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Yojiro Noda pushes the boundaries of what Hip Hop is with ‘STRESS ME’

The song is the first single off his solo album WONDER BOY'S AKUMU CLUB

LiFTED | Marcus Aurelius | 10 Oct 2024


Yojiro Noda is the lead singer, guitarist, and pianist for RADWIMPS, Japanese Rock royalty. His lyrics are usually about life and death, as well as passion and philosophy. The band is known for their soundtracks to Makoto Shinkai’s anime and has won the Best Music Award at the Japanese Academy Film Prize three times.

Besides acting, Yojiro has recently released his debut solo album, WONDER BOY'S AKUMU CLUB, which isn’t stuck in only one genre. Instead, the lead single is ‘STRESS ME,’ a Hip Hop ode to his raw emotions. The beat for ‘STRESS ME’ sounds like trauma coming to the surface in a therapy session. It’s uptempo, bass-heavy, tough, and raw, but also very original.

The video for ‘STRESS ME’ features a few sheep and 15-year-old dancer MAITO, who is a B-boy champion all over Japan. The black-and-white scenes are minimal with Yojiro rapping with the sheep over the fast music from various balconies and rooftops in back alleys. The ski-masked MAITO moves his body while stuck in elevators and dimly lit fields.

‘STRESS ME’ pushes the boundaries of what Hip Hip is, and Yojiro is the perfect person to take it in a new direction.

Check out Yojiro Noda’s ‘STRESS ME’ below.