Rapper and producer Antarius moved to Tokyo from a small town in Georgia right after high school, led there by what he describes as a love of Japanese culture. These days he's making barrier-breaking work, rapping in both English and Japanese and running a digital label with a group of friends. “I want Japanese music to be seen as cool. Japan is already like the Atlanta of Asia in the sense that the coolest stuff comes from here — fashion, anime, etc. But the music is lacking," he says. "Labels here are still very much in control and the artists that are pulling in the views and the money are still the ‘manufactured’ idols, meaning their image and sound is all created by the label with little artist input. But in 2018, rap is the complete opposite of that.”

Start with: Antarius, “必殺 / Certain Kill!”