Setting his foundation through classical music and then building his repertoire on the inspiration he received from listening to A Tribe Called Quest, Japanese producer Fumitake Tamura built his signature sound based on the art of sampling. Since his debut album in 2012, he has steadily made a name for himself as an auteur in the underground Hip Hop scene, both locally and in the West.

His latest release ‘begonias/bending corners [sittin sidewayz revisited]’ is a collaborative effort with American MC R.A.P. Ferreira. The two singles are appetizers to a collab album in the coming weeks titled The First Fist to Make Contact When We Dap. The pair found themselves to be in artistic sync with one another while working on the project.

“Tamura’s compositions pushed me like nothing yet has. His conception of what my sound could be left me needing to actualize it. I followed blindly and excitedly. We worked with diligence through the year,” Ferreira said in the album’s Bandcamp description.

Both tracks are Jazz-inspired LoFi Rap – as both artists engage in their strengths with Tamura sprinkling in sampled instruments from obscure records, while Ferreira delivers his spoken word verses that have made him a legend in the American Indie Hip Hop scene.

It’s not the first time Fumitake Tamura has collaborated with American artists. He’s notably worked with Busdriver and YUNGMORPHEUS, while also sticking to his local roots on tracks with 5lack and more.

Check out the video for Fumitake Tamura and R.A.P. Ferreira’s ‘bending corners [sittin sidewayz revisited]’ and the collab album on Bandcamp below.