Scarborough, ON Rapper Yasuke Unveils His New Track "Ain't Dead", Featuring Saitei
The first collaboration between viral Japanese-speaking Tik Tok stars Yasuke (a Toronto-born bilingual artist) and Saitei (a London-born bilingual artist). Ain’t Dead (produced by Casket:Jones) is about disappearing for your home to build a life in a new city. Both Yasuke and Saitei are from different sectors of the world with the same dream, to become a force in the Japanese music sector. Ain’t Dead focuses on the ability to survive through life’s adversaries and succeed in foreign avenues.
Yasuke was recently featured on CBC's "The Block" and "High School Dungeon", a famous Japanese TV show on the AbemaTV network, for a previous release "Ita". Blending elements of UK Drill, American Trap, and Japanese/English flows, "Ain't Dead" is a perfect collaboration, fully showcasing both Yasuke and Saitei's language prowess and undeniable skill in rapping. Being both Black men from different parts of the world that speak fluent Japanese, many Tik Tok fans are patiently waiting for a joint effort between the two, bridging the rapidly growing popularity of East Asian music with the reigning king of popular music Rap. "Ain't dead" aims to be the bridge between East Asian and North American music markets providing a new sound that can create harmony.
Raised in Scarborough (The most eastern sector of Toronto, Canada) Tahir Grant Jr. is the conduit of his upbringing and his hometown. His stature mirroring that of an NBA player and his ability to effortlessly switch between his native English & self-taught Japanese while rhyming has garnered him the name “Yasuke” (formally known as Tahir). Yasuke was a samurai of African descent in feudal Japan who was in fact that first Non-Japanese warrior to become one. Gaining notoriety via social media footage of himself rapping fluently in Japanese. Tahir’s fans began to call him Yasuke, to which he fully embraced.
Saitei (sigh-tay), hailing from Chiswick, London describes himself growing up as a "bored only child" which has resulted in him being an all-round creative. The multi-talented Saitei (Richard Tomic) has garnered a following for comedy, music but is also known to have a plethora of surprising hobbies and skills off-screen. Currently based in South London breaks into the music scene post-quarantine. Known for his quirky demeanor, Saitei's comical, witty, and occasionally dark lyrical style portrays exactly this. Moving to Japan at 19 years of age, Saitei draws inspiration from his experiences to create sounds fusing UK Hip-hop with his own unique style of Japanese hip hop. Known to occasionally to scream and rap/sing in Japanese, Saitei knows no limits in terms of his musical versatility.
Listen to Yasuke’s DOPE new track “Ain’t Dead” right now, and connect with him on his website and social media.