Teng Gang Starr is a trip. Deep in the fat bass and psychedelic trap department, the group consists of two rappers, Kamui and Minami Nakamura a.k.a. MINAMI. The group initially met while MINAMI was playing drums at Tsujidou Suwajinja Shinto Shrine in Kanagawa Prefecture and shared a love for the NYC hip-hop group, Gang Starr, hence the name. The Teng part of their name comes from Tengu, which means “celestial dog” and is a Japanese folk trickster demon with an unusually long nose, who is connected to the Tsujido shrine.
Kamui and MINAMI were both solo artists and, when Kamui heard Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” in a taxi, he decided that hip-hop was what he wanted to do. They started the group up in 2015, took a year off, and then in 2017 came back stronger with their track, “My Style”. The duo prides themselves on futuristic Akira-esque neo-Tokyo vibes and deep bass tones.
They haven’t released a full length yet, but they have put out some singles on Trekkie Trax and bpm tokyo and Kamui’s production (done under the moniker 3-i) has received props and attention from some major producers around the world, such as Diplo and Skrillex, just to name a few.
You can find their music on Apple Store, Spotify, Soundcloud, and you can follow MINAMI on Instagram and Twitter
