M-Flo | |
|---|---|
 On stage, 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Japan |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Rhythm Zone |
| Members | |
| Website | m-flo |
M-Flo (エムフロウ,Emu Furō; stylized asm-flo) is aJapanese hip-hop group consisting ofTaku Takahashi,Verbal andLisa.
Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists for each song over three albums, including the likes ofCrystal Kay,Namie Amuro,Bonnie Pink,Koda Kumi andBoA.[1]
Their mainstream success and critical acclaim established them as the most iconic and influential hip-hop production team in Japan with success throughout Asia.[2]
Taku Takahashi and Verbal also started successful side-projects outside M-Flo, such as theTeriyaki Boyz and Global Astro Alliance collaborating with international producers and artists such asKanye West and theBeastie Boys.
In 2008, the group announced ahiatus, stating that each member would be focusing on their respective side projects.[3] In 2012 the group ended their hiatus with the release ofSquare One on March 14, 2012.[4]
On December 14, 2017,Lisa returned to the group[5] and they announced that they will release new material in 2018. At the same time, M-Flo also released a digital compilation album called UNIVERSE[6] to celebrate past years of the group, that contained all the 150 songs they released since their debut.
Taku Takahashi (高橋 拓,Takahashi Taku) andVerbal (born as Ryu Young Gi [Korean:류영기/유영기, Hanja:柳榮起]) first met as students atSt. Mary's International School in Tokyo.[7] The pair collaborated in the groupN.M.D., in which Takahashi was drummer and Verbal emceed, as well as throwing dance parties where they often performed togetherfreestyle.
Following his high school graduation, Verbal attendedBoston College andGordon-Conwell Theological Seminary[7] inBoston while Taku relocated to study in Los Angeles. They are both fluent in English and use it frequently in their songs. Following their return to Japan, the duo began performing in clubs and on television[7] hoping to attract the attention of record companies. In 1998, Taku met Asakawa Masaji, the director of management company Artimage and DJ of the groupGTS. Masaji invited Taku to produce a reworking ofBarbra Streisand'sThe Way We Were, with a rap by Verbal, originally intended as a GTS release. The song was released on vinyl in 1998 onAvex Trax's Rhythm Republicindie imprint and later on the compilation albumThe Intergalactic Collection ~ギャラコレ~, and sold about 1000 units.[7]
Following the release of "The Way We Were", Verbal and Taku invited Elizabeth Sakura Narita,[1] who with a Colombian background is better known by her stage name ofLISA, a friend while atSt. Mary's who at the time was performing under the pseudonym "Unika" solo and in several underground projects trying to gain credit as a musician,[7] to collaborate with them on a second single, "Been So Long", released under the nameMediarite-Flow.
The name was a re-spelling of 'meteorite flow' as Verbal hoped the group would have a big impact in media and "surprise the unsuspecting masses with some good music."[1] It was shortened by the group's label to "M-Flo".[7] The song was released on a limited-run vinyl with Rhythm Republic in 1998, attracting the attention of the major Avex Trax sublabelRhythm Zone.
The group's first release with Rhythm Zone, "The Tripod E.P.", was adouble A-side single which included a re-release of "Been So Long" alongside new track "Flo Jack" and was released on July 7, 1999. The EP gained the group a #7 position on theOricon charts, and "been so long" was licensed byKonami for inclusion inbeatmania IIDX alongside the songs "The Rhyme Brokers" and "Theme from "flo-jack" ". A further four singles were released prior to the release of the group's first full-length album,Planet Shining, on February 23, 2000. The album reached #6 in the Oricon charts.
Following the release of thePlanet Shining remix albumThe Replacement Percussionists in August 2000, the group released the first single from their second album, "How You Like Me Now?", on September 1, 2000. In January of the following year they released "Come Again", which achieved a #4 position in the Oricon charts and was their highest-selling single to date, selling 389,760 units, landing in the top 50 highest-selling singles in Japan for 2001. The group's second album,Expo Expo, was released on March 28, 2001, and reached #3 on the Oricon charts.Expo Expo was followed with a Japanese tour, released on CD and DVD in September 2001, and an album of remixes fromExpo Expo,Expo Bouei Robot Gran Sonik, in November.
