Teriyaki Boyz

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albums

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- Beef or Chicken
- Released 2006

- Tokyo Drift
- Released 2008

- I Still Love H.E.R.
- Released 2007

- Heartbreaker
- Released 2006

biography

With cosigns from the likes of Kanye West and Pharrell of the Neptunes, Japanese rap supergroup the Teriyaki Boyz were intended to be ambassadors of the country's hip-hop scene to the world music arena. Their formation facilitated by Japanese urban trendsetter, entrepreneur, DJ, and producer Nigo (Tomoaki Nagao), the crew includes MCs Ilmari (Keisuke Ogihara) and Ryo-Z (Ryouji Narita) from Rip Slyme, Verbal of hip-hop/club duo m-flo, and solo act Wise (Kameyama Seiji). Nigo debuted the Teriyaki Boyz on his 2004 compilation Nigo Presents: (B)Ape Sounds, adding the DJ Shadow-produced "Kamikaze 108." For the group's debut album, Nigo assembled an all-star cast of producers, particularly taken from the U.S.'s hip-hop underground and pop mainstream, including Just Blaze, Cut Chemist, the Neptunes, DJ Premier, and Dan the Automator. After the Teriyaki Boyz inked a deal with Def Jam, the tongue-in-cheek Beef or Chicken first arrived in Japan in 2005 with "Heartbreaker," produced by Daft Punk, as its lead single. The Japanese troupe dispelled doubts of being a one-off collaboration by contributing two songs to the soundtrack of the 2006 movie The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and issuing a new single, the Kanye West-produced "I Still Love H.E.R.," the following year. ~ Cyril Cordor, All Music Guide