>>Cowboy BeRap High-res Image
Yo yo.
Hey, man,
Cowboy BeRap.
Second single from the upgraded Anime Hop. Droppin' tomorrow. Maybe the day after. You’ll find it. TicTok. Spotify. YouTube. Wherever you waste time.
Cover’s hand-drawn. The rap? Recorded by a real person, just for this track. No AI voice clones trying to sound like a voice actor. No voice clips stolen from TV either.
If you got anime freak friends. The kind who only watch subs. Send it their way.
As I mentioned in my interview with Nick last year, ten years ago, Japanese hip-hop music writer and fans dismissed Vocaloid rap as “fake rap”. But when Vocaloid music became part of Japan’s mainstream culture, they started acting as if they’d supported it all along.
That’s when I decided I wanted to create “fake rap” that would anger those closed-minded music fans. That became the original inspiration behind Anime Hop.
Rap with long lines? Not my thing.
Anime Hop is basically rap vocals inspired by the anime audio dramas I used to listen to as a kid. Since long lines of dialogue don’t fit well with music, I kept the rap lyrics short. I also chose a simple rhythm, because complicated rhythms would limit the voice actors’ freedom to express themselves. And since I believe exaggeration is the essence of anime, I added a recurring phrase “Yo YoYo Hey men!” as a kind of stylized expression of the rapper character.
This is my rap style for Anime Hop. It’s not about following the rules of “real rap.” Just to be free.
At first, Cowboy BeRap was gonna sound like big bandjazz.
Too expected. Too clean.
I ditched it.
Wrote a rap around that meatless green pepper steak scene from Episode 1. What would Spike say if he had a mic instead of a cigarette? I went with a laid-back, monologue style sound.
Just some simple beat-driven music.
No flashy music.
And please
Don’t say
"You pissed off Japan’s music fans with I Am Not Shinzo Abe and now with Anime Hop you’ve pissed off music fans all over the world. You're not a bounty hunter like Spike. You're the bounty head". haha
So instead of "See you Space Cowboy...", I’ll leave you with this.
You’ll never catch me, Space Cowboys
"Cowboy BeRap"
(sigh)
Payback time.
Yo yo.
Yo yo.
Hey, man?
Lookin’ for something.
Bang!
Sorry ‘bout that.
Yo yo.
Still kickin’.
No cash.
Guess I’m lucky.
Hey, man?
Just passin’ through.
(sigh)
Thanks for the meal.
Yo.
Tasted pretty good.
Yo yo.
Meat’s expensive these days.
Hey, man?
Lookin' for something.
Yo.
I give up.
Yo yo.
Appreciate it.
Hey, man?
Sweet dreams.
(sigh)
You can’t give back meat you already ate.
Same as borrowed money you just can’t return it.
Am I wrong?
Hey, man?
You said 'mapo tofu.' There's no meat in it.
So you wouldn't really call it 'mapo tofu' now would you?
(sigh)
Yo yo.
Man, I’ve been played.
(sigh)
Nothin’ to do about it.
I’m starving.
Don’t die, alright?
Yo yo.
My bad.
That was scary.
Hey, man?
Thanks for the meal.
Bang!
Sukiyaki without meat? Hey, men. That ain’t sukiyaki, is it?
A skewer without meat? (sigh) That’s just a pacifier for babies, isn’t it?
I’m starving.
Hey, man?
Sorry about that.
Thanks for the meal.
Sweet dreams.
Men fall for stories with no love in 'em.
Yo yo.
Kinda thrilling, huh?
Hey, man?
And sometimes, a man falls for a woman who’s got no love at all.
*Lyrics by Xinlisupreme
*Anime Hop wasn’t built in a day. The musical style called Anime Hop was born from various stories, including one about a Korean fan of Xinlisupreme and a recent interview where I talked about real/fake rap. I will be posting thoughts on social media twice a month, including stories behind Anime Hop and my reflections on anime.
*The upgraded version of Anime Hop will include all eight tracks from the original release, newly mixed and with additional arrangements, along with five brand-new songs. These songs will be released one by one, like episodes of a TV anime, at about one track per month.
*The full upgraded album Anime Hop will be presented as a "playlist album" that brings together all the singles in one playlist on platforms like Spotify. Thirteen different covers to choose from. Pick your favorite. That’ll be the face of the whole ride.
