Creepy Nuts

Creepy Nuts are a Japanese hip hop duo from Japan, made up of DJ松永 and R-指定. Their music is identified with hip hop, jersey club rap and pop rap.

Formation and members

The duo forms in 2013. R-指定 is the rap name of Kyohei Nogami, and DJ松永 is Kunihiko Matsunaga. R-指定 develops a reputation in Japanese freestyle rap battle competition before the group forms, winning several ULTIMATE MC BATTLE titles between 2009 and 2014. He retires from competitive freestyling in 2014 and releases his debut solo album, Second Opinion (セカンドオピニオン), in the same year, with several tracks produced by DJ松永. He later appears on Freestyle Dungeon, a late-night TV show associated with prominent figures from Japanese hip hop.

DJ activity and early releases

DJ松永 also competes in Disco Mix Club Japan and World DJ Championships, winning the Japan title twice from 2010 onwards and the Battle for World Supremacy championship in 2019. He releases music before Creepy Nuts forms. The track Trench Coat Mafia featuring R-指定, from his second album Circus Melody (サーカス・メロディー), is later included on Creepy Nuts’ first full-length album Creep Show (クリープ・ショー).

Recording career

Creepy Nuts release their first mini album in 2016. They make their major debut in 2017 with the single 高校デビュー、大学デビュー、全部失敗したけどメジャーデビュー. Their 2020 release かつて天才だった俺たちへ attracts wide attention in Japan. In 2021, のびしろ from their second album Case reaches 100 million streams and receives Platinum certification from RIAJ, becoming the duo’s first such certification. They release their third album, アンサンブル・プレイ, in 2022.

Later success and live activity

The duo perform a two-day live at Nippon Budokan and tour around the release of their mini album. They later sell out their largest venue to that point at Saitama Super Arena. In January 2024 they release Bling-Bang-Bang-Born, which reaches number 8 on the Billboard Global Top 200 chart. They also perform overseas and host the Tuesday 6pm to 7:30pm slot on All Night Nippon for five years. In 2025 they release their fourth studio album, LEGION.

DJ松永 also performs with milet and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra at the closing ceremony of the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.