shaka bose

Born in 1992, shaka bose calls himself a “Tokio Shaman”. His music combines hip-hop with spiritual, exotic and psychedelic elements, giving it a unique sound that seems to drift in and out of reality. His vivid yet playful lyrics come out in a mix of hypnotic rapping, ethereal singing and even occasional screams, all of which ride atop dark, atmospheric beats. His music videos also work in elements from video games, anime and social media, adding another layer to the surreal imagery.

This eclectic vision reflects shaka bose’s somewhat unusual path into the hip-hop scene. During his school years, he was first inspired to make music by rock and visual kei bands. He began working as a host in Kabukicho at just sixteen years old, which exposed him to many of the dark aspects of Japan’s nightlife industry before he quit three years later. After creating instrumental tracks and sharing them online as a hobby for a while, as an experiment, he branched into uploading songs featuring rapped vocals on Niconico Douga. When these began to attract a following, he gradually began to perform live and release songs more formally, culminating in his first official album HEISEI in 2018.

shaka bose is also active as a trackmaker and mix engineer. He produces most of his own songs, as well as works for other artists. He also organizes an event called TOKIO SHAMAN that brings together a diverse mix of hip-hop artists.