If you haven’t heard of Japan’s Creepy Nuts, it’s only because they have been a very Japanese phenomenon so far. This Hip Hop duo, consisting of DJ Matsunaga and R-Shitei, has been pushing musical boundaries since 2013. Before that, they were cutting their teeth in Japan’s DJ and Rap communities. Matsunaga is a former DMC world champion, and R-Shitei has been crowned Japan’s top battle rapper multiple times.

Currently signed to Onenation and Sony Music, the duo really blew up in 2024 with ‘Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,’ the opening theme for the second season of the anime series, Mashle: Magic and Muscles. It’s their biggest song to date, and was the best-performing song of 2024, topping the Oricon Combined Singles Chart and BillboardJapan Hot 100. It also peaked at number eight on the Billboard Global 200.

Last December, they wrecked the stage at Hong Kong’s Clockenflap Festival, with a mix of Jazzy Hip Hop, Trap, Jersey Club, J-Pop, and Hyper Pop. At the beginning of February, they released their latest album, Legion. It’s tough to put your finger on the sound of Creepy Nuts because it’s based on Hip Hop but super eclectic at the same time. These guys don’t take themselves too seriously, which is very refreshing in Hip Hop these days. Also, they just look like they’re having hella fun! LiFTED got a chance to sit down with Creepy Nuts and their interpreter recently to find out what their style is all about.

There is no deeper meaning. We came up with it as a crazy idea when we were teenagers. We never thought that we would become so famous that someone would be asking us about it in English later.

Our process of how we make tracks hasn’t really changed much since we began. It’s always been quite raw. We were listening to a lot of American Hip Hop, and then after we absorbed it, we put it through our own filter and added other elements so it sounded like us.

Yes, I was a DMC world champion before. I make most of the beats for Creepy Nuts at home in my bedroom.

Yes, I made the beat and I was going for a Jersey Club tempo and sound, but I wanted to add a Latin feel to it as well. That was the original idea.

I love rapping over any kind of beat and with Creepy Nuts it’s always a challenge because we use different styles. When I perform at a cypher or as a guest on another artist's track, I enjoy the challenge of rapping on whatever beat they give me. Recently, a lot of people are used to us doing Jersey Club-style like on ‘Bling, Bling, Bang, Born,’ but on our next album, we may surprise a lot of people with something new, so stay tuned.

When we produced Dua Lipa’s ‘Illusion [Creepy Nuts Remix]”, the sound that the top producer/engineer Josh Gudwin created matched what we had envisioned. So, during the production of our latest album, Legion, I always kept in mind how to create a world-class sound and top-notch production. This time I thought it was necessary to select equipment like microphones, preamps, and compressors while considering the final soundscape we aimed for, as well as organizing and controlling the composition of the sound and the mix. I believe that, as a result, we were able to realize our ideal sound.

For Rap songs, we create tracks with spaces for the Rap parts. However, when making an instrumental like 'Mart', I need to structure that part with my sound as well. When considering elements to replace the Rap, I thought about emphasizing the hi-hat more. Leading up to that point, I was recording and processing my voice, using a ton of plugins, and it became a super experimental and chaotic situation. Through those elements, I organized everything and settled on the current form. Additionally, I wanted the instrumental to have a sense of storytelling. Since it's one track in the album, I didn't want it to be disconnected. It serves as a scene transition, and I wanted it to create a visual image through sound, even without lyrics. I think it ended up being something that evokes an image through sound information.

DJ Matsunaga: We're not thinking about it at all. We have so many songs that we want to create and expand together that we aren't currently imagining collaborations. The fact that we're creating together feels like a collaboration in itself.

R-Shitei: I have the awareness that I'm throwing my original rap at Matsunaga, and he's throwing his original track at me. In that sense, I think we're collaborating from the start. Especially with the new songs we're creating, that feeling is strong. It might not strictly be a collaboration, but I'd like to hear a format where various people remix the tracks from Legion or jack the beats and release it as a deluxe version.

DJ Matsunaga: That's true. I'm interested in how various producers and engineers would approach remixing this Rap by R, or how other rappers would flow over this track. It's fascinating to see those different interpretations.

R-Shitei: I believe the basics of producing songs and performing live remain unchanged, but we've created a confident album as our weapon, Legion. I'm looking forward to performing it live, especially during an Asia tour, where I think there will be many people seeing our live performance for the first time. With this album, I feel we can confidently deliver our music to any audience, in any location.

DJ Matsunaga: I believe we’ve been able to take a new start with Legion, and I'm looking forward to both the national and Asia tours. Also, I think our exposure outside of music production and live performances will be much less this year. I want to focus on music. I believe that will allow us to create higher-quality work as Creepy Nuts.