RAG MusicR&B-Soul
Lovely R&B and soul

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!

Playlist

A masterpiece of Japanese black music. A noteworthy work embodying the soul of black music.
show_chartTitlePlaylistReview
1eastThe eve of revolutionTempalay
The eve of revolutionTempalayplay_arrow
Black music where the throbbing bass steals the show
2eastWatashiiri
Watashiiriplay_arrow
iri’s debut single “Watashi” has a disco vibe.
3eastSTAY TUNESuchmos
STAY TUNESuchmosplay_arrow
Suchmos’s iconic song that embodies acid jazz
4east22LUCKY TAPES
22LUCKY TAPESplay_arrow
LUCKY TAPES, popular for their sophisticated music
5eastain’t on the map yetNulbarich
ain't on the map yetNulbarichplay_arrow
A song about feelings for someone special
6eastTrippajama de umi nanka ikanai
Trippajama de umi nanka ikanaiplay_arrow
Perfect for driving, Neo-soul style music
7eastAtamiKroi
AtamiKroiplay_arrow
Popular band songs blending Black music
8north_eastMidnight CruiseWONK
Midnight CruiseWONKplay_arrow
WONK's mature, soul-style song
9south_eastR.T.NKANDYTOWN
R.T.NKANDYTOWNplay_arrow
Captivating club-sound hip-hop
10eastBaby I love you soShimizu Shota
Baby I love you soShimizu Shotaplay_arrow
Shota Shimizu’s new song, a song of love and hope
11north_eastFEEL SO BADodoru! disuko muromachi
FEEL SO BADodoru! disuko muromachiplay_arrow
A funky track that makes your heart dance!
12south_eastPassionUA
PassionUAplay_arrow
UA's signature song 'Jounetsu' is a captivating track.
13south_eastBREAKTHROUGHCosmo’s Midnight, SIRUP, Shin Sakiura
BREAKTHROUGHCosmo's Midnight, SIRUP, Shin Sakiuraplay_arrow
The collaboration track “Feeling Good” is exhilarating.
14eastRules feat. Tao TsuchiyaTAIKING
Rules feat. Tao TsuchiyaTAIKINGplay_arrow
The collaborative song “Rules” by Suchmos and TAIKING is striking.
15eastHave you ever smoked Gauloises?sakai yuu feat. Ovall
Have you ever smoked Gauloises?sakai yuu feat. Ovallplay_arrow
Yu Sakai delivers a cool, soulful cover of a classic.
16north_eastFrisbeeBRADIO
FrisbeeBRADIOplay_arrow
BRADIO’s classic song with a strong funk vibe, “Frisbee”
17south_eastOvernightSIRUP
OvernightSIRUPplay_arrow
SIRUP’s soulful tracks with a floating, airy sound
18north_eastWaveNao Yoshioka
WaveNao Yoshiokaplay_arrow
Nao Yoshioka’s mature love song “Wave” is outstanding.
19eastREAL UFujita Oruya
REAL UFujita Oruyaplay_arrow
Oriya Fujita's R&B number “REAL U”
20south_eastBoogie RideKubota Toshinobu
Boogie RideKubota Toshinobuplay_arrow
Toshinobu Kubota, a dance tune representing R&B
21north_eastThat’s My LifeL.L BROTHERS
That's My LifeL.L BROTHERSplay_arrow
A powerful R&B number by L.L BROTHERS
22south_eastmysteryHoshino Gen
mysteryHoshino Genplay_arrow
Gen Hoshino’s new song: the evolution and appeal of R&B
23eastBalmy LifeKroi
Balmy LifeKroiplay_arrow
Music by Kroi that evokes Black music
24eastDancing FighterAwesome City Club
Dancing FighterAwesome City Clubplay_arrow
An anthem that encourages walking forward in life
25eastGimmeLUCKY TAPES
GimmeLUCKY TAPESplay_arrow
The dance beat is insanely groovy.
26north_eastPaleyahyel
Paleyahyelplay_arrow
A fantasia where philosophy is sublimated into music
27north_eastSSWBD.A.N.
SSWBD.A.N.play_arrow
An engaging club-sound track
28eastShakeDOUBLE
ShakeDOUBLEplay_arrow
The sense of nighttime liberation in the classic by DOUBLE, the R&B sister duo.
29eastCall U Every NiteMICHICO
Call U Every NiteMICHICOplay_arrow
A poignant love song by a top artist’s songwriter
30north_eastTaking Our TimeStill Caravan
Taking Our TimeStill Caravanplay_arrow
The appeal of the jazz band Still Caravan
31north_eastTHE EDGETHE BAWDIES
THE EDGETHE BAWDIESplay_arrow
THE BAWDIES, who captivate with their soulful vocals
32south_eastGlimmering Dancin’BRADIO
Glimmering Dancin'BRADIOplay_arrow
My body starts dancing to the funky music and music video.
33north_eastEchoPAELLAS
EchoPAELLASplay_arrow
A love song by the Tokyo-based four-piece PAELLAS
