Shing02

Who is Shing02?

Shingo Annen, better known by his stage name Shing02, is a Japanese rapper and producer. He was described by Patrick Neate as one of the Japanese emcees who "have addressed important issues from Japanese ethnicity to sexual exploitation to the education system."

Due in part to growing up in Western cities, Shing02 stands as one of the few multilingual rappers from Japan able to compose songs entirely in either Japanese or English. His rhyming style makes use of lyrics which are largely conceptual in nature and his hip-hop sound is known for blending various influences, ranging from reggae to traditional Japanese music to jazz. The style of music has made him a significant presence within the underground rap community, and he has achieved recognition beyond the scene for rapping "Battlecry", the theme song of the hip-hop-influenced chanbara anime Samurai Champloo, produced by Japanese jazz rap DJ Nujabes.