Recently I had the pleasure of speaking with German-born bi-lingual rapper Seiko(ou) who graciously took time out of his busy schedule via Skype. We spoke about his new album and who influenced him in music business as well as his current projects.
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RSF-Thanks for taking the time to talk with us.
R- I thank you guys for the opportunity.
RSF-Could you introduce yourself for our readers?
R-No problem. I am Ronny, probably better known as "☆せいこ(王)☆" (☆Seiko(ou)☆) I just turned 21 yesterday. I'm German and besides producing music, I record Lets Plays on my YouTube channel.
RSF-You recently released an album which is in both English and Japanese for free online.
R-Yep. it's called "スラムフンク" "SLAM FUNK" and is my newest release so far.
RSF-Why rap in both English and Japanese? Was there any particular reason behind it?
R-Apparently. I was always fascinated by the Asian culture and that's why, probably 2 years ago, I decided to take the bull by the horns and learn Japanese. I also became a very huge fan of Japanese Hip Hop, before I only listened to Old School Hip Hop like Boogie Down Productions, MC Shan etc. so I decided to try to rap in both languages.
RSF-You appear to be a big fan of Japanese culture, more specifically the Hip Hop culture. Do you have any favorite artists?
R-I definitly have, but I guess we would still be sitting here tomorrow if I were to mention them all, to be honest, but the artists that i could listen to 24/7 would probably be 鎮座DOPENESS, Rappagariya, Tha Blue Herb, YOU THE ROCK★ and my all-time favourite CUEZERO!
RSF-This is your first album, but if you listened to it there’s no way you could tell, it sounds very professional. Did you produce it alone or did you have help along the way?
R-Thank you. But, no, I produce everything by myself. From the beats (aside from a few samples that I looped) to the lyrics, i did everything by myself.
RSF-You’re a hip hop artist, but you come from Germany, a place one might not automatically associate with hip hop, are there any German Hip hop artists who have influenced you?
R-Well back in the day, I listened to a couple of German artists, besides all the American Old School artists I listened to, like the group Beginner or solo-artists like Kool Savas and AZAD but I'm only listening to Japanese and Chinese music for a couple of years now, so my influences are mostly from Japanese rap artists.
RSF-Your music has a lot of Japanese traditional influences like Shamisen and Enka, are there any traditional artists that have influenced your work?
R-I saw a video from Jero on YouTube a couple of months ago. it is pretty different to see an Enka artist performing in a Hip Hop style, but I like that he represents his style and stays true to his roots. No offense to Jero, but I prefer the "standard" enka singers like Yuki Kadokura etc. it's just my personal taste I guess. I'm familiar with the Yoshida Brothers. In fact, I used a sample on my album from them. Yep, I really like them, as well.
RSF-You have so many influences from around the world, everywhere from America to Japan, have you ever traveled out of the country?
R-Yeah two times, actually to Hungary with the whole family. it was pretty nice there, but my dream would be an "Asian tour". I would really like to travel to China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Sri lanka, I guess you get the idea.
RSF-This part of the interview is going to get a little more freestyle so I hope you’re ready!
R-Bring it on!
RSF-You’re a pretty handsome young guy, are you single?
R- Yes, I am. available for every Asian lady out there!
RSF-If you could collaborate with anyone right now who would it be and why?
R-Uh, now that's a tough one, but I guess it would be CUEZERO. I'm just totally in love with his music, his 3 solo-albums contained awesome beats and lyrics and I guess we would be a good combo.
RSF-You seem to be very much into the ladies so I have to ask. What is your ideal kind of woman?
R-Well when I record Let's Play's I refer to myself as the "I Only Love All Asian Ladies" Love GIANT, so as long as I'm in the presence of an Asian lady, I'm probably the happiest guy around!
RSF-Do you have any hobbies besides making music?
Yeah, i record Let's Play's, I learn Japanese and also a bit of Mandarin, I like watching basketball and wrestling and I work out almost every day. and, of course,video games.
RSF-How old were you when you lost your virginity? (Laughs)
R-Are you serious? (Laughs) Ah well, I'm not shy to admit it: I haven't lost my virginity yet.
RSF-Waiting for the right woman first?
R-You got it.
RSF-Nothing wrong with that
RSF-Are you currently working on any projects now?
R-Yep, I'm working on a mini-album that will contain maybe 4-6 tracks. I really pay attention to the beats, I try to rap onto Enka and Shamisen samples on every track, since that's the kind of beats i'm totally into. The project is called "日本の．．．" Japan's and i will rap in japanese only on every track)
RSF-MP3 or LP?
R-Most definitly MP3
RSF-Wow a hip hop fan who isn't a die-hard record collector! Do you prefer MP3 because of it's accessibility?
R-Yep. and I think that mp3 is just timeless. I think that people in the future will still use mp3 just as we do today... Maybe that's also what some guy said about "Hifi" years ago.
RSF-I think not long from now we'll have music transmitters implanted in our brains!
R-Yeah, probably made by apple (Laughs)
RSF-On second thought that sounds incredibly painful! (Laughs)
R-Ah, technology improves, but it also depends on what kind of music you listen to. if you listen to Justin Bieber, then yes, it might hurt! (Winks)
RSF-Oh no putting down the crown prince of Pop! You better watch out! (Laughs)
R-Yeah. I'm sorry. I don't want that this site to get over run by all of those prepubescent teenagers. There's no way out now! (Winks)
RSF-Would you like to give a last message to our readers?
R-Yeah. First of all thank you for giving me the opportunity to let people know who I am and the kind of music I do. I want to thank everyone who have downloaded my album and have sent me feedback. I hope that more people will try my music and will leave me more feedback so i can keep improving! And don't forget all you Asian ladies out there, I'm single! (Laughs)
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We would like to thank Seiko(ou) for taking the time to talk to us and look forward to following his projects in the future!
Seiko(ou)'s new album can be downloaded for free online at http://depositfiles.com/files/wrqq5dhbv (rar) & http://depositfiles.com/files/u284zw88c (zip) respectively.
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