PROFILE
He is the producer/vocalist of Nulbarich, a band formed around singer/songwriter JQ. The band's musical style is based on soul, funk, and acid jazz, with no fixed members, and their performance style changes from time to time. STORY-" at Saitama Super Arena, the largest live concert in the band's history. Currently, they have moved their production base to LA and released a new album "NEW GRAVITY" in April this year, their first new album in about 2 years. The album was released as a two-disc set, including an original work and a collaborative work with gorgeous artists, and has been attracting a great deal of attention.
PROFILE
Rapper/producer, met Utamaru in 1989 and formed the hip-hop group RHYMESTER, which made its independent debut in 1993 with the album "If You Ask Me". After a change of members, DJ JIN joined the group in 1994, and the group became what it is today. In recent years, RHYMESTER has expanded its activities to include acting in TV dramas, commercials, and stage performances, as well as narrating, etc. In December 2020, RHYMESTER will release the book "KING OF STAGE: LYMESTER's Live Philosophy", and in April 2021, will participate in MTV's acoustic live project "MTV MTV Unplugged: RHYMESTER", a live album/video work that packages the acoustic live project "MTV Unplugged: RHYMESTER" on MTV, is now on sale.
It was more than 10 years ago that I went to Tokyo from Nalbari star to see a live concert. Then I bumped into Mr. D in the restroom!
How did your collaboration on "Be Alright" come about in the first place?
JQ: I was simply a fan of RHYMESTER. I guess it was around the time of their 3rd album, "Respect". It's a great album! I heard a rumor that RHYMESTER was going to be released in the near future.
Mummy-D ("D"): What? That's how it's set up?
JQ: Yes (shy). I'm not allowed to disclose my profile, so I'll just say that my hometown is next to the place where "Korinsei" used to be.
D: I was like, "What the hell is this guy talking about all of a sudden?" I was so surprised.
(laughs). The name RHYMESTER rang out on faraway planets.
JQ: Yes, I did! We were all so shocked by the album that we started circulating it amongst our friends and putting it on CD... "No, you should buy it! I'm just saying, "No, buy it! Then I heard that RHYMESTER was going to appear at "DYNAMITE," a popular event at the club "bed" in Ikebukuro! I couldn't stay away from it. I couldn't stay away and went to Tokyo from Nalbari to see the live performance more than 10 years ago. Then, I bumped into Mr. D in the restroom! That God of my dreams was serving me a small cup of...well, holy water.
D: Holy water?
JQ: I waited while nervously washing my hands long enough to say, "I'm a big fan!" and asked for a handshake. I was so excited, but from Mr. D's point of view, he was just a little kid from who-knows-where. So Mr. D said, "Can I just wash my hands for now? And he said, "Can I just wash my hands for now? I was so impressed with his every move and action that I was like, "Cool! I was so impressed with his every move (laughs). That was my first contact with him.
D: That's what I heard. Later, when I was introduced to JQ as a fellow labelmate, I heard about it and said, "Oh, yes, yes! That time!" and his reaction was not even a hint of sincerity. I didn't remember it at all. No way! I was like, "You're lying!
JQ: Even his partner, Utamaru, was like, "You definitely don't remember that! (laughs). Until then, I had a one-sided love affair with the girl of my dreams, and I wondered if there was any way to connect with her. It was like trying to somehow get close to the girl of my dreams. It was during this time that we decided to make the album. I couldn't do a live concert at the Corona Disaster, so I thought it would be interesting to collaborate with them. I said, "I definitely want to do it!
D: I had heard various information about the band. I heard that they were "headbangers" and that they seemed to be working as a permanent unit. I was interested, so I asked him to set me up on a blind date (laughs).
JQ: That's right. Even though I was mainly working remotely due to the Corona Disaster, when the idea of collaboration became a reality, I thought, "I'd like to meet Mr. D." I wanted to make a mark in my history by saying, "I had dinner with Mummy-D. I wanted to leave an imprint in my history that I had dined with Mummy-D. So I thought, "Maybe I should meet him once. So, I said something like, "You may never know until you meet him once," and asked him to set up a meeting (laughs). (Laughs) Then, I talked a lot with him so that he would like me at the meeting, and afterwards, we had a good drink together.
D: We talked about the history of JQ and many other things. Or rather, it was the only time we talked. Of course, there was a ZOOM meeting, but the recording itself was more like a catch-all.
