In the late 2010s, Japan began seeing a rise in underground rap that took stylistic influences from mainstream American artists. (sic)’s sense is the second EP from Japanese emo rapper (sic)boy and one of the most influential producers in Japan, KM. Together the two weave together an emo rap EP that sounds surprisingly similar to the popular sounds of Cold Hart and nothing, nowhere. Part of the success is KM’s emphasis on guitar riffing throughout the five songs and rattling 808s that’s reminiscent of their most popular American counterparts. Though it never treads new ground in the genre, what makes this project exciting is (sic)boy’s boundless energy.
Throughout the songs, (sic)boy manages to bring infectious choruses and feeds off the energy provided by KM’s drumwork. He’s also a surprisingly good singer which creates a solid balance between his hooks and verses. Given how emotive the genre is, (sic)boy is able to nail the pain in his lyrics when he climbs different registers. The mixing on the EP is also a lot more refined compared to his debut SoundCloud EP, NEVERENDING?? and it represents a nice progression in how he continues to develop his sound. There are a few weak moments within the five songs where the duo deviate from the traditional emo rap formula such as on “(stress)” which feels like a much more straightforward rap song with a less memorable hook and less room to showcase (sic)boy’s singing skills. The abrupt beat switch at the end also feels like leaving an idea incomplete as horns briefly come in before disappearing all too quickly again. Nonetheless, (sic)’s sense shows that the Japanese underground rap scene has crossover appeal and with some improvements, it’ll be exciting to see where (sic)boy and KM go next.
Must Listens: (sic)’s sense, no. 13 ghost
