I have a special interview that I did recently with Japanese rapper, producer, and DJ Cherry Brown AKA Lil’ Yukichi. I found out about Cherry Brown through LisaChris’s blog (I’m 99% sure it’s her blog) in which there was a music video for Cherry Brown’s song Summa Tyme (produced by both Cherry Brown and LisaChris). I really liked the song and decided to check out more of Cherry Brown’s music. After listening to his latest mixtape Out from my Casket, I had to get an interview with Cherry Brown. So I’m giving a huge shout out to Cherry Brown for this interview and for being an awesome homie. Enjoy the interview, learn a thing or two about Cherry Brown and support him in his journey through music and life.Taiwan: Cherry Brown can you tell the people a bit about yourself and where you come from.
Cherry Brown: Hi I rap as Cherry Brown and make beats and DJ as Lil' Yukichi. I was born in Makai (Pandemonium). Lived in USA and Japan because my dad is American and my mom is Japanese.
Taiwan: You rap, DJ, and are a producer. How did you get started doing all of this?
Cherry Brown: Well I first started rapping back when I was like 15 years old. I really wanted to do a band but I didn't have anybody that was into music at my junior high school so I just started rapping by myself.
Beats! Similar reason with how I started rapping. When I started rapping, I was rapping on Japanese rappers and American rappers instrumentals. Of course I wanted my own original beat but, I didn't have anybody to make me a beat around my area so I started making my own beats with FL STUDIO. This is when I was 17 years old. DJ! I always wanted to be a DJ. My friend DJ Fuji (DJ 風児) taught me how to do it but I was not good at the analog turntables.... Few years’ later technology improves and I discovered PCDJ, I’m using the VCI-300(it's barely still working). The right disc jockey sensor is fucked up so I need to touch it strong and stuff and it sometimes freeze. Well...I think it's my PC too because I'm using my old note PC when I DJ so....lol.
Taiwan: Was it hard trying to build a name for yourself in the Japan and or internationally when you first started rapping?
Cherry Brown: Yes it was because the Internet was not that big of a thing like nowadays back then. So you know we needed to do it the old way, handing out CD-R’s to artist, promoters and shit lol. I remember I really wanted to be in Def Jam Japan so bad (like 2002)! I sent a demo to them lol.
Taiwan: What made you decide to come up with the stage name of Cherry Brown and what does your nickname Lil' Yukichi mean?
Cherry Brown: First my name was Chaalee Brown and I was about to do my first show back in maybe 2003 or 2004 and I decided to do a collaboration with this one rapper, we lived in the same city back then.... I was just dissing everybody like all the pop artists, idols, and even some Japanese rappers too. So since that he told me "If you're going to diss everybody why don't you change your name to something more soft and has a cute taste? How about like Cherry?” Cherry Brown! "I was like cool! I'm Cherry Brown lol.”
Lil'Yukichi I was going in and out this one bbs (Bulletin Board System) site called "The Keijiban a.k.a. Zabibi" my handle name was Lil' Yukichi there.
Taiwan: Ever since listening to your music I notice that you rap more in Japanese than in English. Do you prefer rapping in Japanese rather than English or either way is fine with you?
Cherry Brown: Oh yes. Well to be honest, I was living in the states and Military base in Japan so I was in that English community when I was very young, so I was comfortable with using English but I think around when I was in 2nd Grade, me and my family came back to Japan and since then I was in the Japanese community and I only spoked English with my father.
So yes it's easier for me to rap in Japanese plus I live in Japan so....
Taiwan: Follow up Question- Does knowing English help with your flow at all when rapping in Japanese?
Cherry Brown: I don't know....but I guess the answer to that question is yes. Like people say to me that I rap in Japanese but it sounds like English rap.
Taiwan: Are there any rappers that have influenced you at all or that you look up to?
Cherry Brown: Yes maybe like Snoop Dogg, my dad has always been bumping that west coast Death Row shit in the car, at that time I was like 5 years old so that was the entry of rap for me I guess.... After that, I got in to Gaki Ranger (餓鬼レンジャー) they’re the reason I start listening to Japanese rap.
I have also been influenced by Southern rappers like Three 6 Mafia, Ludacris, and Lil' Jon....... Oh yes and Soulja Boy! I been checking him out before the fame, he was on this site called soundclick uploading hella songs. I learned many things from him I mean seriously.
Taiwan: How would you describe your style of rapping?
Cherry Brown: Difficult one....because I don't even know how to describe my style lol. Some people call my style 2D rap because I rap about anime girls and things in my songs since I released my 1st mixtape in 2008.
Taiwan: I listened to your latest mixtape, Out from My Casket, and wanted to know what the concept behind the mixtape was?
Cherry Brown: Oh thanks! I released that in 2014 and I released my 1st major album in late 2013. Well....I thought my album would go really good but things did not go good with my album. The sells, the record company (Victor Entertainment) didn't want to upload the full version of the video of my lead single to Internet (you can check it here though https://vimeo.com/92441651 ), plus it was like almost no promotion for the album lol.
I mean there were many fucking problems, I was going insane lol. I really wanted to quit making music and not want to do nothing and was always thinking about super hyper ultra-negative stuff. I was mentally fucked up for real lol. I had ups and downs. When I was okay, I still made music but not like before... But you know I love music so I couldn't quit. I was looking back at myself and realized I was like a dead fucking man. No hope bitching about the reality sometimes I felt really jealous of other artists.
All that shit in my mind was false and I had to come back from the dirt and from the dark. So I named it Out from My Casket.
Taiwan: Follow up question- The mood of Out from My Casket ranges from kind of dark to chill vibes to 2D anime lifestyle swag which was pretty dope. Was that the kind of sound you wanted for the mixtape?
Cherry Brown: Exactly! From those days I was really down so this sound was natural to me.
Taiwan: Your debut album is called Escapism and it came out in 2013. What was the concept behind your debut album and was that album your favorite project to work on so far or do you have a certain mixtape that you worked on that is near and dear to you?
Cherry Brown: Actually there was no concept at first, I was just recording songs and was like, “I'm going to put these songs on my album.” After I got done recording all the songs I realize almost all the things that I rap is Escapism. I realized that most of the things that I rap about are related to Escapism because I rap about these anime girls that don't exist in this real world. I had a song about drinking hell liquor and getting fucked up that's Escapism for me too. Rapping about 2D girls, drinking...well not all of the songs but yes I really liked that album.
I did what other people will never do! Like that one song with "Nanahira" that was a mix of southern rap and a Denpa song. I really like both genres so I just did it.
To learn more about the Denpa genre click this link below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denpa_song
Taiwan: Are you planning on expanding your music internationally or just focusing on becoming a household name in the Japanese rap scene?
Cherry Brown: Before I was only thinking in Japan but not right now, I am trying to expand my music internationally. People from the states were feeling my stuff and we actually did a song so that was a nice step.
Taiwan: What does CNBM records stand for and is that your label?
Cherry Brown: Cookie and Biscuits Mafia. Yes it is!
Taiwan: Where can people find you at and where can people listen to and buy your music at? (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Website, iTunes)
http://www.cherrybrownislilyukichi.com/
You can listen to my 1st mixtape (not the full mixed version sorry) and I will try to upload my other mixtapes there too. Also you can check out Lil'Yukichi music and Production discography too!
Thank you.
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