On the night of Nov. 5, Awich established her solid position as Japan’s top artist of the new age. Appearing before an audience of 18,000 fans that packed K-Arena in Yokohama, Japan, a new venue that opened in late September, she put on a three-hour show that was a crystallization of her full potential. From the first note to the last, Awich gave off an aura of authority with a down-to-earth, personal feel, in a way that no other Japanese artist has. A rapper from Okinawa, Awich gave voice to our modern age, both as a mother and as an entertainer without precedent. She showed the delight and exhilaration hip-hop and rap music could bring to the masses. She elevated not only the hip-hop scene but Japanese culture as a whole. Her listeners and the members of the audience share an actively open and receptive approach to modern society and Awich’s music, and she guided these fans to a new stage of music. Awich understands that this is something she is uniquely positioned to do — her mission.
The artists that are the chosen of their generation do not simply follow a path set out for them by the gods. She is proof of that. She’s struggled and experienced her share of hardship. At one point, she was even on the verge of putting down the mic and leaving the music world altogether, but thanks to the support of her daughter and other musicians, she kept on with her creative efforts. Buoyed by the tide of hip-hop and rap music, which has become a symbol of youth culture, her efforts ultimately brought her here, to the K-Arena. That’s why she has taken on the showbiz world while preserving her raw, unvarnished sensibilities as a rapper. She brought together a “union” of hometown friends, rappers and dancers from different hoods that she met through hip-hop, minyo folk singers, classical Japanese dancers, and her own daughter, who joined her on-stage, bringing together their collective power to put on the night’s spectacle.
Last March, while Japan was still struggling with the pandemic, Awich put on a solo show at the Nippon Budokan that is recognized by all as simply legendary. Since then, she hasn’t slowed down a bit. On October 25 of this year she completed her new album, THE UNION, and now she put on this show at the K-Arena, driving a paradigm shift.
As the lights fell at the start of the show, the packed audience brimmed with expectation and the air rang with cheers. The opening number was “THE UNION,” the title song of her new album, which elevated traditional Okinawan music to a new level. On the massive LED screen, a black-and-white video played, a flashback encapsulation of Awich’s life and the path she had forged as an artist. The eyes and ears of all 18,000 people in the audience were locked on the stage as Awich descended. When she began rapping, a huge sun began rising on-screen. The opening number, along with several other songs in the show, had been specially arranged for live performance, and the beat was truly dynamic. The stage presentation, including the video, likely produced by Kento Yamada, created a whole new world.
From the very start of the show, Awich performed alongside numerous guest rappers and dancers — you really need to see the set list to get the full impression. On the sixth song, Awich was joined by NENE, LANA, MaRI, and YURIYAN RETRIEVER (with AI joining with a video comment) in performing “Bad Bitch Bigaku Remix,” the most powerful Japanese sisterhood anthem of 2023. This was followed by many other unforgettable songs.
Awich’s daughter, Yomi Jah (Toyomi), was an irreplaceable addition, performing sometimes as a dancer and sometimes as a rapper on “Call On Me” and “TSUBASA.” In the first block of the show, Awich and her friends from her hood presented a true-to-life expression of the beauty and potential inherent in the culture of Okinawa, where Awich was born and raised. The block ended with Awich and Toyomi sitting in front of the DJ booth, looking at each other and holding hands as Awich quietly sang “Wait For Me,” a song from a mother to a daughter. It was a truly moving performance.
Then Awich performed “Burn Down,” whose lyrics express the light and dark sides of the internet, together with GADORO, who has a major presence on Awich’s new album, THE UNION. Also from THE UNION was “Twinkle Stars,” in which Awich joined BIM in shining a bright light into the lonely night with their melodious singing over the beat laid down by STUTS. YURIYAN RETRIEVER and Nadaru (from Korokoro Chikichiki Peppers) then took the stage, putting on a live performance of their viral YouTube cover of Awich’s “THE FIRST TAKE” video, in which YURIYAN RETRIEVER played Awich and Nadaru played KEIJU. This was immediately followed by Awich and KEIJU themselves coming on-stage and kicking off a tremendous performance of “Remember.”
