Zeebra

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Zeebra

Zeebra at Pattaya Music Festival 2006, Thailand

Zeebra at Pattaya Music Festival 2006, Thailand

Background information

Hideyuki Yokoi Birth name

Zeebra Also known as

April 2, 1971 (age 51) Born

Tokyo, Japan

Hip hop Genres

Rapper, DJ Occupation(s)

1995–present Years active

Polystar (1995–2003) Labels

UBG Records/Pony Canyon (2003–2010)

Ariola Japan (2010–present)

 Hideyuki Yokoi (横井英之, born April 2, 1971), known professionally as Zeebra (ジブラ,
Jibura), is a Japanese hip hop recording artist and DJ who made his first appearance in 1995.
Zeebra is a former member of the hip-hop group King Giddra, which also included DJ Oasis
and K Dub Shine, and the older brother of fellow hip hop recording artist SPHERE of
INFLUENCE. He went on to pursue a solo career shortly after in 1997, and signed with the
.Future Shock record label

Zeebra is one of the most popular rappers in Japan[citation needed], and his popularity is
not specific to either gender. He appears not only in hip-hop magazines, but also in fashion
and street culture magazines. He often features in and produces other rappers' songs, and
.appears in their videos. He has also performed live with various rappers from America

In 1998 Zeebra undertook his first solo tour. He became recognized as an individual rapper
for the first time, making hip-hop more familiar to Japanese listeners. In the same year he
started the first hip-hop TV program in Japan, titled Beats to the Rhyme. One of Zeebra's
songs was used in a Nike promotion video for NBA Japan games. The following year Zeebra
released the single "Mr. Dynamite", the first hip-hop single to break into the top 50 on the
Japanese pop charts. In June 2000, he released his new album Based on a True Story, which
sold 250,000 copies. At the end of that year Zeebra started his first Japan tour, the first hip-
hop event to sell out. In 2001 Zeebra released the single "Never Enuff", the theme song for a
Japanese movie called Brother, directed by Takeshi Kitano and starring Claude Maki. In 2002
he temporarily rejoined King Giddra, but has been doing solo work since 2003 and has
released many songs. At present, he is producing songs not only for rap artists, but also for
.pop stars like Namie Amuro

Contents

Early life 1

Pioneer of Japanese Hip Hop 2

Discography 3

Albums 3.1

Singles 3.2

Compilations 3.3

Awards and nominations 4

Music videos 5
 References 6

External links 7

Early life

Zeebra was born and raised in Tokyo. During his childhood, he lived in the United States for
.a brief time while trying to become a professional tennis player

He is the grandson of businessman Hideki Yokoi, former president of the Hotel New Japan.
The hotel's flagship property in central Tokyo caught fire in 1982,[1] disgracing Hideki Yokoi
and causing Zeebra to be bullied by his classmates. Zeebra eventually dropped out of high
.school during his first year

He married around the age of 20 and fathered two sons, Kento and Ren Yokoi, before
divorcing his first wife. Ren is a DJ who plays a mixture of House and Techno, where he is
also a main MC for Tokyo Scene; Tokyo’s radio show by Inter FM 89.7. He kept custody of
both sons, and later remarried to Miwa Nakabayashi, to whom he fathered two daughters,
Kanon and Rima Nakabayashi of NiziU. In November 2020, Zeebra and Nakabayashi
.announced their divorce

Pioneer of Japanese Hip Hop

.Zeebra at Asian Hip Hop Festival, Thailand

Zeebra began his hip hop career in 1993, joining the rap group King Giddra.[2] Zeebra, along
with his group King Giddra, played an important role in the development of the Japanese hip
hop scene. In the mid 1990s, King Giddra, then an underground rap group, began addressing
social issues of the time. King Giddra's 1995 album "The Power from the Sky" discussed
contemporary issues, particularly the economic recession and the inability of many Japanese
college graduates to find employment. Zeebra addressed this issue of working towards a
good education and being unable to find employment in his song "Bullet of Truth". Through
their music, Zeebra and King Giddra "challenged youth not only to recognize the difficulties
faced by Japanese society but also to speak up about them."[3]

King Giddra's popularity grew in Japan. In 1996, he recorded his first solo track
"Untouchable" produced by Gang Starr producer DJ Premier. By 1997 Zeebra left King Giddra
to start a solo career, appearing frequently in trendy hip hop and street culture magazines
and TV shows about hip hop.[2] In 1999 he released the single "Mr. Dynamite", which
became the first hip-hop single to make it into the top 50 on the Japanese Oricon pop charts.
 [2] Through his early and newer work, Zeebra became one of the most popular and
.influential, yet controversial, Japanese hip hop artists

In 2008, after the MTV Video Music Awards Japan Ceremony, an unhappy Zeebra went onto
YouTube and published a video criticizing the MTV Japan for not appreciating musicians.[4]