34north_eastTokyoAme no Parēdo
TokyoAme no Parēdoplay_arrow
Feelings of moving to Tokyo with the groovy 'Tokyo'
35south_eastLOOPSIRUP
LOOPSIRUPplay_arrow
A sentimental autumn song, painting memories
36south_eastLife Like ThisWONK,Kubota Toshinobu
Life Like ThisWONK,Kubota Toshinobuplay_arrow
Moved by a cross-generational soul collaboration
37south_eastJAM fo’ freedomKubota Toshinobu
JAM fo' freedomKubota Toshinobuplay_arrow
An energetic and powerful cheer song
38south_eastAll conditioned things are impermanent.Kubota Toshinobu
All conditioned things are impermanent.Kubota Toshinobuplay_arrow
Toshinobu Kubota’s heartwarming cheer song
39north_eastCold DancerScoobie Do
Cold DancerScoobie Doplay_arrow
SCOOBIE DO’s distinctive music and visuals
40north_eastTokyo 2020Nao Yoshioka
Tokyo 2020Nao Yoshiokaplay_arrow
A masterpiece by a singer who moved to the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic
41north_eastNight Drivin’Neighbors Complain
Night Drivin'Neighbors Complainplay_arrow
A perfect track for a night drive
42north_eastFish bones, bird featherscero
Fish bones, bird feathersceroplay_arrow
A song that expresses the band’s distinctive musical style
43north_eastGroovynightchilldspot
Groovynightchilldspotplay_arrow
The captivating music of the high school band chilldspot
44north_eastSURELYnever young beach
SURELYnever young beachplay_arrow
A song that evokes the blue summer sky and white sandy beach.
45north_eastFrom the magic circle, with loveKarasu wa masshiro
From the magic circle, with loveKarasu wa masshiroplay_arrow
Crows create captivating music
46north_eastBluemin’ DaysYogee New Waves
Bluemin' DaysYogee New Wavesplay_arrow
Formation of Yogee New Waves by Kadotate and Yazawa
47south_eastWE AREeill
WE AREeillplay_arrow
eill’s “WE ARE” has outstanding musicality and lyrics
48south_eastLonely Genius (So What)sakai yū feat Terrace Martin
Lonely Genius (So What)sakai yū feat Terrace Martinplay_arrow
Commentary on Yu Sakai’s classic song “The Genius of Solitude”
49south_eastStop and lookPetorōruzu
Stop and lookPetorōruzuplay_arrow
Petros is a captivating three-piece band.
50eastDRAMATENDRE
DRAMATENDREplay_arrow
Taro Kawahara’s solo project TENDRE captures the urban night.
51north_eastWorld of Love * CKB SpecificationsCRAZY KEN BAND
World of Love * CKB SpecificationsCRAZY KEN BANDplay_arrow
A funk song remade by Ken Yokoyama
52north_eastNo, that’s not it.Suzuki Masayuki
No, that's not it.Suzuki Masayuki
Masayuki Suzuki's soulful signature song
53south_eastALL GODS BLESS MERYKEYDADDYDIRTY
ALL GODS BLESS MERYKEYDADDYDIRTYplay_arrow
A signature song by RYKEYDADDYDIRTY, with a low difficulty level
54south_eastDear, My Friendsmashoe’
Dear, My Friendsmashoe'play_arrow
A soulful song filled with feelings for a friend
55south_eastCRAZY OUTSIDEMIYACHI & Aoyama Teruma
CRAZY OUTSIDEMIYACHI & Aoyama Terumaplay_arrow
A hip-hop song by Thelma Aoyama and MIYACHI
56south_eastMelody of SummerTAMTAM
Melody of SummerTAMTAMplay_arrow
Reggae, a club-music band, a summer song
57south_eastOutskirtsThe fin.
OutskirtsThe fin.play_arrow
A song by The fin. with a pleasant tempo
58south_eastIf that’s the caseZA FEEDO
If that's the caseZA FEEDOplay_arrow
The captivating music of ZA FEEDO
59south_eastTONight!THE TON-UP MOTORS
TONight!THE TON-UP MOTORSplay_arrow
THE TON-UP MOTORS' music with a bluesy feel
60south_eastFLOWERSWONK
FLOWERSWONKplay_arrow
WONK's “FLOWERS,” a song of encouragement
61south_eastFREERMukai Taichi
FREERMukai Taichiplay_arrow
Taichi Mukai’s song is a moving work that sings of freedom.
62south_eastpoipoiZainichi Fanku
poipoiZainichi Fankuplay_arrow
Zainichi Funk: outstandingly captivating musicality
63south_eastDon’t mess with history.Sakamoto Shintarō
Don't mess with history.Sakamoto Shintarōplay_arrow
Shintaro Sakamoto’s songs and their funky musicality
64south_eastMy WayMirei Touyama
My Way Mirei Touyamaplay_arrow
A J-pop song with a Black music influence