Artist

Candid about the traumatic upbringing that shaped him, Japanese rap star Kohh makes music about the darker side of life in Tokyo that often escapes mainstream media. • Raised by his grandmother and drug-addicted mother after his father committed suicide, Kohh grew up in the projects of North Tokyo, where he was surrounded by drugs and violence. • His 2012 debut mixtape, Yellow Tape, is best known for the Kohh-produced “Young Forever.” Performed by his then-kid brother, LIL KOHH, the single went viral. • Kohh released his debut album, Monochrome, in 2014. The following year, he skyrocketed to international acclaim with a career-defining feature on Korean rapper Keith Ape’s trap hit “It G Ma,” which famously sounded a lot like American rapper OG Maco’s “U Guessed It.” • In 2016, he appeared on an extended version of “Nikes” for the physical CD release of Frank Ocean’s Blonde. He also guested on “Boukyaku,” a single from Japanese American vocalist Hikaru Utada’s 2016 album Fantôme, a No. 1 hit in Japan. • Kohh scored another high-profile feature on Mariah Carey’s Skrillex-produced “Runaway,” a bonus track from her 2018 album Caution. • He made his Nippon Columbia debut with 2019’s UNTITLED, which incorporates rock guitars, strings, and other sounds.