Teriyaki Boyz’ MC Wise to Entertain Seoul Friday
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
MC Wise, a member of popular Japanese hip-hop group Teriyaki Boyz, will hit the stage for Tokyo Underground Vol. 2 at the Mansion, Hongdae, Friday. The gig also features some of the hottest club acts in Tokyo: The Dexpistols, Keyth Death and Sol8.
In an e-mail interview with The Korea Times, Wise promised an amazing evening of music at the Tokyo Underground party.
``Keyth Death will definitely be making people dance, and with me on the side with a mic, hyping the crowd up, it should be a blast. The Dexpistols will be the headliners and this duo will show Seoul why they are the most respected electro sound crew in the scene right now. SOL8 will also be laying it down. Expect me to be on the mic or partying with the crowd,'' he said.
Wise, who was born to a Japanese father and American mother, says both cultures and languages have influenced his style of hip-hop as shown in his two solo albums ― ``Children of the Sun'' and ``Love Quest.''
``I combine the two cultures and mix the two languages when I rap, giving it a unique flow and distinctive sound that represents Wise,'' he said.
Wise was an up-and-coming underground MC when his friend Rip Slyme's Ilmari asked him, Ryo-Z and M-flo's Verbal to join in on a compilation album being put together by Nigo, a DJ and founder of the street wear brand A Bathing Ape in 2004.
``Rather than just putting all of our names as featured artists, we said why don't we come up with a brand new name for ourselves? And that's how we first started (Teriyaki Boyz),'' he said.
Teriyaki Boyz was introduced on the compilation album ``Nigo Presents: (B)Ape Sounds'' in 2004, followed by the debut album ``Beef or Chicken'' in 2005. They gained more recognition overseas after two songs were included on the ``Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift'' soundtrack. This year, Teriyaki Boyz released a second album, ``Serious Japanese.''
``We definitely got some recognition overseas and our live performance in Central Park, New York City, in 2007 was a success. But we have not released an official album in the U.S market yet and proven ourselves that Japanese hip-hop can make it in the world … I look forward to the future and in the meantime keep elevating my skills as an MC,'' he said.
Wise and Teriyaki Boyz have worked with some of the world's top hip-hop stars, such as Timbaland, Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. But one of Wise's most memorable collaborations was with Korean pop star BoA.
``BoA was amazing! When I first met her in the recording studio, she said she had a backache and seemed tired from all the work, but once she got in the recording booth she ripped it! She has natural skill and charisma. The recording went well and with me being a fan, the collaboration was a memorable one,'' he said.
While he's a member of Teriyaki Boyz, Wise tries to do something different when he's doing solo projects. ``For the Teriyaki Boyz, our concept is to simply have fun, first of all, and to be spontaneous and silly at times. When I do my solo work, I tend to talk about subjects from everyday life and how I see the world. I also focus on trying to send a positive message to the young listeners,'' Wise said.
Tokyo Underground Vol. 2 starts at 9 p.m. and goes to 5 a.m. Tickets are 25,000 (including a free drink). Visit www.multiseoul.com or club.cyworld.com/mansion. E-mail
or
.