An exploration of Team Tomodachi’s remixes across Asia

This feature is from This Side of Japan issue 88. You can check out the main newsletter here.

Among followers of the Japanese rap scene: “Team Tomodachi‘ came with immediate fanfare upon the return of the rapper now called Yuki Chiba, who retired his former nickname KOHH in 2020. His comeback echoed the proto-crunk fight songs of late ’90s Memphis, from the ominous three-note piano riff of his bare-bones trap beat to the mosh-pit chant of a chorus – Chiba’s own ‘Who carries it out.” As his sleepy flow cooled the rallying cry into a more low-key anthem, it didn’t take long for other rappers to answer the call. A few months later, “Team Tomodachi” became bigger than just Yuki Chiba, with dozens of rappers from all over Japan answering from all four directions, just as he shouts into the hook.

The record would eventually spread far beyond Japan, with the remixes and their music videos catching the attention of rappers across Asia. Gathered crews from South Korea to China, Vietnam to Thailand, Malaysia to Indonesia recorded their own verses and filmed themselves gathered outside a local establishment: the Google Map location of a restaurant in Chiba’s original video quickly became the official part of the full meme. More and more videos started showing a mutual sentiment: Didn’t you know there was a rap scene in my country? No longer just a fad, “Team Tomodachi” remixes became a platform to showcase local rap talent and their overlooked communities.

“Team Tomodachi” inspires a phenomenon that spans the continent and is by far the biggest Japanese song of the year. Although Yuki Chiba’s original record, which sparked the trend, is hardly the best of its iteration. The best remixes create a better flow, provide more creative wordplay, and introduce a more appealing personality to the cypher-made beat. Most of all, they draw attention to the fact that the whole craze thrives on group chemistry and camaraderie, something Chiba can’t achieve alone.

There have been dozens of great “Team Tomodachi” remixes across Asia this year. Starting from the origin point in Japan, I wanted to highlight just a few as I hopped from country to country. Unfortunately I can’t discuss everything, sorry about that Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar and others I missed. But here are some of my favorites and their cast of rappers.

Yuki Chiba capitalized on the craze his hit inspired early in the song’s life cycle and commissioned official, locally based remixes that covered an extensive range of Japan’s rap scene. the West, the East, North and the South. However, 3liYen, Renee Couto and Charlu recall the most important group of people Chiba left out of his homeland: the gyarus. As the beat lifts the first two spaces out of their hazy digicore, their verses translate the brash attitude of their own work; Charlu is more of a traditionalist with a pop slant and is going even faster. But more than in-your-face flashiness, the camaraderie that flows into the code defines the gyaru connection with the company “Team Tomodachi”.

See also: “BL333SED” by 3liYen; “RockstaRRR XD!” by Renée Couto; “Perfect night‘by Charlu

Since South Korea is one of its closest international neighbors, it’s perhaps not surprising that the first remixes I saw from outside Japan were from rappers from Seoul.. While the more established names Sticking to the script of the heavy beat, the rappers of SIK KOO swept me away with the scrappy rookie feel of their take. . Especially the first-up, 200 pricked my ears because of its opening bar: “watashi wa meccha kawaii.” Her cheerful voice reminded me of that too Yuziona favorite Korean rapper of mine, and it turns out she made it moody, Auto-Tune-infused bedroom rap like them too. That said, SIK KOO has a well-polished crew project to its name, the Han: Cooked EPwith a wide network of styles, from jiggy boom-bap, hazy rap&B to garage-y-hip-house. If anything, the remixes make the kids take a break and let themselves talk some stuff.

See also: “Slip mark” by 200, Koonminjae, SIVAA & YOSI; “Nightmare”with 60 meters GOLDBUDDA

Many remixes came from the different regions of China, a number perhaps only matched by Myanmar or Indonesia. Many of them chose to match the beat’s smugness and came out rough for the camera, as their verses suggested. So this vibrant ensemble of rappers from Chongqing was refreshing to watch compared to the countless crossover groups, even if a few members run with a chasing style similar to those other recordings. One of two here with a song I can easily find, BLACKSISTER, second to start, and her most recent song sounds like an audition tape for the ASAP Mob, from her barking flow to a trap beat with echoes of Three 6 Mafia. DonotZetah, the first in line and unofficial host of the remix, channels Cardi B with a punchy flow that matches the voice. The four may act cool, but they also bounce around together like they’re having the night of their lives – these might as well be the Chinese gyaru remix.

See also: “加把力” by BLACKSISTER ft. Xeezy Olatoundji; “红玉” by UKEYZ

Getting melodic over the Memphis-esque beat that’s primed for metronomic double time counts, especially when a dozen crew members use aggressive flow press, because it’s percussive to flex an equally badass personality. These five from Vietnam stand out for doing just that, with a rapper like FluV free to switch mid-verse to a more melodic cadence reminiscent of ’10s trap crooners. As if seizing an opportunity, those whose solo works yield more pop-juicy raps pile on lyrical wonder acrobatics: ever seen rocking “Hotline Bling” energyDVGKHOI crams syllables into syllables without breaking a sweat. Once he passes it off to fellow rapper Rekkol, it returns to a melody-meets-bars direction that others can take notes from.

Tuju actually cracks the titular chorus as a formality to warm up the posse cut, eager to just dive in and pick apart the cracking beat. However, his raspy voice resonates long after his peers from Borneo have inflicted damage from seemingly every angle. Airseeyaw floats like a ghost with its eerie rasp, leaving the metronomic silence of the beat behind; the members of the BADTHEHOOD crew then shift gear after gear at whiplash speed. That said, Tuju still explodes with charisma, indulging in a Thugger-esque croon one moment and tiptoeing over the beat with a whispered flow the next. When it comes to style, Borneo’s remix is ​​out there in droves.

See also: “RISK” by Benzooo, Ghidd ISOBAHTOS, TUJU, MeerFly & MK K-CLIQUE; “BAD NEWS” by BADTHEHOOD; “AIR‘By Airseeyaw

Different personalities meet in Malaysian gadis remix, each with her own style without overshadowing her colleagues. And this features the most diverse artists here on this list, as it gives the floor to girl-boss MCs, R&B singers, brat-pop club heads, trappers watching Opium and artists who lie somewhere in between. That said, despite the differences, the close chemistry can be a fairly natural outcome, with most of them crossing paths at some point in a song or a rap competition cypher. There’s a simple, infectious joy in watching them come together for a moment in the video, especially for the chigiri hook where they all begin improvised choreography in sync. A showcase of both individual characteristics and the strength of the team, this is the best remix of the craze yet.

See also: “BEM CAMNE” by Tish Errda; “WUNNABE” by Yang Ummul; “xXXbrainnssXXx” by Lil Asian Thiccie; “WELCOME 2 MY FANTASY”by SOPHIARAZK; “GLORY” by SYA ft. ASYRAF NASIR; “GELABA” by Maruxa Lynd; “MEAN” by Bubu Natassia; “BNKR” by TUJULOCA; “WANTITALL” by Aliana Azizi ft. Bubu Natassia & Axel Jonas

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