Hilcrhyme

Overview

Hilcrhyme (ヒルクライム, Hirukuraimu) is a Japanese hip-hop act that began as a duo and is now the solo unit of MC TOC. Its official fan club is called "4seasons." The name is a pun on "hillclimb" and "rhyme": the duo shared a love of snowboarding and wanted to keep climbing the hill together. They are best known for the 2009 hit "Shunkashūtō" (春夏秋冬), certified for 1,000,000 cellphone full-track downloads and 1,000,000 ringtone downloads separately. In 2009 the group received New Artist awards at the 42nd Japan Cable Awards and the 51st Japan Record Awards, and was named New Artist of the Year at the 24th Japan Gold Disc Awards.

Career

Formation and indie years

TOC met DJ KATSU in 2001 when he joined the latter's event "Nettaiya" as an MC. The pair formed Hilcrhyme in Niigata in 2006 and became hugely popular locally. In March 2007 they gave away 2,000 copies of the demo album "Nettaiya" free in Niigata, and in June a one-man show at Niigata Junk Box drew 400 people for a 300-capacity venue. Their first official release, the single "Mō Byebye," came in July 2008 through Nao Plan; it ranked first in HMV Japan's hip-hop/reggae maxi-single pre-order chart and fourth on Oricon's indie chart. Their last indie show, at Niigata LOTS in March 2009, drew a sold-out crowd of 600.

Major debut and breakthrough

On July 15, 2009, they debuted on Universal J with the single "Jun'ya to Manami" (純也と真菜実), whose video features newscaster Aiko Kaido as the bride. The second single, "Shunkashūtō," released September 30, 2009, hit No. 1 on the ringtone chart and Oricon's daily ranking, won tie-ins including the September ending theme of TBS's COUNT DOWN TV, and made them stars. They made their first appearance on Music Station in October. The first album "Recital" followed in January 2010, then the single "Daijōbu" in April and "Loose Leaf" in June; the latter was the theme of the drama Flunk Punk Rumble, their first drama tie-in. The second album "MESSAGE" arrived in November 2010.

2011–2017

In August 2011 they played a homecoming show for 7,000 people at Toki Messe, Niigata's largest arena. Albums followed: "RISING" (December 2011), "LIKE A NOVEL" (November 2012), "FIVE ZERO ONE" (February 2014) and "REVIVAL" (March 2015). Their Nippon Budokan one-man show "Hilcrhyme in Nippon Budokan Junction" on September 6, 2014 sold out. The single "Ienai Ienai" (September 2015) was the ending theme of the anime Jitsu wa Watashi wa, their first anime tie-in. A 10th-anniversary live, "PARALLEL WORLD," took place in April 2016 and was released as a 3D film in September. The seventh album "SIDE BY SIDE" came out in December 2016. In February 2017 they moved to Universal Music Artists, held a second Toki Messe show in March, and in April a film inspired by "Shunkashūtō" had a limited theatrical run.

DJ KATSU's departure and return

On December 1, 2017, DJ KATSU was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession, and his departure was announced on March 19, 2018. Hilcrhyme has since continued with TOC alone, resuming activity with the one-man show "Hilcrhyme LIVE 2018 'One Man'" at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in Tokyo on September 2, 2018.

2019 onward

The self-titled eighth album "Hilcrhyme" arrived in January 2019, followed by "THE MC" in September 2020. For the 15th anniversary in 2021 came "FRONTIER," and all 28 of the group's music videos were uploaded to YouTube. In September 2022 "SELFISH" was released alongside TOC's solo album "FOOLISH." Three best-of albums marked the 15th debut anniversary: "BEST 15 2018-2023 -One Man & New Roadmap-" (December 13, 2023), "BEST 15 2014-2017 -Success & Conflict-" (February 28, 2024) and "BEST 15 2009-2013 -The Beginning & Flying-" (May 29, 2024). The twelfth album "24/7 LOVE" was released on November 27, 2024, and the thirteenth, "Moments," on November 19, 2025. Digital singles "Kidoairaku" (喜怒哀楽, May 20, 2026) and "Utsukushiki Hibi" (美しき日々, July 15, 2026) are listed, with the 14th album "2026" scheduled for October 7.

Musical style

Hilcrhyme builds on hip-hop beats while incorporating soft-textured instruments such as piano and strings. Since the fourth album "LIKE A NOVEL," sampling has also been used extensively. Songs are written track-first; TOC says lyrics and rap can only be added once a track exists. TOC handles rap, vocals, lyrics and composition.