Interview w/ Xinlisupreme
By Nick Caceres
Published 12/24/2024
This is an image from the opening
sequence of Cowboy Bebop (1998). For many, the opening is probably the
most memorable part of the anime. My own interest in Cowboy Bebop was
sparked by its realistic character design. The protagonist, especially
Spike, with his mature and stylish design reminiscent of Yusaku Matsuda
and Lupin the Third, left a strong impression on me. Also, the
performances of the Japanese voice actors, spanning from comedic to
serious scenes, were incredibly captivating.
Cowboy Bebop emerged in a time when many narratives gravitated toward realism. Evangelion, the drama Odoru Daisousasen starring Yuji Oda, and Kamen Rider Kuuga starring Joe Odagiri all featured characters who felt grounded, tangible, human. These were stories that sought to transcend the boundaries of fiction by rooting themselves in emotional and psychological realism. In the liminal space between the boom and collapse of Japan’s economic bubble, it feels almost inevitable that such stories, woven from dreams and reality, would take shape. And yet, anime remains anime. However grounded it may be, it ultimately resides within the realm of fantasy.
"But what if the future itself is a kind of dream?"
If that’s the case, then is there truly a difference between a plausible future and an impossible one? Between what might be and what cannot? We humans are always moving, either forward or not at all. With no option but to advance into the unknown, perhaps we turn to anime not to escape reality, but to envision futures that reality itself has not yet caught up to.
If you have not yet seen Cowboy Bebop, I highly recommend watching the original Japanese version. And next week, Xinlisupreme will release a new single.
Until then, see you, space cowboy...
Cowboy Bebop emerged in a time when many narratives gravitated toward realism. Evangelion, the drama Odoru Daisousasen starring Yuji Oda, and Kamen Rider Kuuga starring Joe Odagiri all featured characters who felt grounded, tangible, human. These were stories that sought to transcend the boundaries of fiction by rooting themselves in emotional and psychological realism. In the liminal space between the boom and collapse of Japan’s economic bubble, it feels almost inevitable that such stories, woven from dreams and reality, would take shape. And yet, anime remains anime. However grounded it may be, it ultimately resides within the realm of fantasy.
"But what if the future itself is a kind of dream?"
If that’s the case, then is there truly a difference between a plausible future and an impossible one? Between what might be and what cannot? We humans are always moving, either forward or not at all. With no option but to advance into the unknown, perhaps we turn to anime not to escape reality, but to envision futures that reality itself has not yet caught up to.
If you have not yet seen Cowboy Bebop, I highly recommend watching the original Japanese version. And next week, Xinlisupreme will release a new single.
Until then, see you, space cowboy...
>>Seaside Voice Dreamer high-res image
I have just submitted the distribution request for "Seaside Voice Dreamer," the first single from the upgraded version of Anime Hop. I expect it will be available on various music streaming platforms around tomorrow or the day after.In the upgraded version, the original eight tracks from the first Anime Hop have been newly mixed and feature additional arrangements. Furthermore, I will be adding five new songs, and these will be released sequentially, approximately one track per month, like a serialized manga. I actually wanted to release all the tracks today, but I decided to take the time to complete them to enhance the quality of the music.Last year, I released the original Anime Hop without any prior explanation of its change in musical direction. I’m truly sorry for the confusion and disappointment that caused for longtime Xinlisupreme listeners. This project was born from many stories—one of them involving a Korean fan of Xinlisupreme, and another about Vocaloid rap, which I talked about in my most recent interview. For the upgraded version of Anime Hop, I will update my social media and official website about twice a month, sharing my thoughts on the new tracks of Anime Hop and anime until the project is complete."Seaside Noise Dreamer" is a remake of Seaside Voice Guitar, and also the version of Seaside Anime Hopper from last year without the rap part. Seaside Voice Guitar was born from the desire, after releasing my debut album, to put all the time and ideas it would take to make one full album into a single song — to create one supreme track. For that reason, I left FatCat and spent four years trying to make it the supreme song.Five years ago, I set out with the goal of surpassing that track, spending three years creating Seaside Noise Dreamer. However, during the process, I realized that my creativity had reached its limits with that sound. And that's when Anime Hop was born.So as the prologue to the Anime Hop story—and the final track to carry the name “Seaside”—please listen to “Seaside Noise Dreamer.”Let the story begin.
