HIKARI

Artist Profile

• dj honda

  Moving to Tokyo at age 17, Honda began DJing at age 18. He built his career at clubs and events in the mid-1980s, and in 1992, he moved to New York alone. That same year, he competed in the DJ Battle for World Supremacy, winning second place. This historic moment, the first time a Japanese DJ's talent was recognized in the hip-hop scene, marked the beginning of dj honda's career as an artist. In 1995, he made his major label debut with the album "h," which reached #90 on the US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. His follow-up, "h II (1997)," reached #57 and #16 on Heatseekers, and the track "Travellin' Man (feat. Mos Def)" reached #17 on Hot Rap Songs and remained on the charts for 16 consecutive weeks, establishing Honda as a Japanese DJ in the American hip-hop scene. He subsequently released "h III (2001)" and "h 2000 (1999)." He has performed with numerous artists who are considered key figures in the Golden Age of Hip-Hop, including Gangstarr, Redman, Jeru the Damaja, Mos Def, Fat Joe, M.O.P, The Beatnuts, KRS ONE, Common, De La Soul, and EPMD. In 2009, he released "h IV" simultaneously worldwide. His track "The Incredible," featuring Limp Bizkit vocalist Fred Durst, left a lasting impact that transcended genre boundaries. That same year, he returned to Japan and began producing and working domestically. He provided beats for all of the albums "Aftershock (2011)" and "Unity -h factor (2013)" by leading Japanese jazz musician Terumasa Hino, and led the band on a nationwide tour. He has since produced collaborative albums with some of Japan's leading rappers, including B.I.G.JOE's "Unfinished Connection" (2015), Benisakura's "DARK SIDE" (2019), ill-bosstino's "KINGS CROSS" (2021), SIMON JAP's "Golden Age" (2022), and TWIGY's "RAPATTACK" (2022). He has also produced genre-less remixes for artists such as GLAY and Maki Ohguro. Then, in 2025, he released his first full-length albums under his own name in 16 years, "hV" and "hV -Japan Edition-." This album, packed with the depth of his career, is a truly self-produced work, with lyrics also handled by dj honda. dj honda's continued evolution continues unabated.

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  dj hondaの他のリリース

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    h beats tape II dj honda
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    dark side (2024 Remaster) dj honda & BENIZAKURA
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    h beats collection, Vol.3 dj honda
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    HIKARI (Remix) dj honda