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hip hop duo creepy nuts earlier this year in anime new yorkpresenting a high-energy show filled with multi-genre hits. Depend on DJ Matsunaga and rapper R-Shitingthe playlist features many hits, including fan-favorite anime-related songs such as “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” Masle: Magic and Muscle“Tatsuten” and “Yubu”Song of Kashgar” from call of night. We had the chance to sit down with them for a brief chat about their writing process and inspirations.
Your music spans many different styles and genres, from ska to hip-hop to what one might call pop or rock. What influences each new song you’re writing?
DJ Matsunaga: I always wanted to write songs that had never been written before. I want the music to be fresh every time; I’m very focused on that.
R-Shiting: I love taking a fresh, new approach to the diverse beats and music Mr. Matsunaga creates. The source of my creativity comes from striving to continuously develop and become a better version of myself. When we work together, we create music that doesn’t exist by mixing and bringing out the best in each other.
When making a new track, do you already have an idea of what you want the new sound to be like? Or are you just constantly bouncing off each other and letting the songs evolve as they go?
DJ Matsunaga: What I want to say is the latter. Every time you make music, you’re waiting for a happy accident.
R-Shiting: When you start working, you rarely see the final image. Even if they can, it’s still a battle to surpass each other’s imagination. I wanted to respond to Matsunaga-san’s beats and tracks with raps and melodies that were beyond his imagination. Mr. Matsunaga also arranged my combination beyond my imagination. We exceeded each other’s expectations in a great way. The result is the finished product.
What’s cool is that with your personal musical background, you come from these subcultures that value the idea of “fighting,” like rap battles or B2B. How much do you draw from these types of personal experiences when you each create music?
DJ Matsunaga: Yes. I think that’s an important factor…but I wonder.
reply: There are creative battles when we write songs. What we have cultivated in DJ battles, MC battles, and rap battles can be amazingly reflected in live performances.
DJ Matsunaga: Our songwriting is completely different.
reply: During a live performance, when something unexpected happens or some trouble arises, we may change some lyrics at the venue, during the MC, or incorporate events that happened that day. That’s probably the legacy we cultivate in rap battles, conversations, and battles with audiences. When Mr. Matsunaga responds to emergencies, he brings to bear what he developed there, and when we perform live, we often draw on our experience fighting each other.
DJ Matsunaga: It’s true, it’s true.
During a live performance you get so much energy from the audience. How much do you think this affected you? Not just as an artist, but as a performer.
R-Shiting: When we write songs, in some cases our songs are about introspective, personal things. So, a lot of the stories are very personal. Due to the nature of writing lyrics in rap, especially in the hip-hop genre, this doesn’t change much for the artist. External influences also come into play, but when I perform live I can introduce myself to people I’ve never met or people from different countries, e.g. anime new york). Even if they can’t understand every word, I feel happy when I think about the melody, flow, and various other elements that convey something like the core of the music. Have a good influence on me. Even if they don’t understand my personal lyrics, if I can feel from the audience’s expressions and reactions that my lyrics seem to have been conveyed to them, my mood will rise accordingly. The creative me and the performing me become one on stage. I feel a strong connection with the audience’s reaction.
Speaking of your writing process, can you tell us how you came up with Otonoke? He Dahe?
R-Shiting: Usually Matsunaga-san will make the beat first and give it to me, then I add rap on top and send it back. This time, for “Otonoke” I had an idea so I sang it acapella But there are no words – just a chorus within a chorus. I made a verse, bridge and hook acapella scat, send it to Mr. Matsunaga and ask him to add the sound. It started out differently than usual. From then on, it was business as usual. We organize, iterate and create through creative exchanges.
