About RIP SLYME
RIP SLYME formed in the mid-90s and became a key part of the FUNKY GRAMMAR UNIT, a collective influential in shaping Japanese hip-hop. Active across both major label and independent circles, the group developed a style that balanced accessible hooks with technical lyricism and offbeat humour.
Their work reached beyond music, with tracks featured in major advertising campaigns for brands including Coca-Cola, Nike, and McDonald’s. They also contributed to film, anime, and television, providing the ending theme and voiceover work for the Japanese dub of SpongeBob SquarePants from 2009 to 2019, and the track ‘Super Shooter’ for the anime Gantz. In 2013, their single ‘SLY’ was used as the theme for Fuji TV’s drama Legal High. Collaborations over the years have included artists such as Quruli, Tomoyasu Hotei, and SMAP.
In 2003, RIP SLYME drew over 50,000 fans to their outdoor event SUMMER MADNESS ’03, and became the first Japanese hip-hop act to headline Nippon Budokan. The group entered a prolonged hiatus after 2018, returning in 2022 as a trio. Their 2025 reunion marks the first appearance of all five original members in eight years.
