Creepy Nuts

Overview

Creepy Nuts are a Japanese hip-hop duo made up of rapper R-Shitei (R-指定) and DJ Matsunaga (DJ松永). Formed in 2013, they made their major-label debut with Sony Music Entertainment Japan in 2017. Their January 2024 single "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" became a massive hit in Japan and overseas: it was the year-end number one on Billboard Japan's Hot 100, won 12 chart titles in total, and peaked at number eight on the Billboard Global 200. Its follow-up "Otonoke" made them the first Japanese artist to receive two consecutive RIAA Gold certifications for Japanese-language songs. The name pairs "Creepy" with "Nuts," slang that can mean "crazy."

Members

• DJ Matsunaga (born August 23, 1990, Nagaoka, Niigata; real name Kunihiko Matsunaga) handles composition and live DJing, performing on sampler pads. He won the battle category at DMC World DJ Championships 2019.
• R-Shitei (born September 10, 1991, Sakai, Osaka; real name Kyohei Nogami) won the Ultimate MC Battle three years in a row (2012–2014) and appeared on the TV show Freestyle Dungeon as its first "Monster" and second final boss.

The two met as teenagers at an event that gathered young rappers and DJs from around Japan; both nervous among intimidating crowds, they became friends.

Career

Independent years (2013–2017)

The duo appeared on the compilation Kaikoo Planet III in August 2013 and played Fuji Rock Festival in July 2014. They signed a management deal with Steel Street in March 2015 and released the EPs Tarinai Futari (January 20, 2016) and Joen Dan'yū-shō (February 1, 2017), each followed by a Japanese tour. On April 9, 2017, at the final show of their tour at Liquidroom, they announced their major-label debut.

Major debut and growth (2017–2023)

They founded the label Creepers within Sony Music and released their major debut single on November 8, 2017 (postponed from August 2 because of rights-clearance issues). Their first major-label album, Creep Show, followed on April 11, 2018, and the compilation Indies Complete on July 25. The EPs Yofukashi no Uta (August 7, 2019) and Katsute Tensai Datta Oretachi e (August 26, 2020) came next, and they played their first solo shows at Nippon Budokan on November 11–12, 2020, while launching the fan club app Club Creepy Nuts.

The album Case (September 1, 2021) contained "Nobishiro," their first track to pass 100 million streams and earn RIAJ Platinum certification. In 2022 they released "Daten," the opening theme of the anime Call of the Night (July 8), a "Nobishiro" From THE FIRST TAKE performance (August), and the album Ensemble Play (September 7), then celebrated their major-debut fifth anniversary at Nippon Budokan on November 5. From April 2023 they dropped all regular media appearances to focus on music.

Global breakthrough (2024–present)

"Bling-Bang-Bang-Born," the opening theme of Mashle: Magic and Muscles season 2, was released on January 7, 2024. Boosted by the "BBBB Dance" internet challenge, it topped Apple Music and Spotify in Japan, hit number one on iTunes hip-hop charts in more than ten countries, and gave the duo their first Oricon weekly number one. It was Japan's best-performing song of 2024 and later reached RIAJ Diamond (500 million streams) and RIAA Gold. In the same month they released "Nidone," the theme of the drama Extremely Inappropriate!, and in March issued their first double A-side single, "Nidone / Bling-Bang-Bang-Born." They won the Drama Song award at the 119th Television Drama Academy Awards and swept three Oricon 2024 annual categories (digital singles, streaming, combined singles).

"Otonoke," the opening of the anime Dandadan, followed on October 4, 2024, becoming their second Billboard Japan Hot 100 number one and earning RIAA Gold. They ended the year with an Excellence Award at the 66th Japan Record Awards and their first appearance at the 75th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen.

In 2025 they released "doppelgänger," the theme of the film Under Ninja (January 24), the album LEGION (digital advance February 5, full release March 12), and held their first Tokyo Dome show on February 11, streamed exclusively on Prime Video from April 28. At MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN 2025 in May, "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" won seven awards and they were named Best Domestic Hip-Hop/Rap Artist. "Mirage" and "Nemure" arrived in July, and the first Asia tour, Creepy Nuts ASIA TOUR 2025, ran from October to November. In February 2026 "Otonoke" received RIAA Gold certification, and in April 2026 they held their first North America tour and closed the Gobi Stage at Coachella; Billboard named the set among the ten most memorable performances of Coachella Day 1.

Musical style

Rooted in hip-hop while moving freely between J-pop and anime themes, Creepy Nuts pair Matsunaga's distinctive, "odd but catchy" tracks with R-Shitei's rapping. R-Shitei once felt self-conscious about his "Japanese-style" flow but found it fit those tracks well. They deeply admire RHYMESTER and cite Japanese bands such as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION as strong influences. The comedy duo Tarinai Futari also inspired them, leading to a song and mini-album of the same name.