Rize

Rize stepped in to supply Japan with its own dose of nu metal during the early 2000s, drawing heavily from Limp Bizkit while offsetting that influence through forceful execution and a willingness to expand stylistically, incorporating reggae elements into their sound by the late 2000s. Jesse, the guitarist and vocalist who is the son of renowned player Char, formed the band in 1997 alongside drummer Nobuaki Kaneko. After bassist Tokie completed the lineup, the group moved through the standard round of demos and club performances until a slot at the tenth Kitazawa Music Festival in 2000 secured them a contract with Epic Records. Their debut single "Kaminari" appeared that year, followed by "Why I'm Me" and the studio album Rookey, which reached number eight on the charts—an impressive showing for the newcomers.

A personnel change soon occurred when Tokie departed for Ajico and U:zo took over on bass, while Nakao Yoshihiro joined as second guitarist, yet these adjustments left Rize undeterred. In 2001 the band performed at major events including Rock in Japan and Summer Sonic, supplied the theme "I Can't Live Without My Radio" for the FM Festival, collaborated with Zeebra, and tracked their second album Foreplay in Los Angeles. Further prominent concerts marked 2002, highlighted by their appearance at the 30,000-capacity ETP Festival that South Korean rock pioneer Seo Tai-Ji staged as the era's largest outdoor event.

Natural Vibes, the third album, arrived before the close of 2002 and featured the single "Vibration" recorded with rising reggae-pop duo Def Tech. Jesse extended his reach westward by joining the Beastie Boys at the Tibetan Freedom Concert and contributing to Crazy Town's "Hurt You So Bad" under the name Jroc, while the band toured the United States with rapcore acts Kottonmouth Kings and Phunk Junkeez. These activities led to a hiatus that lasted until 2005, when Rize issued a best-of collection alongside the fourth album Spit & Yell, replaced U:zo with bassist KenKen—Nobuaki's brother—and returned to the stage for shows such as Live 8, the Japanese portion of Live Earth, Hide Memorial Day, Hide Memorial Summit, and a run with Acidman.

That same year the group launched Far Eastern Tribe Records as a Universal subsidiary to oversee future releases, beginning with the 2007 album Alterna whose single "Lady Love" appeared in the anime Shion No Ou and continuing with the sixth album K.O. in 2008. Nakao's departure after K.O. restored the band to a trio, prompting a focus on outside work throughout 2009 that included Jesse's collaboration with Uzumaki and a solo album from Kaneko.