LiFTED turns five this month, and we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than by adding a new partner to the family – introducing LiFTED Japan! On March 19, LiFTED Japan came into being, offering news and coverage of Japan’s buzzy, essential Hip Hop scene. Big Ups to Yushi, Mimi, Jun, and the entire LiFTED Japan editorial team!

If you had asked us five years ago if we would be branching out into local language editions we probably would have said ‘We hope so!’ Because we are based in Hong Kong and Taiwan, we often would get questions like why aren’t you guys publishing in Chinese? The answer is the same reason we don’t publish in Korean, Thai, Bahasa, or even Hindi for that matter. We cover all of Asia, so the mothership will always be in English. If you take out the Middle East [which we have touched on] we’ve covered the Hip Hop scenes in 18 countries from India to China to the Philippines. Because the Asian Hip Hop game is popping in all these countries, divided by language and culture, but united by the internet, we have always had one central goal to bring it all together under the umbrella of Asian Hip Hop.

This will continue to be our mission as we move forward, but certain scenes, like Japan, or SE Asia, are too important to leave out fans who can’t read English. And this is why we’re so excited and grateful to launch LiFTED Japan. The big question is, who’s next?!

Marcus Aurelius, LiFTED’s Editor-in-Chief said, “Japan has so many strains of Hip Hop in its various forms going on all over the country, it was imperative that we linked up with a great Japanese team and launched LiFTED Japan. I can’t wait to see where this goes.”

Adrianna Cheung, LiFTED’s Visual Director, “For years, the visual identity coming out of Japan has stopped us in our tracks. There is a discipline in its tradition, but a wild energy in its progression. With LiFTED Japan, we aren't just documenting the scene; we are planting a flag in a country that consistently produces some of the most inspiring art in the world.”

The LiFTED Japan editorial team said, "We want to transcend languages and borders to build a stronger and more vibrant Asian Hip Hop community. LiFTED JAPAN will offer new discoveries to Japanese listeners and provide artists with the vast canvas of Asia to express their craft."