Quote:
前作『13 Shit』から１年半で早くも２枚目となる名古屋のソロラッパー・呂布カルマ。2010年はトラックメイカー・鷹の目と立ち上げたレーベルJET CITY PEOPLEから、矢継ぎ早に無料ダウンロード曲の配信があり、またレーベルコンピのリリースと精力的に動いていた印象がある。
彼の１枚目はとにかく噛みついていた。ポップなヒップホップだけではなく、名指しこそなかったものの弱虫MCからハスラーラップまで、名古屋といえども日本語ラップ人口を考えればそれほど大きい街とはいえないわけで、不遜な言動は身に危険を及ぼさないのかと他人事ながら心配になる。しかも、相棒の鷹の目もまたそのトラック同様にTwitterでの呟きが辛辣で、なかなか刺激的なふたり組でもある。
呂布カルマのラップスタイルはさんピンCAMP世代の延長にある。悪ぶりながら我こそ一番との見栄をかっこよく切ってみせる古き良きMCのスタイルは、分かりやすい共通の仮想敵がいた90年代は成功できたが、一度持ち上げられたら最後、バブル後にその姿勢を保ち続けられるラッパーは激減した。新たなラッパー像を生み出せなかった彼らは見事なまでに迷走していった。決定的だったのは歩んできた人生の浮き沈みを率直に語るSEEDAたちの登場だ。
2010年代に入り、一時隆盛を誇ったそのハスラーラップも当事者が塀の中暮らしを嗜む事態となり、現在は下火だ。今はビートへの言葉の乗せ方に美意識を見出すスタイルが主流となりつつあり、リリックも健全なものに変わりつつある。
そこで、呂布カルマだ。絆創膏だらけの人生という強力な後ろ盾なしに、言葉のみで相手を挑発するスタイルは、"リアル"を基準に評価しがちなヒップホップというジャンルにおいて一段劣る印象を持たれるが、彼の言葉は押韻の固さとそのとことんまで研磨した切っ先で、相手を容赦なく袈裟懸けにする。"リアル"とはひどく抽象的なものであり、ヒップホップエリートな人生がなくても、ラップされる言葉に強度があれば、そこに"リアル"が宿ってしまう。もちろんそのためには韻やフロウといった補強は必要だが、呂布カルマはその技術も持ち合わせている。
本作の彼は早くも風格すらまとい始めている。鷹の目を始めとする提供されたトラックは一様にエッジの立ったブレイクビーツであり、その荒波の上を彼は易々と進み、余裕綽々だ。客演は前作に引き続き身内から選ばれているが、１枚目以上に気合いの入ったヴァースが吹き込まれている。Ｍ３「ショットガン・ジャブ」に参加している現場叩き上げのTOSHIやTYRANTのYUKSTA-ILL、Ｍ７「JET CITYの週末」でのCROSS BORN VANGUARDのふたり、Ｍ12「呪詞」ではPsychedelic OrchestraからZOOとBB9のB-eatが加わり、それぞれが主役に負けない確かな爪痕を刻んだ。
日本語ラップの面白さは英語と違って理解しやすい日本語のリリックによるところが大きい。ダンスミュージックとしての要素はフロウや韻に託され体が自然と反応し、かたや言葉は頭で理解し、そんな表現があるのかという驚きや痛快さを覚える喜びがある。ありがちなヒップホップ・イディオムに囚われていてはいつまでたっても到達できない高みに彼は悪態をつきながら、あるいはガンジャでぶっ飛びながら歩を進め、同時にふざけた同業者をいたぶりつつ、聴き手をもてなすことを忘れない。
彼を評価する声をあまり聞かないのが本当に不思議だ。東京でライブをしないからなのか分からないが、もっと支持されてもおかしくないラッパーだと思う。コンスタントに発表されている無料配信曲の状況からも、レーベルに勢いがあるし、"鉄板の2nd"に続く伝説のサードを間を置かずに聴けるかもしれない。楽しみだ。
---Machine Translation---
Nagoya solo rapper Ryoff Karma releases his second album in a year and a half since his previous album ``13 Shit''. In 2010, the label JET CITY PEOPLE, which he started with track maker Taka no Me, gave away free downloadable songs one after another, and he also seems to have been actively working on releasing label compilations.
His first one really stuck with me. It's not just pop hip-hop, it's not even mentioned by name, but it ranges from weak MCs to hustler rap.Even though Nagoya is not a big city considering the Japanese rap population, irreverent behavior can be dangerous. I'm worried, even though it's someone else's problem. What's more, his partner, Hawk Eye, also tweets as harshly as he does on Twitter, making them a very exciting duo.
Ryoff Karma's rap style is an extension of the Sanpin CAMP generation. The good old MC style of pretending to be the best while being evil was successful in the 1990s when there was an easy-to-understand common imaginary enemy, but once he was lifted up, it was the end, and he kept that attitude after the bubble. The number of rappers who can continue to do so has decreased dramatically. Unable to create a new image of rappers, they went astray. What was decisive was the appearance of SEEDAs who frankly talked about the ups and downs of their lives.
Hustler rap, which once flourished in the 2010s, is now on the decline as those involved prefer to live behind closed doors. Nowadays, a style that finds beauty in the way words are placed on beats is becoming mainstream, and lyrics are also becoming more healthy.
That's where Lu Bu Karma comes in. His style of provoking others with words alone, without the strong backing of a life full of bandaids, gives an impression of being inferior to the hip-hop genre, which tends to be evaluated based on "realism," but his words rhyme. With its hardness and perfectly polished tip, it ruthlessly pins down the opponent. ``Real'' is something extremely abstract, and even if you don't live the life of a hip-hop elite, if the words being rapped have strength, ``real'' will dwell there. Of course, to achieve this, reinforcements such as rhyme and flow are necessary, but Ryoff Karma also has the skills to do so.
In this work, he is already starting to take on his personality. The tracks offered, including Hawk's Eye, are all edgy breakbeats, and he navigates them with ease and ease. The guest performers are chosen from family members as in the previous album, but the verses are even more spirited than the first one. TOSHI and TYRANT's YUKSTA-ILL who are on the scene are participating in M3 "Shotgun Jab", CROSS BORN VANGUARD in M7 "JET CITY Weekend", and ZOO and BB9 from Psychedelic Orchestra in M12 "Jushi" B-eat joined the group, and each of them made a solid mark that rivaled the main characters.
The fun of Japanese rap is largely due to the Japanese lyrics, which are easier to understand than English. The elements of dance music are entrusted to the flow and rhyme, and the body responds naturally, while the words are understood by the mind, and there is the joy of being surprised and excited that such expressions exist. He climbs to heights that would never be reached if stuck in the clichéd hip-hop idiom, cursing or blasting his way through ganja, while at the same time mocking his peers and entertaining his listeners. will not forget.
It's really strange that I haven't heard much praise for him. I don't know if it's because he doesn't perform live in Tokyo, but I think he's a rapper who deserves more support. Judging by the constant release of free songs, the label has momentum, and you might be able to listen to the legendary third song that follows "Teppan no 2nd" without any interruptions. I'm looking forward.