Discography

Albums

"The Rhyme Animal" ]1998.06.17[

"Based on a True Story " ]2000.06.14[

"The First Struggle " ]2002.05.29[

"Tokyo's Finest" ]2003.09.18[

"The New Beginning " ]2006.02.15[

"World of Music " ]2007.10.17[

"Black World/White Heat " ]2011.12.14[

"to Life 25" ]2013.11.20[

Singles

"Mappiruma" ]1997.07.25[

"The Rhyme Animal Remix E.P.1 " ]1998.12.16[

"The Rhyme Animal Remix E.P.2 " ]1999.02.24[

"Mr. Dynamite" ]2000.03.23[

Neva Enuff" feat. Aktion " ]2001.01.25[

"Baby Girl " ]2001.08.08[

Big Big Money" feat. Hiro " ]2003.01.22[

"Supatech (What's My Name)" ]2003.04.23[

"Perfect Queen" ]2003.07.30[

"Street Dreams" ]2005.06.01[

"Oh Yeah" ]2005.09.21[

 "Stop Playin' A Wall" ]2006.12.06[

My People" feat. Miliyah Kato " ]2007.07.18[

Not Your Boyfriend" feat. Jesse (RIZE)" ]2007.09.19[

"Bushido" ]2008.03.05[

Butterfly City" feat. RYO the SKYWALKER, Mummy-D & DOUBLE " ]2010.03.17[

"Fly Away" ]2010.11.17[

Blue" feat. AI " ]2011.07.27[

"I Do It" ]2013[

"Mr. Miyagi" ]2013[

Compilations

The Anthology ]2008.9.17[

"Z – The Best of Zeebra " ]2010[

"Feat-Zeebra 25th Anniversary Box 100" ]2013.12.25[

Awards and nominations

2002

MTV Video Music Awards Japan – Best Video from a Film – Neva Enuff (feat. Aktion)

2003

MTV Video Music Awards Japan – Best Hip Hop Video – F.F.B. (with King Giddra)

2004

MTV Video Music Awards Japan – Best Hip Hop Video – Touch The Sky (Winner)

MTV Video Music Awards Japan – Best Male Video – Touch The Sky

2006

MTV Video Music Awards Japan – Best Hip Hop Video – Street Dreams

2008
MTV Video Music Awards Japan – Best Hip Hop Video – Not Your Boyfriend (feat. Jesse
(RIZE))

Music videos

1997

真っ昼間" (Daytime)"

1998

PARTEECHECKA" [Bright Light Mix]"

2000

ZEUS 2000" (feat. Sugar Soul)"

"MR.DYNAMITE"

"Children's Story"

2001

Neva Enuff" (feat. AKTION)"

"Baby Girl"

城南ハスラー 2" (Seongnam Hustler 2) (feat. DABO, UZI, GKMARYAN)"

2002

UNSTOPPABLE" (Zeebra with K Dub Shine & DJ OASIS as 'King Giddra')"

FFB" (Zeebra with K Dub Shine & DJ OASIS as 'King Giddra')"

)'Zeebra with K Dub Shine & DJ OASIS as 'King Giddra ( )Remix( "911"

Generation Next" (Zeebra with K Dub Shine & DJ OASIS as 'King Giddra')"

2003

Big Big Money" (feat. HIRO [from 'Full of Harmony]')"

"Supatech (What's My Name?)"

"Perfect Queen"

"Touch The Sky"

GOLDENMIC" (w/ DJ MASTERKEY)"

2005
 "Street Dreams"

"!Oh Yeah"

2006

Do What U Gotta Do" (feat. Namie Amuro, AI & Mummy-D [from 'RHYMESTER'])"

"Stop Playin 'A Wall"

2007

My People" (feat. Kato Miliyah)"

"Not your Boyfriend" (feat. JESSE [from 'RIZE])"

Shinin' Like A Diamond" (feat. May J & Sphere of Influence)"

2008

"Bushido"

"Jackin '4 Beats"

2010

Butterfly City" (feat. Double, RYO the SKYWALKER & Mummy-D [from 'RHYMESTER'])"

"Fly Away"

2011

Gang On The Backstreet" (feat. TOKYO SKA PARADISE ORCHESTRA)"

Blue" (feat. AI)"

2012

Money In My Pocket" (feat. NaNa)"

2013

"Moonlight"

"Young Soldier"

"Mr. Miyagi"

2014

Hate That Booty" (feat. Y's & KOHH)"

Diamond In The Sand" (feat. May J)"

References
 KILLED IN HOTEL FIRE IN TOKYO; MORE THAN 60 OTHERS ARE INJURED". New York 32"
.Times. February 8, 1982

Japanese rapper and hip hop artist Zeebra ジブラ – JapanSugoi – Everything Cool about
Japan

Condry, Ian. Hip-hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization. Durham, NC: Duke
.University Press, 2006

.ZEEBRA Live & Direct 元の動画". Youtube.com"

External links

.Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zeebra

Official Zeebra Myspace

Biography at Pony Canyon (in Japanese)

Biography at Ariola Japan/Sony Music (in Japanese)

Official Zeebra website (in Japanese)

Official Zeebra website by Ariola Japan/Sony Music (in Japanese)

Japanese Hip-Hop by Ian Condry (MIT)

Authority control Edit this at Wikidata

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VIAF 1WorldCat

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Japan

Other

MusicBrainz artist 2

Categories: 1971 birthsJapanese rappersLiving peoplePony Canyon artistsSony Music

Entertainment Japan artists

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.This page was last edited on 31 December 2021, at 01:56 (UTC)

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