Queen of Japanese Hip-Hop, AWICH, Is Back With Her Brand New Album “Queendom”

The album kicks off with the title track “Queendom” which signals Awich taking the throne as a queen of Japanese hip hop while looking back to her life full of drama; childhood in Okinawa, meeting the love of her life in Atlanta, giving birth to her daughter, death of her husband and how she pushed through her pain to pursue her dream of becoming a rapper.

The music video is directed by Spikey John, one of the most up-and-coming Gen Z creators and was shot in Awich’s hometown of Okinawa with her friends and daughter joining in. (Make sure to turn on English closed caption on YouTube for full English lyrics translated by Awich herself!) New album Queendom serves as her coronation. The 13-song set finds the MC swaggering over beats, showcasing her confidence as she raps about her ascent, challenges she faces and everything in between.

Awich, who has established herself as a queen of Japanese hip-hop with her outstanding rap skills and strong punchlines inspired by her life experience, has been an eloquent speaker of life, love and forgiveness. Since her major debut in 2020, in just a few short years Awich has actively worked to redefine the hierarchy of the community in Japan, both in regards to women in hip hop, as well as around the Black Lives Matter movement. Her single “GILA GILA feat. JP THE WAVE, YZERR” and various cross-genre collaborations have attracted attention and acclaim both in Japan and internationally. She was also chosen as a face of Spotify “+81 Connect” campaign and artist of the month for “EQUAL JAPAN” with her campaign visual displayed at NY’s Times Square.

And now, as the title states, her new album will be the testimony for her “Queendom” both in name and reality.

Awich, short for “Asia Wish Child,” taken from her birth name “Akiko,” is a name she created to reflect her roots. A child growing up on her home island of Okinawa, Awich would stay up through the night writing poetry about varieties of things such as life, love, the universe and etc. Her first encounter with hip hop was listening to Tupac’s All Eyes on Me when she was 13, and her primary English textbook hailed from Tupac’s lyrics, interviews, movies and books. A 14 year old Awich was featured on the local hip hop compilation album “Orion Beat” showcasing various Okinawan artists, and in 2006 she released her debut EP “Inner Research”, and that same year relocated to Atlanta to attend school during the height of the southern hip-hop boom. The move between Tokyo and Atlanta inspired her first full album Asia Wish Child in 2007. During her time stateside, she married a New York native and gave birth to her daughter, Toyomi Jah’mira.

In 2011, armed with a bachelor’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Marketing, the family was preparing for a move back to Okinawa when her husband was shot and murdered. Awich returned home with just her daughter and faced seemingly endless depression and self-questioning. This intense process of introspection was cathartic and helped her reevaluate a more profound meaning of life, love, and forgiveness. She emerged from tragedy stronger than ever and ready to follow her path, inspired by her life experience and intense desire to change the status quo.

AWICH

New Album “Queendom”

Worldwide Release date: March 4, 2022

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