Wise

Seiji Kameyama, performing under the name Wise, is a Japanese-American rapper who first gained notice through multiple prominent Japanese hip-hop collaborations before launching a solo career that produced modest chart results. He spent his childhood in Japan and moved to the United States for high school, where he first developed a passion for rapping. During his time in Boston he connected with the future founders of Kaze no Hito, a “genre borderless crew” that encourages constructive pursuits ranging from music to skating, and later participated in the JamAinu and W-A-K projects tied to the collective after returning to Japan. His earliest charting appearance came in 2000 on Smorgas’s single “Questionary,” after which he contributed to additional outside projects in 2002–2003 and joined Rip Slyme’s live performances beginning in 2003. He also became a member of the MC supergroup Teriyaki Boyz, whose lineup draws from Rip Slyme and m-flo; the group debuted in 2004 and issued the album Beef or Chicken the following year. In 2005 he formed a duo with Sonpub, an artist he had already worked with in 2004, resulting in the album Dakid credited to Wise & Sonpub. Wise secured his first solo Oricon chart entry in 2007 when the single “Shine Like a Star” reached number 25. That same year he appeared on recordings by BoA and Kanon, contributed to a Thelma Aoyama remix, and released his debut solo album Taiyou no Kodomo. He collaborated with Salyu across 2008–2009 and with Nishino Kana in 2009, the year his second solo album Love Quest arrived featuring a guest appearance by Beat Crusaders.