** The upgraded version of Anime Hop will be a "playlist album," compiling all the singles into playlists on platforms like Spotify. It will not be released as a single, cohesive album again. There will be various single cover artworks for the 13 tracks, so please choose your favorite cover artwork to use for the playlist album cover. The initial version of Anime Hop will be removed after some time. In my first post and interview about Anime Hop, Xinlisupreme’s third full-length album, I spoke about the bullying I experienced after releasing my debut Tomorrow Never Comes, and about the discontinuation issues around my second album I Am Not Shinzo Abe. Because of this, there’s a risk of retaliation from those involved.As I also mentioned in my latest interview, Anime Hop employs many innovative methods that differ from the already innovative music of Xinlisupreme, so I anticipate it may also become a target for conservative music fans. I have already received threatening messages on Stories from Japanese accounts. Consequently, I will not be distributing the upgraded Anime Hop on music platforms such as Bandcamp, which do not allow specifying distribution regions. This is a necessary precaution for Xinlisupreme's safety and to successfully release all tracks of the upgraded Anime Hop without omitting any. Additionally, Anime Hop may face censorship, similar to what happened with "I Am Not Shinzo Abe," so the music distribution method may change during the process. Thank you for your understanding in advance regarding any inconvenience.
>>Anime
Hop high-res image
To a kind Korean Xinisupreme fan
After releasing my debut album, I was bullied by local musicians in my area. Although my debut album wasn't a big hit, it was highly praised by the most hardcore music listeners around the world, so the local musicians became jealous and targeted me for bullying. The people around them turned a blind eye to their bullying of me. So, I stopped performing in public. Later, when I confessed about this at a certain place at a certain time, a Korean Xinisupreme fan bravely encouraged me with a comment in Japanese, even though the musicians who were bullying me might have been watching.
When I was a child, there was an anime theme song that I often sang while walking home from school, and it had lyrics like this: "Ah, but if the love is not there in your heart, Then, you sure ain't no superhero."
It is neither love nor great for the strong to bully the weak as a group. To me, you are the superhero in that anime theme song. So, I thought I would repay you with music that carries the same message as those lyrics I loved as a child, and I created seven hip-hop tracks. Additionally, seven rappers belonging to the most bullied races and those of low status in history, such as witches, aliens, loners, psychics, no curves, enhanced humans, and devils, each rapped on these seven hip-hop tracks. The last track on the album is a remake of the only love song I ever created, "Seaside Voice Guitar." I couldn't make it in time for this spring, but if you like, please listen to it next spring.
Thank you for trying to save me from being bullied.
한 명의 친절한 한국 xinisupreme 팬에게
나는 데뷔 앨범을 발매한 후, 내가 살고 있는 지역의 음악가들에게 괴롭힘을 당했습니다. 내 데뷔 앨범은 대히트는 아니었지만, 전 세계에서 가장 하드코어한 음악 청취자들로부터 높은 평가를 받았기 때문에, 지역 음악가들은 나에게 질투를 느끼고 괴롭힘의 대상으로 삼았습니다. 주변 사람들은 그들의 괴롭힘을 보고도 모른 척 했습니다. 그래서 나는 사람들 앞에 나서는 것을 그만두었습니다. 그 후 어느 자리에서 이 사실을 털어놓았을 때, 저를 괴롭히던 뮤지션들이 지켜보고 있을지도 모르는 상황에서 한 한국인 Xinlisupreme 팬이 용감하게도 일본어로 댓글을 달아 격려해 주었습니다.
제가 어렸을 때 학교에서 돌아오는 길에 자주 부르던 애니메이션 주제가가 있었는데, 그 노래에는 이런 가사가 있었습니다. "아, 하지만 마음속에 사랑이 없다면, 당신은 확실히 슈퍼히어로가 아닙니다."
강자가 집단으로 약자를 괴롭히는 것은 위대함도 사랑도 아니다. 나에게 너는 그 애니메이션 주제가에 나오는 슈퍼히어로야. 그래서 나는 어렸을 때 좋아했던 그 노래의 가사와 같은 메시지를 담은 음악으로 당신에게 보답하고 싶어서 7개의 힙합 트랙을 만들었습니다. 그 후, 그리고 마녀, 외계인, 에스라인 아닌 사람, 초능력자, 외로운 사람, 강화 인간, 악마 등 역사상 가장 괴롭힘을 당한 인종과 신분이 낮은 사람들에 속하는 7명의 래퍼들이 그 7개의 힙합 트랙 위에서 각각 랩을 했습니다. 그리고 앨범의 마지막 곡은 제가 만든 유일한 러브송인 Seaside Voice Guitar를 리메이크한 곡입니다. 올해 봄에는 맞추지 못했지만, 내년 봄에 괜찮다면 들어주세요.
