Official report of "POP YOURS 2025" arrives visualizing cutting-edge, diverse youth cultures

The hip-hop festival “POP YOURS 2025” was held at Exhibition Hall 9-11 in Makuhari Messe, Chiba on Saturday, May 24th and Sunday, May 25th. “POP YOURS,” which started in 2022, has had a wide range of topics and a major influence on the Japanese hip-hop scene in recent years, including the announcement of BAD HOP’s disbandment and the original performance of Tohji and LEX. This is the fourth time this year, the event will be announced with ¥ellow Bucks and JJJ as headliners. As in last year, tickets were sold out before all the performers were revealed. The total number of visitors for two days was approximately 35,000. It was streamed live for free on YouTube, with a total of approximately 1.8 million views.

The opening DJ for DAY1 is DJ YUTO. The sight of over 10,000 people singing hip-hop chorus at 10:30am is now a tradition in “POP YOURS.” When it comes to artists like this, it’s SEEDA. He sang “Daydreaming pt.2” and other songs with a full vibe. Surprisingly, Jinmenusagi and Charlu make their first appearances. His outstanding live skills brought the audience’s vibes to a boil.

After STACK THE PINK, ziproom️, TOKYO World and Tete played “NEW COMER SHOT LIVE,” 7, who arranged red hair like spikey hair, sang “feat. MIKADO” and more. With dancers, eyden exuded her love for hip-hop culture from the performances. The series continues with Fuji Taito, who has formed a set list mainly for new songs, Kaneee, who has quickly joined the ranks of popular artists with her talent and greatness, and 3House, which is characterized by her beautiful voice and smooth flow.

It was KM who radiated an incredible impulse. In addition to playing KM reedit songs such as “Give me your strength” (LEX) with a mic, he also invited Kaneee, Kohjiya and Yvng Patra to last year’s anthem “Champions” that he produced, causing the energy in the venue to explode. The following kZm left a famous quote, “You guys are the main characters of Decass,” and shook Makuhari Messe with “DOSHABURI” and “Teenage Vibe.” JP THE WAVY focused on dance, a weapon, and sang three new songs.

Kaneee, Kohjiya, Yvng Patra (Photo by Daiki Miura)

BIM is not a trendy sound, but has been chosen for “POP YOURS” with authentic hip-hop styles. However, by inserting guest performances of PUNPEE and DJ ZAI’s super scratching at key points, they didn’t change their style, and at the same time performed live performances that would make the audience fully entertained. And popular Kohjiya joined Banger “DNA” and launched Makuhari. ANARCHY exchanged positive vibes while interacting with the audience, while IO featured guitars and keyboards to further highlight his pathos and power of words.

Benjazzy, whose private celebrations have become a hot topic, showed off her unchanging rap skills in “POP YOURS.” Watson stood out again this year with his natural good voice and sense of word choice. In addition to the chorus “Awa dialect,” he also sang the new song “Fashion Week,” which he produced with Benjazzy. LANA’s style of presenting Reiwa gals is truly “Street Princess.” The performance and direction that simultaneously express cuteness and coolness are impressive again this year. Vingo also rushed to “No.5 Remix.”

The headliner for DAY 1 is ¥ellow Bucks. Two years ago, the audience continued to scream at the set list, which was packed with killer tunes, including “Yessir,” “My Resort pt.2,” and “Big Shit Trouble feat. eyeden.” But what really struck me was the part where ¥ellow Bucks DJed. He played his own participating songs, such as “Give me your strength” (LEX) and “Miss Luxury” (YZERR), and in response he performed with strong security-like dancers and bewitching go-go dancers intertwined everywhere. This is a nightclub that appears in the popular game “Grand Theft Auto.” A world full of vulgarity and dangerous, yet charming. The scene where the sexy go-go dancer dancer’s dance is a huge photo of the super-huge LED, the signboard of “POP YOURS,” is so exciting and exciting entertainment that it gives you a glimpse into the background of ¥ellow Bucks.

Finally, taking into account his turbulent career, he conveyed his positive message to his fans, saying, “If you really love something, if you continue, there will definitely be a chance one day,” and connected the baton to DAY2.

DAY2 started with a MARZY DJ. Just like the day before, the audience chorus echoed through Makuhari Messe. After singing “Step Into The Arena,” which he created with JJJJ, PUNPEE shared an episode about a fan staffer picking up his phone at a second-hand clothing store, and presented a warmthy stage that replied, “I am blessed with kind listeners.”

Swetty and lil soft tennis, who appeared on DAY2’s “NEW COMER SHOT LIVE” last year, were selected as main acts this year. Swetty’s live performances were filled with fresh energy, such as “cuz u just memories,” while Lil Soft Tennis managed to overcome difficult times and showed a refreshing stage. Incidentally, this year’s “NEW COMER SHOT LIVE” featured 5Leaf, the talented lilbesh ramko, rapper-skilled DAB, and the high-sense Tade Dust, who were the audience last year.

lil soft tennis (Photo by Yokoyama Masato)

MIKADO called on TOFU and HARKA with “said remix.” The word choice was unique and it made me happy singing along to the venue. DADA was smatized on the familiar “Satsutaba” and sang “Dawn” and other songs. Bonbero rapped a cappella a song featuring “a song I wrote with the Legend” and last year’s “POP YOURS” song “YW” He called SEEDA for “Ringdidiringring” and Campanella for “Oil Freestyle” and spitted with a sharp edge.

