A masterpiece of Japanese black music. A noteworthy work embodying the soul of black music.
Black music originally refers to music genres with roots in Africa, encompassing a very wide range such as jazz, blues, funk, soul, R&B, and hip-hop.
When we think of black music, we tend to picture songs by overseas artists, but in fact there are many cool tracks within Japan that have brilliantly incorporated black music.
In this article, we’ll showcase a selection of black music created by Japanese artists all at once!
From popular singer-songwriters to bands, we’ve gathered songs from a variety of artists, so take this opportunity to give them a listen!
- [Japanese R&B] Notable Classics & New Tracks, Representative Songs of Japanese R&B
- Japanese R&B Popularity Rankings [2026]
- Great Black Music: Recommended Masterpieces
- Popular R&B. Japanese Artist Rankings [2026]
- Recommended Japanese funk bands. Funky Japanese artists.
- Refined Sound: The World of Stylish Vocaloid R&B Songs
- [2026] Latest and Noteworthy J-Pop R&B Tracks
- A masterpiece of soul music. Recommended albums you should listen to at least once.
- From rock numbers to dance tunes! Cool songs of the Reiwa era
- Classic and Contemporary Hits in Western R&B: From the Newest Popular Tracks to All-Time Big Hits [2026]
- A classic of Japanese blues. Japanese blues that lets you get drunk on the sound and vocals.
- A band group that colors Japan’s R&B scene
- BRADIO’s famous and popular songs
Masterpieces of Black music in Japanese music. Featured works embodying the spirit of Black music (61–70)
No, that’s not it.Suzuki Masayuki
This is the 17th single by singer Masayuki Suzuki, who made his major debut as a member of the chorus group Rats & Star and has been hailed as the King of Love Songs since the 2000s.
The track was used in a commercial for Mitsutaka’s “Boutique JOY” and was released as a double A-side single together with “Shibuya de 5-ji,” making it one of his signature songs.
Despite its straightforward Japanese lyrics, his soulful vocals elevate it brilliantly into Black music.
When you think of Black music within J-POP, this is likely the first emotional number that comes to mind.
In conclusion
We just introduced a whole range of Japanese songs that incorporate Black music. We mixed in some newer tracks as well—did any of them match your taste? There were lots of cool, danceable tunes, weren’t there? I think one of the appeals of music influenced by Black music is that it feels so good you naturally start swaying as you listen. If any artists caught your attention, be sure to check out their other songs too.