나를 괴롭힘에서 구해주셔서 감사합니다.
>>I Am Not Shinzo Abe high-res image
Two years ago, Japanese record label canceled the production of Xinlisupreme`s works and terminated the contract with Xinlisupreme because Xinlisupreme created a protest song 'I Am Not Shinzo Abe' to criticize Shinzo Abe, a prime minister of Japan. It has now become a taboo in Japan to criticize Shinzo Abe in music and other creative activities. In 2015, Southern All Stars, a popular band in Japan, was made to apologize for publically ridiculing him on TV. Also in 2016, there were fierce repercussions on the internet against the appearance of Aki Okuda, a leader of SEALDs, a student group to protest against Shinzo Abe, in the Fuji Rock, the biggest music festival in Japan. Even the phrase 'Do not politicize music' became a top trend on Japan's twitter. We all have the right to freedom of expression when criticizing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, an extreme right-wing politician who allows discrimination, social gaps and nuclear power plants.
With this Album, Xinlisupreme want to criticize Shinzo Abe and also change the atmosphere of the Japanese society which does not allow music to become political. Xinlisupreme hope is that this album will stimulate a discussion for the change.
To a kind Korean Xinisupreme fan
After releasing my debut album, I was bullied by local musicians in my area. Although my debut album wasn't a big hit, it was highly praised by the most hardcore music listeners around the world, so the local musicians became jealous and targeted me for bullying. The people around them turned a blind eye to their bullying of me. So, I stopped performing in public. Later, when I confessed about this at a certain place at a certain time, a Korean Xinisupreme fan bravely encouraged me with a comment in Japanese, even though the musicians who were bullying me might have been watching.
When I was a child, there was an anime theme song that I often sang while walking home from school, and it had lyrics like this: "Ah, but if the love is not there in your heart, Then, you sure ain't no superhero."
It is neither love nor great for the strong to bully the weak as a group. To me, you are the superhero in that anime theme song. So, I thought I would repay you with music that carries the same message as those lyrics I loved as a child, and I created seven hip-hop tracks. Additionally, seven rappers belonging to the most bullied races and those of low status in history, such as witches, aliens, loners, psychics, no curves, enhanced humans, and devils, each rapped on these seven hip-hop tracks. The last track on the album is a remake of the only love song I ever created, "Seaside Voice Guitar." I couldn't make it in time for this spring, but if you like, please listen to it next spring.
Thank you for trying to save me from being bullied.
한 명의 친절한 한국 xinisupreme 팬에게
나는 데뷔 앨범을 발매한 후, 내가 살고 있는 지역의 음악가들에게 괴롭힘을 당했습니다. 내 데뷔 앨범은 대히트는 아니었지만, 전 세계에서 가장 하드코어한 음악 청취자들로부터 높은 평가를 받았기 때문에, 지역 음악가들은 나에게 질투를 느끼고 괴롭힘의 대상으로 삼았습니다. 주변 사람들은 그들의 괴롭힘을 보고도 모른 척 했습니다. 그래서 나는 사람들 앞에 나서는 것을 그만두었습니다. 그 후 어느 자리에서 이 사실을 털어놓았을 때, 저를 괴롭히던 뮤지션들이 지켜보고 있을지도 모르는 상황에서 한 한국인 Xinlisupreme 팬이 용감하게도 일본어로 댓글을 달아 격려해 주었습니다.
제가 어렸을 때 학교에서 돌아오는 길에 자주 부르던 애니메이션 주제가가 있었는데, 그 노래에는 이런 가사가 있었습니다. "아, 하지만 마음속에 사랑이 없다면, 당신은 확실히 슈퍼히어로가 아닙니다."
강자가 집단으로 약자를 괴롭히는 것은 위대함도 사랑도 아니다. 나에게 너는 그 애니메이션 주제가에 나오는 슈퍼히어로야. 그래서 나는 어렸을 때 좋아했던 그 노래의 가사와 같은 메시지를 담은 음악으로 당신에게 보답하고 싶어서 7개의 힙합 트랙을 만들었습니다. 그 후, 그리고 마녀, 외계인, 에스라인 아닌 사람, 초능력자, 외로운 사람, 강화 인간, 악마 등 역사상 가장 괴롭힘을 당한 인종과 신분이 낮은 사람들에 속하는 7명의 래퍼들이 그 7개의 힙합 트랙 위에서 각각 랩을 했습니다. 그리고 앨범의 마지막 곡은 제가 만든 유일한 러브송인 Seaside Voice Guitar를 리메이크한 곡입니다. 올해 봄에는 맞추지 못했지만, 내년 봄에 괜찮다면 들어주세요.
