Once believing himself to be a rapper whose biggest selling point was his love of video games, Japan’s VaVa often references his favorite characters and elements that inspired him. His journey as a beatmaker began with his fascination of the emotions evoked from music with little to no lyrics. It then led to years of self-taught production that caught the attention of his hero Tofubeats on the YouTube show HARD-OFF BEATS.

VaVa’s proficiency at crafting captivating beats led to a collaboration with Tofubeats himself on his latest album VVARP, their third outing together following ‘Virtual Luv’ and ‘RUN REMIX’. ‘夢のまた夢 [Yume No Mata Yume]’ is a Trap single that makes heavy use of Auto-Tune – a quality that VaVa believes sets him apart from his contemporaries. The track also sees Tofubeats match VaVa’s high octane energy for a collab that’s very reminiscent of Tofubeats’ own just-released album ‘Reflection’.

‘Reloadin’ is another standout on VVARP – toning down the excitement for a laid-back yet elegant track that sees VaVa flexing his charisma. Both his verses and Auto-Tuned singing set the tone for a casual respite in the middle of the album. ‘ComFlex’ is another banger that once again shows off VaVa’s versatility as well. A Pop-leaning track that is reminiscent of early 2000s KHop with bright and vibrant production that primes VaVa up for a delightful three minutes.

VVARP shows that VaVa has much more up his sleeve than he lets on, and now on his third album, it’s high time that he shows the world what he’s more than capable of.

Watch the lead single for VaVa’s ‘tAtu’ or stream the whole album VVARP below.