong～/Mr.OZ feat CITY-ACE

Released in April 2009, this is a track included on Mr.

OZ’s seventh album, “BIGG MAC WORKS.” Mr.

OZ is often said to have no equals when it comes to delivering mellow rap, and this song gives the impression that the piano intro-driven track tightens and defines the whole piece.

The lyrics, which dwell on lingering feelings for the other person, match it perfectly.

While the words themselves are the kind of not-so-refined expressions often found in hip-hop, it’s a love song that, curiously, doesn’t evoke any sense of dislike.

Kinmokusei feat. Mamiko SuzukiTOSHIKI HAYASHI (%C)

Kinmokusei feat. Mamikko Suzuki / TOSHIKI HAYASHI (%C) - Official MV -

TOSHIKI HAYASHI (%C), a Tokyo-based beatmaker.

This track featuring Mamiko Suzuki of chelmico was included on his 2017 album “THREE” and released as a 7-inch analog single in August 2018.

Its mellow groove evokes an autumn dusk, and the flow—shifting smoothly from conversational rap into melody—intertwines exquisitely to gently portray emotions and memories that resurface with the changing seasons.

The sound, blending a lo-fi beat sensibility with city-pop-style harmonies, feels like a snapshot of small urban melancholies.

It’s a calm, warm love song perfect for the season when the fragrant olive blooms and scents the air.

Ms. U feat. idom & SALUKvi Baba

Kvi Baba / Ms. U feat. idom & SALU (Music Video)

A love song that portrays the feeling of thinking only of one precious person amid the dense streets of Tokyo.

Featuring singer-songwriter idom and the revered SALU, Kvi Baba released this track in March 2024.

Against a backdrop of urban clamor and crowds of countless people crossing paths, the urgency of keeping one’s gaze fixed on a single person is woven through each of the three artists’ distinctive expressions.

Kvi Baba’s introspective lyrics, idom’s delicate vocals, and SALU’s urbane flow overlap to create a depth unique to this collaboration.

Selected as the ending theme for ABEMA’s news program ABEMA Prime in May 2024, the song has reached a broad audience.

It’s a piece that keeps you company on late-night drives or in quiet moments spent thinking of someone special.

One More Time (feat. NØZ)torain

One More Time (feat. NØZ)

A Gen Z rapper from Hiroshima, Koin—known for the phrase “Obazuri mōshiagemasu”—teams up with R&B singer NØZ on this track, a poignant love song that stands apart from his usual viral-leaning style.

Its straightforward plea—asking a lover on the verge of leaving to stay by their side just once more—hits straight to the heart.

Over a gentle, mid-tempo track, Koin’s melodic rap weaves with NØZ’s soft vocals, resulting in a work that transcends the boundary between hip-hop and J-pop.

Since its 2022 release, it’s been selected for LINE MUSIC’s year-end J-rap playlist and used over 20,000 times on video apps, capturing the hearts of the social media generation.

It’s the song to play when you’re not quite ready to accept the end of a romance.

Jam feat. iriSuzuki Mamiko

Mamikko Suzuki – Jam feat. iri (official music video)

A collaborative track created by Suzuki Mamiko—active as Mamiko of chelmico—with her close friend iri as a guest.

Over an urban sound woven from jazzy piano and a swinging beat, their voices layer as if in conversation, making for a comfortable listen.

Released ahead of her solo album “ms” in August 2021, the song was accompanied by a music video that captures their unadorned selves wandering along the seaside and city streets.

Co-written lyrics sketch the warmth and scenes of time spent together, while a vocal style that drifts between rap and singing creates an intimate atmosphere.

It’s a piece that keeps you company on a relaxed day off or when you want to unwind with someone special.