Biography
Back-On emerged in Tokyo's club circuit after the five-piece began performing in 2002, merging metal riffs, hip-hop stances, emo tension, and electronic textures into a hybrid that drew notice. Their approach parallels commercially prominent acts like Rize, whose Jesse supplied the group with its name. The lineup originally featured MC Teeda, vocalist/MC Kenji03, guitarist Shu, bassist Gori, and drummer Macchin, the last of whom Icchan later replaced. Childhood friends Kenji03 and Gori attended the same elementary school in Tokyo's Adachi Ward, a district marked by comparatively high crime rates and clusters of public-housing towers according to Japanese norms. Though Adachi bears little resemblance to Compton and cannot be described as a ghetto, the area's unglamorous character shapes Back-On's identity and supplies a credible street authenticity that distinguishes them from other Japanese rock-rap outfits centered on ostentatious displays.
The mini-album Adachi Tribe marked their debut in October 2004. Additional tracks surfaced on underground hip-hop compilations, and club dates in Shibuya attracted roughly 200 attendees before the year closed. Sustained touring carried the group through 2005, surpassing 100 concerts that included appearances with Rize and Screaming Soul Hill, while they completed their first major-label recording, Baby Rock, for Avex Trax's rock-focused subsidiary Cutting Edge. Breakthrough arrived with the 2006 single Chain, selected as the opening theme for TV Tokyo's animated series Air Gear, which later secured U.S. licensing. The track paired Teeda's rap with a chorus performed by Kenji03. November then brought the mini-album New World.
Further anime placements followed in 2007 when Back-On supplied the opening theme "Hikari Sasuhou" to the direct-to-video title Murder Princess and contributed the songs "A Day Dreaming..." and "Blaze Line" to Eye Shield 21. These connections prompted performances at the anime conventions Anime Matsuri in Houston and Anime Evolution in British Columbia, Canada.
The mini-album Adachi Tribe marked their debut in October 2004. Additional tracks surfaced on underground hip-hop compilations, and club dates in Shibuya attracted roughly 200 attendees before the year closed. Sustained touring carried the group through 2005, surpassing 100 concerts that included appearances with Rize and Screaming Soul Hill, while they completed their first major-label recording, Baby Rock, for Avex Trax's rock-focused subsidiary Cutting Edge. Breakthrough arrived with the 2006 single Chain, selected as the opening theme for TV Tokyo's animated series Air Gear, which later secured U.S. licensing. The track paired Teeda's rap with a chorus performed by Kenji03. November then brought the mini-album New World.
Further anime placements followed in 2007 when Back-On supplied the opening theme "Hikari Sasuhou" to the direct-to-video title Murder Princess and contributed the songs "A Day Dreaming..." and "Blaze Line" to Eye Shield 21. These connections prompted performances at the anime conventions Anime Matsuri in Houston and Anime Evolution in British Columbia, Canada.
Albums
Singles
