Yuki Chiba

Yuki Chiba is a Japanese rapper who first made his name as KOHH. Born in 1990 and raised in Oji, in Tokyo’s Kita ward, he began releasing music through GUNSMITH PRODUCTION alongside producer and A&R 318, setting blunt lyrics about his upbringing over stark, trap-influenced production on his early mixtapes and 2014 album ‘MONOCHROME’.

KOHH’s verse on Keith Ape’s 2015 hit ‘It G Ma’ is widely credited as a turning point for Asian hip-hop overseas. He appeared on Utada Hikaru’s ‘Boukyaku’ and the extended cut of Frank Ocean’s ‘Nikes’ in 2016, and later on a KOHH-featuring version of ‘Runway’, released as a Japan-only digital bonus track for Mariah Carey’s 2018 album ‘Caution’. He announced his retirement in 2020 and ended his activities as KOHH at the end of 2021, later saying he would no longer perform songs from that era.

Chiba returned under his birth name in February 2024 with ‘Team Tomodachi’, a viral single produced by Koshy with Young Coco that sparked a wave of remixes from rappers around the world, including Will Smith and Bun B. Later that year he featured on Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Mamushi’, his first Billboard Hot 100 entry, and performed it with her at the MTV VMAs. His first album as Yuki Chiba, ‘STAR’, followed in December 2024.

Since then, he has moved between styles, from the ambient R&B of 2025’s ‘Eien’ to improvised blues with pianist Ryo Takaiwa as Nijiz. He recorded ‘Shinpai Muyou’ as the anthem for VALORANT Champions Tour 2025 Pacific Stage 2, and in 2026 recorded ‘Shinukaikiruka’, the ending theme for STEEL BALL RUN JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.

After headlining a sold-out Nippon Budokan in July 2025, where he announced plans to move to Los Angeles, Chiba signed a comprehensive deal with Warner Music and joined the newly launched 300 Entertainment Japan. He played his first US headline show at The Roxy that September, followed in 2026 by his first European tour as Yuki Chiba, including headline shows in London, Paris, and Berlin.