Following the release ofGran Sonik, Lisa announced her departure from the group to pursue a solo career in early 2002. The split was not amicable following an argument at a TV show shoot, though Verbal has stated that it was exaggerated and did not want her to leave. He described the group as "Guns N' Roses minus Axl Rose" at that time.[1]
After a period of inactivity, during which Verbal and Taku engaged themselves in a series of side-projects, M-Flo released a collection of collaborations entitledSotoshigoto: m-flo Turns It Out! and on March 5, 2003 a fan-selectedbest of album,The Intergalactic Collection ~ギャラコレ~. The last track on the album hinted at the arrival of a new vocalist to replace Lisa, although the vocalist's identity was not revealed.
Inspired byThe Neptunes,[1] on June 6, 2003, the group released a pair of collaborations withR&B singerCrystal Kay,Reeewind! andI Like It. The singles were released under the names "M-Flo Loves Crystal Kay" and "Crystal Kay Loves M-Flo" respectively and both charted in the top 10, providingCrystal Kay with her highest-selling single to date.Reeewind! began a string of collaborations that spanned four years and three albums.
2004'sAstromantic featured collaborations with top names in Japanese pop,jazz,R&B andelectronica includingChemistry,Double andRyuichi Sakamoto and rose to number 2 on the Oricon charts and to number 17 on the World Charts. The album was supported by a live DVD and remix albumAstromantic Charm School. The album provided the group with its highest-selling single since "come again". The group's collaboration with Korean singerBoA, "the Love Bug", reached number 8 on Oricon charts.
The group released their follow-up albumBeat Space Nine in 2005. The record featured a heavier electronic sound than the jazz-orientedAstromantic and included collaborations withKahimi Karie andAkiko Wada. The album's final track, "Tripod Baby", included a cameo by former M-Flo vocalist Lisa.Beat Space Nine provided the group with their highest-selling album to date and their first Oricon #1. The album was supported by a live DVD and the remix albumDope Space Nine.
The third and final album in the M-Flo Loves series,Cosmicolor, was released on March 28, 2007. It included collaborations withKumi Koda, Snacky Chan,Namie Amuro andBonnie Pink, as well as a second collaboration withCrystal Kay, intended as a symbolic close to theM-Flo Loves... project. The album achieved a #2 Oricon position and was supported by a live DVD. A two-disc remix album, spanning remixes both fromCosmicolor and songs from M-Flo's previous four albums,ElectriColor, was released on September 26, 2007.
On February 13, 2008, the group released a collection ofgreatest hits from theM-Flo Loves... series,Award Supernova: Loves Best. The album debuted at #1 on the Oricon charts. It also featured a final new collaboration for the series, Love Comes and Goes, withEmi Hinouchi,Ryohei Yamamoto,Emyli,Yoshika, and Lisa.
