Japanese rapper strengthens ties to Philippine showbiz

MANILA, Philippines — Tomoro Mukai is not a common name even for a Japanese national. But a Japanese rapper, musician and songwriter was christened that name. Proudly.

“My parents gave me that name that means ‘Go Tomoro,’” said the artist, who has a younger sister, now 33.

When he was 18, Tomoro started his music career. Surprisingly, singing was not his original ambition. Back when he was only 16, he was a baseball player in Japan’s leading high school in Yokohama.

“My dream was to become a professional baseball player at that time,” Tomoro shared. “But I quit baseball when I turned 16.”

Along the streets of Yokohama, Tomoro sold parking tickets for music events. When he turned 19, he went to New York City, where he had the chance to go into recording and performing live in Manhattan. Not instantly, though.

“I didn’t know anybody in New York,” Tomoro recalled. “I asked if I could perform onstage in night clubs, but every time, they always rejected me. Only one guy gave me a chance. He allowed me to sing my original Japanese song onstage.”

The initial reception to his performance was good and Tomoro couldn’t be any happier. He eventually got the chance to meet American rapper 50 Cent and the latter’s G-Unit associates.

Tomoro kept on recording in the US. When he was 24, he moved to Los Angeles. “Temperature in L.A. was hot like Manila,” Tomoro said. “New York City was very cold. I don’t like cold weather since I was born in Hokkaido, which is a snow town.”

Eventually, Tomoro forged strong connections with other music artists like Sean Kingston, Kid Ink and Austin Mahone. “I made connections and I made songs while I was in L.A.,” Tomoro said.

Raised in Tokyo, Tomoro dauntlessly ventured into writing English lyrics to reach a global audience. “I asked the help of my friend to translate what I wrote into correct English for a song,” he shared.

After L.A., Tomoro made an effort to visit Manila. “It (Manila) was near our country (Japan),” he said.

When he was in his early 20s, Tomoro got the chance to finish an eight-track Japanese album which he released in Japan.

Seven years ago, Tomoro met Filipina actress Arci Muñoz in Tokyo, where he also runs a barbecue restaurant and production company. They decided to record and shoot a music video, Let Me Hold You, which Tomoro also wrote in Los Angeles before the pandemic.

“My English is very bad,” Tomoro said. “So I wrote down the lyrics and a native American friend checks it for me, corrects my pronunciation and fixes the song before recording.”

Tomoro landed on No. 1 on the Billboard Worldwide Digital Sales Chart with My Section, where he collaborated with R&B pop star Austin Mahone. That made Tomoro the first Japanese artist to achieve that enviable position.

With his debut single, World Money, released in February 2021, Tomoro displayed his talent in hip-hop. The song stormed the hip hop scene in Japan and the US. Tomoro collaborated with music duo, Nice and Smooth, in his debut music video.

The artists whom Tomoro has collaborated with are Shanice, Snoop Dog and Billie Eilish. Sean Kingston did a concert in Japan in 2013 that was why Tomoro also got to meet the rapper.

“Through Sean Kingston, he made everything possible,” Tomoro said. “We plan to release our recording next year.”

Tomoro’s plan in the next five years is to enter into musical collaboration with 10 top rappers and artists worldwide, including our very own Sarah Geronimo.

His most recent visit to the Philippines, where he even guested and performed in It’s Showtime and got to meet Vice Ganda, is his 25th trip to the country.

“I love the Philippines,” Tomoro said. “I have many friends here so I often come here. Some of them are asking me to start a business here. Maybe, like a shisha (tobacco) bar. I did that in Japan.

“In Tokyo, there are around 400 shisha bars today. I started it. I introduced it. I promote shisha in Japan. I’ve been doing it for 20 years now.”