Hip-hop has not been the same for me since the introduction of Shing02’s 400.
Shing02 is that dude that is bringing you the hip-hop fire you never knew you needed after rap turned hip-hop into a dirty word in the late 1990s and early 2000s. If you’re into any Japanimation you’ve at least peeped his most famous cut Battlecry from the Samurai Shamploo soundtrack, which was done with the legendary hip-hop producer, the late Nujabes. I personally knew nothing of his genius lyricism until my late20s, after late nights turned into me getting hooked on Samurai Champloo. Between his velvet spitfire lyrics and infectious bars that complemented the overall vibe of the show, Shing02 not only brought an authentic hip-hop sound to the anime playground but got on my musical radar.
Let me back up a sec and make sure everybody on the same page with my man Shing02.
For those that don’t know, American music audiences in general are some of the laziest and the most to be ignorant as hell in the entire free world. Outside of hardcore fans and purists to specific genres, a.k.a audiophobes, most of the music consumption audience don’t really pay attention to what their listening to and putting the right faces to names. Due to such fickle flagrancies in the music market Shing02 was mistaken plenty of Chinese American rapper Jin.
Understand, around the time 400 hit Jin was riding the wave of infamous appearances on 106 and Park via Freestyle Fridays. Without question and like Shing02 he was a beast. Having said that, Jin’s failed rap career after signing to Ruff Ryders involuntarily did a disservice to Shing02, as all Asian hip-hop rappers were lumped and dumped into failure just off of Jin’s lack of mainstream success as the first Asian rapper signed to a major record deal in the United Statess, and by default were forced into the underground. This narrow minded tunnel vision is why Shing02 is not a hip-hop name known by the American music masses nor had the luxury from having his albums on the shelves of American record stores.
In the modern world of internet access, finding Shing02 music was easier said than done.
The year was 2009, eight years after the release of 400 and one year before the tragic death of Nujabes. Momentum of Shing02 was not at a peak; outside of countless finds of Battlecry it was slim pickings. For one, while Battlecry is in English the majority of Shing02’s catalog is exclusively in Japanese. The language limitation took me almost two months running through countless hip-hop forums, dead leads, and prayer to come across any of his full length albums since they weren’t easily accessible on known music platforms at the time. Eventually I was blessed enough to secure a copy of 400 (both with lyrics and as a instrumental album) and my mind was blown from there. Now let me warn you – I do not speak Japanese, which is the language that Shing02 recorded 400 in. Don’t let that stop you from listening to it! Hip-hop on this album transcends language barriers and brings you in without the native fluency. The beats go hard enough with his vicious rhyme scheme that you just know what he is talking about without the need for a translator.
400 is a vibe, it’s a breath of fresh air, a cool drink of water after a good orgasm.
Say what you want, but 400 is the album that you play as a personal soundtrack to convey your emotion in the moment. It opens up with a slightly off beat banger of the title track, setting the pace for what we are into. 44K creeps into the rearview like that kind of cut that you need on the car stereo to pull up on somebody not expecting to see you that’s glad you came through to kick it. Incision, CitylifeXlude, Temple Of Dreams, Whirlwind,and Ufolude, are like sample appetizers keeping you satiated until the main course, which gets properly served the minute the opening kick drum drops on 3 Minute Drill.
Oh my God, if 3 Minute Drill, which is the baddest hip-hop cut I have ever heard in my life.
The energy that track gives just gives me life and a half do you hear me! It’s a battle track that proudly says its here to chew bubble gum or kick ass, spits the wad of gum from its mouth and smirks that its all out of gum! 3 Minute Drill is the album’s explosion, the call to arms to let you know that Shing02 is coming with everything he got in the tank plus the kerosene can to light everything in his verbal path up and burn it down to ashes. Every single thing about that song is hip-hop perfection – it just doesn’t get any better than those pure three minutes of lyrical heat. Don’t get it twisted, Ultra H hits just as hard and goes for the jugular too, but its just something special about that 3 Minute Drill that takes you there.
Get this album. 400 is a pure unadulterated experience in hip-hop, presented and produced in the traditional way as good hip-hop is intended to do. Listen to it with an open free mind and I promise you the rest will follow. Don’t worry about translations – the words will come to you if you really focus your attention on what Shing02’s delivery, his message in his native tongue, and his energy that will be your guide to travel to unfamiliar lands in the bosom of hip-hop outside of your comfort zone.
I promise you Shing02 got you.
