Cast of Characters: The Story behind Rappriman

Text: Atsuko Tanaka / Edit: B SABURO / Images: ©︎O.Z.Y.K.I.X　

The Rappriman series featuring the motifs of famous rappers have been very popular with Hip Hop heads in Japan. O.Z.Y.K.I.X is the name behind them. His identity is hidden in mystery, but we found him! He told us about his introduction to Hip Hop, how the Rappriman started, and other memorable events throughout his career.

-When did you start painting?

I've always loved drawing and making things, and I had good grades in art class. I started drawing on my iPhone about 5 years ago. I’m a self-taught.

-Are there any artists that influenced you?

I love JOE COOL who’s done many illustration work for Snoop. He has such an iconic art style. In Japan I love Santa Inoue. "TOKYO TRIBE", "BORN 2 DIE" and "The Neighbor No. Thirteen" are my favorites of his manga. If I was a rapper, I would 100% ask him for designs!

-How did you get into Hip Hop?

When I was in high school Japanese Hip Hop was starting to being played on TV more. I listened to artists like DS455 and Ojiro, and I also became addicted to US Hip Hop like west coast artists Snoop, 2pac, and Dre. But the song that influenced me the most was "CLICK DA TRIGGER" by PHOBIA OF THUG. I was shocked to know that someone from Nagoya could do that style.

-You were influenced by west coast sound a lot.

I was even more addicted to Japanese rap, especially like W.C.C... Back in the days it seemed the more you know about underground gangsta rap, the better you were. I went to a record shop in Nagoya every week to find records and read magazines like "GANGSTA LUV" to know more about the culture. At the time I was also doing lots of creative things like DJing, making beats, having a lowrider car club and hosting events.

-So, tell us how the Rappriman was born.

When the Bikkuriman and Fragment series came out a few years ago, Frag Zeus was so popular. So I kind of followed the trend and made a character called "ASAP ZEUS". The reaction was surprisingly good so I made more with US rappers like Lil Uzi Vert. The one with his face on Satan Maria's body went viral. So far I have made about 300 characters including unreleased ones.

-I love the Parallel world series too.  The characters and their background story that you created are really interesting.

I've always thought it would be interesting to make a series with fictitious rappers. I created characters as if they really existed and had fun with it. I will continue to make more for this series and would like to put them out as an appendix.

-When did you feel that your work was getting people’s attention?

To be honest I don't really feel I’m still attracting attention. My lifestyle hasn’t changed and I have no intention to act like I’m an artist. However, it’s true that I’ve getting more positive feedback from people around me.

-Were there any surprising or memorable events through your career as an illustrator so far?

One is that I connected to Yamamoto KID on Instagram when I started making Rappriman. I had about 1000 followers then. He is like a hero in our generation so that made me happy. I made Rappriman with his character and DMed him right away! He posted it on his Instagram and it went viral. Until then it took me about a year to have 1000 followers, but because of that repost it increased by about 1000 overnight, and in less than a week it increased by another 1000. That scared me in a way lol. It was really like a dream.

Also, I designed T-shirts for 2 Chainz and they got to him thanks to my designer friend, mckee from Okinawa. He is a great designer and provides clothes to the super famous US rappers. I also designed T-shirts for Wiz Khalifa and Juelz Santana and he gave it to them too. That was really cool.

-How many T-shirts have you designed so far?

I have a lot. I'm planning to do an exhibition of RAP TEE’s one day, so I keep them for that opportunity.

-What is your lifestyle like these days?

It’s pretty normal. I just work every day. Wake up around 5am and work until 5pm. I do the designs on the way to and from work and in the break times between work. There’s not much difference from a normal salary man, but it’s just more work. It's exactly like the ZORN's song "MY LIFE". I've been doing that style for a long time.

-Is there anything you are into right now?

I've been collecting Hip Hop related figures and vintage items for a long time. I also make figures and interiors myself. There are so many artists who make nice bootleg items overseas. I think the bootleg stuff tends to have it’s own uniqueness, and makes them more interesting. There aren't many people doing that kind thing in Japan. Like with anything else, I want to do something that people aren't doing. I imagine how to make them in my head first, and once I figure it out, I create them. It's a lot of fun.

-That’s nice. Which artist do you like and listen to a lot lately?

I listen to a wide variety of songs. From young artists who lead the current Hip Hop scene to the OG rappers. I’ll also mix 90's Hip Hop, Korean rap, soul & funk, etc. I just play whatever I feel like at that time.

-You’ll participate in Hip Hop art event which will be held at BE AT TOKYO in Laforet Harajuku soon. What will you exhibit there?

I'm thinking of exhibiting the Rapprimans including super rare ones that I only made samples of. Also some bootleg RAPTEEs, and misc items.

-What do you want the visitors to expect from your show?

This is one of the few opportunities to see the actual Rapprimans and RAPTEEs so I definitely want everyone to come by. There will be limited Rapprimans give-away to all visitors, so please come visit us.

-Finally, tell us what you would like to work on in the future.

There are so many things I want to do. First of all, I would like to release Rappriman officially one day, which I’ve been saying since the beginning. I also want to put out figures of Japanese rappers and create a RAPMADE store. I am also interested in doing interior design and designing an entire house as well.

O.Z.Y.K.I.X Instagram