Creepy Nuts Embrace "Fright" and Tout Japanese Hip Hop on a World Stage

Japanese phenomenon, Creepy Nuts, will soon be making their Coachella debut shortly. However, DJ Matsunaga and R-Shitei (meaning R-rated in Japanese)—the two musical champions behind their genre-defying tracks—are no strangers to performing on a world stage. From their first US performance at Anime NYC 2024 to their pregame stage at the Dodgers Stadium in the same year, no one was immune to the influence of their international hit, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born.”

In an interview with Melodic Magazine, Creepy Nuts reflect on the global reception to their music, their influences, and new information on their upcoming single, “Fright,” coming soon on tomorrow, April 10th.

Taking a step back, their iconic, bombastic name holds no deep seeded meaning; it came as an organic idea they had as teenagers. Neither could imagine they’d receive such global recognition to the point of being asked to explain its origin in English. During their time at Anime NYC, rapper R-Shitei admits that the crowd reacted differently than he expected. “I can’t generalize, but initially I thought maybe anime fans would languidly listen to the music, but they really danced it up; I was quite thrilled. The reactions were quite big, and it made me respond in a good way as well.” DJ Matsunaga added that they thought about the audience experience between the two venues: a crowd waiting for a baseball game, and a convention where people would know their new music.

Although their name might seem new to the average festival attendee, Creepy Nuts has been active since 2013. In their thirteen years of musical partnership, DJ Matsunaga says their iterative brainstorming process hasn’t changed at all. “When I create a demo, I start out with one-loop beats and make as many of them as possible. Then send it to R-Shitei, who then layers on lyrics or sometimes melodies without the lyrics, and then he sends it back to me.” The two go back and forth rearranging and adding onto the previous work. “We still continue with the same cycle.”

Individually, DJ Matsunaga and R-Shitei have proven their prowess on both a national and global level. Matsunaga won the 2019 DMC World DJ Championship and R-Shitei is a three-time winner of Japan’s rap battle competition, UMB Grand Championship. They broke into international stardom with anime associated tracks, “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” and “Otonoke.” Knowing this, fans would compare R-Shitei’s rapping style to the likeness of Bad Bunny for songs such as “Mirage.”

“In terms of how I develop my own rapping style, I think it’s still in the process of being developed. There’s no ultimate blueprint that I have.” The Osaka born rapper expressed his deep appreciation for all styles of rap and paid attention to both the underground and overseas scenes from all over the world. “In terms of specific songs, like “Mirage” or “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” you’ll hear the Latin essence in the melody. Maybe for the people who listen to that, they must think that ‘Oh, he took influence from this or that artist.’ It really changes from song to song.” His lung capacity and ability to continuously rap without taking a single breath has been widely praised by fans. But he admits he’s never thought of that. “It wasn’t something that I thought about much. I’m an omnivore when it comes to rap. I hear a different type of rapping, and I immediately want to do that or a different type of beat that I can bring into my own style.” R-Shitei adds that it’s possible he’s just “greedy” when it comes to his deep love for the craft. “It translates into lung capacity, where I do these long and fast verses. I probably developed rap muscles because of that.”

On the other hand, DJ Matsunaga shares how differently he approaches a live performance compared to a studio recording. “When I’m in the studio creating music, I use a totally different part of my brain.” During in-person stage performances, he shows off with tricks and performative moves using different parts of his body. “You can do different things with your hands, your feet, and your back—it’s quite acrobatic. But what we do as DJs is sometimes difficult for the layman or casual listener to understand. Especially at a baseball game, I thought it was easier for the listeners and viewers to understand what I do better if I do something like that.”

When it comes to musical influences and incorporating sounds into Creepy Nuts’ music, DJ Matsunaga reflects on his admiration of hip hop as a genre. “I’m always in the search for something that truly pierces my heart…something refreshing and exciting that thrills me.” One of his major musical roots is the movie The Blues Brothers and its soundtrack. “On that soundtrack, there were the great legends of Black music. Being introduced to this genre is how I got into hip hop in the first place.” Matsunaga also credits 90s hip hop, which made an impact on him as a teenager. “Bringing in that old school, soul, jazz, funk, and then adding samples to that and rap on top of it…those are the spots that are special to my heart.” He also mentions the concept of “something that is a little warped” that he feels drawn to. “There’s a balance between the catchiness and something that might be uncomfortable, and something that you find a little bit annoying. It’s that fine line that I’m thrilled by.”

An overlooked aspect of Creepy Nuts’ music is their sentimental and thought-provoking lyrics. In the track “Get Higher” off their LEGION album, there’s a self-reflective line where the speaker envisions a version of themselves that’s even bigger than anything they could’ve imagined. Since they began their musical journey in their teenage years, I was curious to see what R-Shitei thought about where he would be if he wasn’t a rapper. “There are times when I think about that, but it only gets me down,” he shared. “I couldn’t bear to see myself if I hadn’t been doing rap. I don’t think I would have been able to develop human connections with other people.” He mentions his lyrics include introspection and reveals a vulnerable side of him. “If you translate my songs, other than “Get Higher,” you can see that I tend to think a lot about things that I think I’m incapable of doing, or how I’m not competent as a human being.” Ultimately, he believes if he hadn’t honed his craft for rap, he would be doing something else but it wouldn’t be as successful.

Closing out the conversation, the duo dropped a few hints as to what fans can expect their upcoming single, “Fright,” to sound like. Straight from the title, R-Shitei says the lyrics mirror his own anxiety over their upcoming Coachella stage and stepping into the great unknown of performing outside of Japan. “For me, when I’m going into a new field and taking on new challenges, I tend to feel uncomfortable or anxious. In Japan, Spring is symbolic of starting a new chapter in your life because school ends in March and you start anew in April.” However, he shares that the step after success feels “a little heavy” as there’s a sense of pressure that comes with it. “When things go well for someone, sometimes they find that it’s time to be aggressive and step forward. But I tend to think about what’s there that could be lost. That’s the kind of person I am and that’s reflected in the lyrics.”

As for DJ Matsunaga, he harkens back to his love for experimentation. “Recently there’s this genre called sexy drill, which I was inspired by. I used a toy piano and warped that sound until it got this strange tone that you’ve never heard before.” He emphasized how he excluded snare drums, and relied on kicks, hi-hats, and shakers. “I took all of that, including the drums, the piano, and warped all the sounds as much as possible.”

Creepy Nuts will be headed out on their first North American tour starting on April 10th at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. From there, they’ll travel to New York, Chicago, and back to the West Coast before making a final stop in Mexico City. Tickets are available here.