nobodyknows+

Overview

nobodyknows+ is a Japanese hip-hop group founded in Nagoya in 1999 and based at $TAX RECORDS. From June 2003 they worked as an unusual 5MC + 1DJ lineup; since G-ton's departure in 2007 they have been four MCs and one DJ. Their breakthrough came with "Kokoro Odoru" and the debut album Do You Know? (2004), which topped the Oricon album chart, and they appeared at the NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen that year without an agency.

Career

• 1 October 1999: Formed in Nagoya as "nobody knows" by G-ton, DJ Mitsu and Crystal Boy.
• 2000–2001: Released the indie EPs nobody knows (August 2000) and nobody knows 2 (2001), the latter reaching No. 19 on the Oricon Indies Chart.
• 2002: Signed with Sony Music. DJ Mitsu also formed the masked unit Wakaba-Juku with Yasu Ichiban?, Hidden Fish and Nori da Funky Shibiresath.
• February 2003: Made their major debut with nobody knows 3. On 1 June the Wakaba-Juku trio joined and the group became nobodyknows+. The first single "Irai Zecchō" followed in August and the mini-album Susumidasu→ in November.
• 2004: Released "Poron2" and "Kokoro Odoru" (used as an ending theme for SD Gundam Force and featured in Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan), then the debut album Do You Know? in June. It was a major hit and held No. 1 on the Oricon weekly chart; the group made their first Kōhaku appearance on 31 December and won awards including the Yusen Taisho newcomer prize.
• 2005: Released "Shiawase Nara Te o Tatakō / T.R.U.E." (Japanese theme for Kung Fu Hustle), "Mebae", "El Mirador Tenbōdai no Uta" (a Mode Gakuen commercial song) and "Dō yo?", plus the album 5MC & 1DJ in November. They also organized the Nagoya Music Expo, which drew around 10,000 people. The "Mebae" video won at the Space Shower Music Video Awards in 2006.
• 2006: Toured all 47 prefectures from February to July, the first hip-hop group in Japan to do so. The tour was released on DVD and Blu-ray.
• 2007: Performed their first overseas concert at Tokyo Night 2007 in California on 24 March. G-ton left in April over artistic differences. "Hero's Come Back!!" (first opening theme of Naruto: Shippūden) came out in April, followed by the album vulgarhythm in August.
• 2008–2009: Released "Under Rain", "Villain's Pain (Hero's Come Back!!Other Side) / Imaike Samba" and "Fallin'" (featuring Shigeru Matsuzaki), then their first best-of album in March 2009.
• 2010 onward: Left Sony and returned to the revived $TAX Records. They supplied theme songs to the Chunichi Dragons' cheer team: "Winds of Wins" (2010), "Fly High" (2011), "Join Us" (2012) and "Let's Dance" (2013). DJ Mitsu also produced the club's official song and Nagoya Dome stadium presentation.
• 2011: With HOME MADE KAZOKU and SEAMO, made the charity song "HOLD MY HAND" for the Tohoku earthquake, which hit No. 1 on the iTunes Hip-Hop chart; proceeds were donated to Rikuzentakata.
• 2012: Appointed Aichi Music Ambassadors by Aichi Prefecture.
• September 2013: Released the album nobodyknows+ is dead?, their first original album in about six years.
• 2014: "Kokoro Odoru" returned to No. 1 on the iTunes Hip-Hop chart for three weeks, ten years after release; in June they headlined a festival in Novosibirsk, Russia.
• September 2015: Released the mini-album PLATINUM 4. December 2017 brought the album THE FIVE WAYS.
• 2019: Contributed "Bad Ass Temple Funky Sounds" to Hypnosis Mic; the album containing it reached No. 1 on the Oricon weekly chart.
• 2020–2022: G-ton rejoined on stage in August 2020 for the first time in 13 years. In 2022 their "Kokoro Odoru" performance on THE FIRST TAKE (June) passed 10 million views within two weeks, with G-ton taking part. They appeared on Music Station in September and made their first Momoiro Uta Gassen appearance on New Year's Eve. "Kokoro Odoru -original version- / Hero's Come Back!! BEST Tag" was released in March 2022.

Members

• DJ Mitsu: leader, creates the group's sound and founded $TAX Records.
• Crystal Boy: original member who released a solo mini-album in 2010.
• Yasu Ichiban?: joined in 2004 and began solo work in 2009.
• MC Nashi: has changed his stage name several times.
• Nori da Funky Shibiresath: also a pro wrestler, retired in October 2018.
• Former member G-ton: left in 2007, pursued a solo career and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

All members hold regular jobs in and around Nagoya alongside their music careers.

Musical Style

Rooted in hip-hop, with DJ Mitsu shaping the group's overall sound. As a leading act of Nagoya's hip-hop scene, they have supplied songs for anime, film, commercials and a baseball team.