BANNY BUGS released their new single, “RAIN feat. AZU, Kouichi Arakawa” today, Wednesday, April 23rd.
BANNY BUGS is a producer and MC who runs collective CCS records., which continues to share various expressions based in Fukuoka. This work also serves as the beginning of a story that leads to the first full album under his own solo name. It contains gratitude for those who leave, the resolve of those who remain, and prayers for all encounters and farewells, and the “human mental landscape” itself is expressed as “rain.” This song describes his feelings for his friends who have crossed the sea and set out for Barcelona shortly after the announcement of the hiatus of CCS records.
The afrobeat sound was by beat producer mee mee mee, who also serves as a live DJ. The guest performances featured AZU, also known as a member of Nokey Boyz, a hip-hop crew member based in Fukuoka, and R&B singer Kouichi Arakawa. It is not just a “rain” but a “rain-like being” and “emotions swaying like rain” in three dimensions, both in terms of lyrics and sound, and the delicate and somewhat fleeting AZU and the soulful and powerful verses of Kouichi Arakawa intersect, making it a truly “song of rain” that truly expresses the sound of rain.
Maito Ota will be in charge of mastering. The artwork was done by Tokyo-based photographer Ren Fujishige, and the styling of the photos was done by Shintaro Hara from the Fukuoka select shop “BOWLL.” I hope you will feel the current situation they have chosen to “beautiful and wet” as artists, friends and as individuals.
[Release Information]
BANNY BUGS “RAIN feat. AZU, Kouichi Arakawa”
Release Date: 2025.04.23 (Wed.)
Label: TEAM LARRY
Tracklist:
1. RAIN feat. AZU, Kouichi Arakawa