Verbal has said that during the "M-Flo loves..." period "some vocalists that we thought were nice were hard to work with [because] that are very picky because they are used to controlling people." He singled outAkiko Wada as the most pleasantly surprising to work with.[1]
In 2009, the group celebrated their tenth anniversary with two shows atYoyogi National Stadium in Tokyo, capacity 13,000. The shows marked the end of the "M-Flo loves..." period and featured many special guests, includingBoA andCrystal Kay.[1]
In September 2011, M-Flo performed at the Reebok event, Reethym of Lite. Here, they performed a new collaboration song with Reebok titled "RUN". The song features guest vocalist Minami fromCREAM (Japanese group). On March 14, 2012 the first M-Flo album in five yearsSquare One was released. The group has declined to comment on who will contribute vocals to the album.[8]
On March 13, 2013, one year afterSquare One, M-Flo released their seventh studio album,Neven. The album includes the two singles, "Tonite" and "Lover" released on December 5, 2012 and February 6, 2013, and "Transformerz" which was composed as an opening theme for the Japanese broadcast of the television seriesTransformers: Prime. In early 2018, Lisa returned to the group, releasing "The Tripod E.P. 2", a sequel to their major debut "The Tripod E.P.". This marked their first release with Lisa in over 15 years. M-Flo performed the ending theme "against all gods" for theanime seriesBlack Clover.[9]
Their third full-length studio album with Lisa and ninth overall albumKyo was released on November 6, 2019. Them-flo loves series made its return March 6, 2020 with a compilation album of previous M-Flo loves songs and a new song titled "tell me tell me", featuringSik-K, eill, andTaichi Mukai. That was followed up in June withRUN AWAYS featuringchelmico.
It was announced on January 9, 2025, thatArashi'sSho Sakurai would be included on the song "come again *Reloaded" in M-Flo's new "M-Flo loves..." series' album "Superliminal", scheduled to be released on February 18. Other artists participating areZico,chelmico,Diggy-MO' [ja], Shinoda Ryousuke,Rip Slyme,Sik-K,Electronicos Fantasticos!, N-choco,Mamiko Suzuki [ja],Maya [ja],eill [ja] and Adee A.,[10][11]
Both Verbal and Taku have headed up several side projects outside M-Flo. Verbal heads Rhythm Zone imprint,espionage records, where he produces all-girlHip hop outfitHeartsdales and collaborates with Mic Banditz.
Taku also heads his own Rhythm Zone imprint,Tachytelic Records. He released an album of remixes by other artists,Tachytelic Night: Welcomes You to the Far East, in 2003. He also works withRavex, a collaboration with fellowAvex DJsTomoyuki Tanaka andShinichi Osawa established to markAvex's 20th anniversary. Their debut album,Trax, was released on April 24, 2009, followingI Rave U andBelieve in Love.
Verbal and Taku have both acted as sometime producers and collaborators for artists who came to prominence largely because of their participation in theM-Flo Loves series, includingEmi Hinouchi, Yoshika, Emyli,Ryohei Yamamoto and Lisa. SinceAstromantic, these artists have been collectively referred to as theGlobal Astro Alliance. In addition to the earlierSotoshigoto: M-Flo Turns It Out!, Verbal and Taku have released three compilations of collaborations between M-Flo, the Global Astro Alliance, and other artists. The first,M-Flo Inside, was released in 2004 shortly before the first album in the series. The second,M-Flo Inside: Works Best II, was released on July 26, 2006. The third,M-Flo Inside: Works Best III, was released on March 19, 2009.[citation needed]
M-Flo has contributed to the video games industry by both providing songs for games, and by advertising for these games. For the first versions of the video gameBeatmania IIDX, M-Flo has contributed short versions of the songs "L.O.T. (Love Or Truth)", "Mirrorball Satellite 2012", "The Theme from Flo Jack", "Been so Long", and "The Rhyme Brokers". Another music related video game,Dance Dance Revolution, featured the songs "The Theme from Flo Jack", "Been so Long", and "The Rhyme Brokers". Another song "Come Again" also appears onReflec Beat,Jubeat, andMaimai.
A version of the track "Tripod Baby" (from the albumBeat Space Nine) was re-released for theShadow the Hedgehog video game that came out in November 2005. A commercial for the game, featuring Taku and Verbal, was also aired. Taku and Verbal are big fans of the characterShadow. The remix can be found on the Japanese iTunes version (as a bonus track) of the remix album,Dope Space Nine.
| Year | Award-Giving Body | Category | Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Mnet Asian Music Awards | Best Asia Hip Hop Artist[13] | N/a | Won |
| 2007 | Space Shower Music Awards | Special Award | N/a | Won |
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Compilation albums | |
| Other albums | |
| Singles | |
| Related articles | |