The set continued. “Link Up feat. KEIJU, \ellow Bucks,” “Brainwashing feat. DOGMA & CHINZA DOPENESS,” “Yacchi Maina (Get Em) feat. ANARCHY,” “WHORU? feat. ANARCHY,” and “SUPER GIRA GIRA feat. JP THE WAVY, YZERR.” The guests, drawn in by the magnetism of Awich, put on an overwhelming show that aggressively demonstrated the power of the hip-hop scene. Awich told YZERR of her hopes for the success of BAD HOP’s February 2024 show, which will be their last show before the group dissolves and Japan’s first Tokyo Dome solo show by a hip-hop artist. She also thanked YZERR for encouraging her on the day of this K-Arena show by telling her “You can do it!” She talked about her unswerving desire for everyone to come together in union to raise the level of the hip-hop scene and grow together.
Then an announcement video began playing. It announced that, starting in 2024, Awich would be setting out to make her true overseas debut. The video hinted there there was a lot of information that couldn’t yet be revealed, but the screen showed a figure resembling RZA from the Wutang Clan, mentioned in the lyrics of “THE UNION,” and expectations rose even further.
“All of you, go get passports! I’ll show you something you’ve never seen before. But that doesn’t spell an end to my musical activities here in Japan!”
This was immediately followed by the announcement of a Japanese tour with The Union starting in April 2024 and a birthday show on Awich’s birthday in December. In other words, starting now and then all through 2024 and beyond, Awich is going to be on a whirlwind schedule through Japan and around the world.
For her last two songs, Awich chose “Queendom” and “Love Me Up.” After putting on a superb performance during “Queendom” that represented all of the qualities of the show, she boarded a trapeze that lifted her high into the air while she sang “Love Me Up.” She looked down with love at the audience that packed the arena as she closed with the ultimate gentle, romantic rap and singing performance. Once she left the stage, a hand-written message from Awich appeared on the screen:
To everyone,
I’m about to set out into the world, forging a path for everyone to take!!
Thinking about it, sometimes I get scared. Sometimes I get anxious. But that’s why I have to do it.
If you’re a true Awich fan, then you’re also a fan of yourself!
So no matter how big the stage I perform on becomes, never get the wrong idea that I’ve left you and gone off far away. Never be lonely. Let’s grow together!!!
Believe in yourself and grow, just like I’ll keep trying to do, for the rest of my life♡
November 5, 2023
See you soon
PEACE
Awich
Awich set great things in motion that night. Her story will continue as she achieves that which has never been achieved before, together with all of her fans.
Full setlist:
1. “OKINAWAN OPENING SHOW” with Ryukyu Buyoudan
2. “THE UNION” with Ryukyu Buyoudan
3. “Guerrilla”
4. “ALI BABA” with MFS
5. “IKEMENTAL” with NENE
6. “Bad Bitch Bigaku Remix” with NENE, LANA, MaRI, YURIYAN RETRIEVER
7. “Kuchini Dashite (Say it all)”
8. “Kuchini Dashite 2 (Say it all 2)”
9. “Shut Down” with CYBER RUI
10. “Call On Me” with Yomi Jah
～ DJ U-LEE TIME ～
11. “Ryukyuaika Remix”
12. “NINGEN State Of Mind II REMIX” with RITTO
13. “RASEN in OKINAWA” with Tsubaki, OZworld, CHICO CARLITO
14. “LONGINESS REMIX” with SugLawd Familiar, CHICO CARLITO
15. “TSUBASA” with Yomi Jah
16. “Wait For Me” with Patrick Bartley (Sax)
17. “Revenge”
18. “Burn Down” with GADORO
19. “Twinkle Stars” with STUTS, BIM
20. “Kakurembo”
21. “Remember -THE FIRST TAKE ver.- ” by Nadal, YURIYAN RETRIEVER
22. “Remember” with KEIJU
23. “Link Up” with KEIJU, \ellow Bucks
24. “SENNO” with DOGMA, CHINZA DOPENESS
25. “Yacchi Maina (Get Em)” with ANARCHY
26. “WHORU?” with ANARCHY
27. “SUPER GILA GILA” with JP THE WAVY, YZERR
28. Queendom
29. Love Me Up
—This article by Shoichi Miyake first appeared on Billboard Japan