나를 괴롭힘에서 구해주셔서 감사합니다.
>>I Am Not Shinzo Abe high-res image
Two years ago, Japanese record label canceled the production of Xinlisupreme`s works and terminated the contract with Xinlisupreme because Xinlisupreme created a protest song 'I Am Not Shinzo Abe' to criticize Shinzo Abe, a prime minister of Japan. It has now become a taboo in Japan to criticize Shinzo Abe in music and other creative activities. In 2015, Southern All Stars, a popular band in Japan, was made to apologize for publically ridiculing him on TV. Also in 2016, there were fierce repercussions on the internet against the appearance of Aki Okuda, a leader of SEALDs, a student group to protest against Shinzo Abe, in the Fuji Rock, the biggest music festival in Japan. Even the phrase 'Do not politicize music' became a top trend on Japan's twitter. We all have the right to freedom of expression when criticizing Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, an extreme right-wing politician who allows discrimination, social gaps and nuclear power plants.
With this Album, Xinlisupreme want to criticize Shinzo Abe and also change the atmosphere of the Japanese society which does not allow music to become political. Xinlisupreme hope is that this album will stimulate a discussion for the change.
>>Tomorrow
Never Comes high-res image
Short Story "The Xinli Incident" by Andrew Weatherall
(Liner Note of Tomorrow Never Comes)
The detective in the passenger seat, with a single self-assured action, flashed his warrant card and asked directions. "Twenty-third floor sir... Out of the lift and turn left - you can't miss it... Terrible mess and not very pretty at all, I can tell you..." With that the barrier lifted and the car headed toward the executive parking area of I.D.M. Industries. The lift made a silent journey to the 23rd floor, and on exiting and turning left, the two detectives immediately saw the reasons for their being there. The scene of the crime lay trough an open doorway emitting occasional puffs of smoke and wafts of shimmering vapour. Reaching into the pockets of their elegant yet provocatively conservative black coats the two men pulled out state-of-the-art gas masks, and donning them walked across the corridor. Standing just inside the room, on the only patch of floor not covered in broken machinery or bubbling liquid, Her Majesty's finest surveyed the scene. What was once a hyper-sterile working environment had been
turned into a mass of shredded wires, smashed samplers, smouldering laptops and shattered zip-discs. The laboratory once used to manufacture electronic music for earnest sixth-formers around the world was now a digital funeral pyre. "I've not see anything like this since the Prog-Rock studio trashings of '76", said detective number one, the words turning metallic as they made their way trough the gas mask's filter. "Let's leave it to forensics", replied number two as they both backed slowly out of the room, pulling the door shut behind them. As it clicked shut had anybody been left inside they would have seen the back of the door reveal, in still dripping painted letters, the words...
'XINLI SUPREME'
Short Story "The Xinli Incident" by Andrew Weatherall
(Liner Note of Tomorrow Never Comes)
The detective in the passenger seat, with a single self-assured action, flashed his warrant card and asked directions. "Twenty-third floor sir... Out of the lift and turn left - you can't miss it... Terrible mess and not very pretty at all, I can tell you..." With that the barrier lifted and the car headed toward the executive parking area of I.D.M. Industries. The lift made a silent journey to the 23rd floor, and on exiting and turning left, the two detectives immediately saw the reasons for their being there. The scene of the crime lay trough an open doorway emitting occasional puffs of smoke and wafts of shimmering vapour. Reaching into the pockets of their elegant yet provocatively conservative black coats the two men pulled out state-of-the-art gas masks, and donning them walked across the corridor. Standing just inside the room, on the only patch of floor not covered in broken machinery or bubbling liquid, Her Majesty's finest surveyed the scene. What was once a hyper-sterile working environment had been
turned into a mass of shredded wires, smashed samplers, smouldering laptops and shattered zip-discs. The laboratory once used to manufacture electronic music for earnest sixth-formers around the world was now a digital funeral pyre. "I've not see anything like this since the Prog-Rock studio trashings of '76", said detective number one, the words turning metallic as they made their way trough the gas mask's filter. "Let's leave it to forensics", replied number two as they both backed slowly out of the room, pulling the door shut behind them. As it clicked shut had anybody been left inside they would have seen the back of the door reveal, in still dripping painted letters, the words...
'XINLI SUPREME'