Elle Teresa, who has an outstanding sense of language, has now fully expressed her worldview – “El’s cutest”, including her costume and video. Her own expressiveness at her live performances has also improved significantly since last year, and the content was perfect from start to finish. Next, NENE has selected songs mainly from the album “Gekku Ats,” produced by Koshy. On “Banana Boat,” Elle Teresa appeared again and danced the music video with a flashy group of dancers. The two were cheering for the whole time.

Daichi Yamamoto gave a passionate performance, including his signature song “Let It Be.” The first song, “Newtone,” includes JJJ’s shout “Let’s Go Daichi!”. The audience on this day also made a close call in this scene. Three new songs were unveiled at STUTS on the WAVE. One of these songs is a unique combination of Campanella, Chinza DOPENESS, and Candee. I felt the fun mix of the producer’s personality. After that, the project song “I JUST” by swetty and Elle Teresa, another unique duo, was performed as a surprise, livening up the festival.

swetty, Elle Teresa (Photo by Yokoyama Masato)

swetty, Elle Teresa (Photo by Jun Yokoyama)

Kohjiya was active as the guest king of this year. As cheers were being sent out on every stage, Makuhari was filled with excitement at his long-awaited stage. The excitement grew as he sang “Denied” and “Never Disappoint” which he produced with Bonbero. The last song was in no time. STUTS also participated in the newly released “99 Steps feat. Hana Hope.”

Kvi Baba’s strength is his catchy and powerful hooks that are pleasant to sing along with. A variety of songs, including “Friends, Family & God,” featuring Gk.id, gave a heart-warming singerlong. Jin Dogg was as hard as it was this year. “Prada feat. DADA” and “Death Note feat. Pxrge Trxxxper” are illusions of live hardcore punk. At the end, he went to the audience and sang “Team Tomodachi Dirty Kansai Remix.” “In fact, since the first time, he has been appearing in some form every year,” Gk.id’s familiar dramas include Hannya and Jin Dogg (“MOGURA – Staying Barefoot”) and guest appearances on Gk.id’s stage. Many audiences were listening to the soul-filled “Japanese songs.” The following Yo-Sea appeared with two guitars and chorus members. He delivered “Flower” with STUTS in a clear voice. He then sang a new song that GooDee had participated in.

Surprisingly, this year marks her first “POP YOURS.” He also participated in the festival’s original song, “PAGE ONE.” The distinctive feature of Kohjiya is her voice. The words gain strength when they hear the voices of the two. This song is a song about the determination of rappers who keep facing themselves and continue to face themselves. After watching many live shows by many rappers, I was reminded of the efforts and conflicts behind their glamour. Finally, he said, “I’ll connect it to the headliner JJJ with respect,” and then went off the stage.

JJJ passed away on April 13, 2025 at the age of 35. He made a successful solo concert at Hibiya Open-air Music Hall in November last year, and was selected as the finale of “POP YOURS 2025” in January. I thought it was a very typical “POP YOURS” selection, taking the artist level to a higher level. Looking at the first year’s BAD HOP, as well as last year’s Tohji and LEX, were just right, but at the time it was challenging.

The 2023 album, MAKTUB, is a masterpiece that crystallizes JJJ’s experimental spirit, pop sense, delicate prose-like lyrics, and one-of-a-kind voice and flow at an extremely high concentration. This time, the performance was as planned by JJJ and his staff during their lives, focusing on the songs included in the same composition as possible.

The back DJ is Aru-2. The live performance started with the new song “dali.” JJJ’s real voice has incredible power. Despite his lack, the wonderfulness of the music he created cannot fade. The loud “dali” was terrifyingly cool and cool. In addition to original guests STUTS, OMSB and Daichi Yamamoto, Iwami Tsugugo will also participate in “Kokoro” and “Find Away” on double bass. It further deepens the emotional feeling of the song. Benjazzy rushed to “Cyberpunk.” Using a hologram curtain, we projected the silhouette of JJJ and the artwork for MAKTUB. Campanella, who co-starred in various songs, rapped “Something” with “I’m currently putting myself into lyrics and what happens next in my lyrics 2025.5.25.” The show concluded with JJJ and STUTS’s signature song, “Changes,” and finally with its roots, 2013 classic “Fla$hBackS.”

The lineup for “POP YOURS 2025” has become more diverse than ever, but the audience was most memorable. Any artist was trying to enjoy it, and maybe they were preparing. Initially, the event name “POP YOURS” contained the hope that hip-hop in Japan would become pop culture. This goal may be gradually being achieved. This was the fourth year of “POP YOURS” that made me feel that way.

It was announced that “POP YOURS OSAKA 2025” would be held immediately after DAY1 ended. The venue is Osaka Castle Hall. The date is Saturday, October 18th. The lineup, ticket information, and more will be announced soon.

Text by Miyazaki Keita

[Event Information]

“POP YOURS 2025”
Dates: Saturday, May 24th, Sunday, May 25th, 2025
Venue: Chiba Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Halls 9-11