Japanese Cartoon is an American indie post-rock band formed in 2008 by Wasalu Muhammad Jaco alongside Graham Burris, Matt Nelson, and Le Messie. Their debut album, In the Jaws of the Lords of Death, was released on July 16, 2010, for free digital download over their website. In a few of its tracks, Fiasco sings with a faux-British accent.[1] Cited influences include Joy Division, The Ruts, The Clash, and Radiohead, where the former was the "true inspiration." Fiasco once described the project as a "tribute to Joy Division and Ian Curtis," impressed by the late musician's stage presence.[2]
Background[]
Japanese Cartoon is my lifeblood. That was my Plan B. If Lupe Fiasco fails and Lasers never comes out, I have to do something. I still have to make music. I still have to go out and tour. I want to make music as good as Radiohead, as good as Coldplay. I can make hip-hop as good as anybody. But you get bored with that and you want new challenges. And for me, this is a new challenge.
Prior to the band's creation, Fiasco was writing songs to showcase to Matthew Santos, which became its own thing. Unable to play any instruments, he enlisted help from mix engineers and studio musicians. He knew Le Messie since 2004, while Burris and Nelson were members of The Matthew Santos Band. Fiasco adopted a fake British accent, which he eventually lost as he grew more comfortable hearing his own voice. He noted in a 2010 interview with Complex that he's "always been a fan of all music." His favorite songs weren't hip hop, but rather, music like Queen's "Somebody to Love," and continued that hip-hop is "something [he] actually know[s] how to do." He found rock to be the next form of music to participate in.[2]
The band was met with press coverage by the likes of NME and MTV, tracing rumors of Fiasco quitting his hip hop career and steering in a new musical direction. The discovery of Fiasco being the frontman was purely incidental, where Brian "Busy" Dackowski of Atlantic Records linked to the band's Myspace page on a blog. Coincidentally, one of the people who ran a Lupe blog checked it out and recognized the rapper's voice. The site denied this, naming the lead singer to be Percival Hindenburg-Fats, and asserted that the rapper was the financial provider and helped produce.[3] On an Internet forum, Lupe wrote, "I like those kids a lot. Met the bass player overseas last year and their publicist/manager is a good friend from like, childhood. May sign them. Not me singing though."[4]
An action figure of Lupe Fiasco.[5]
Fiasco later explained: "I didn't want it to be viewed as a Lupe Fiasco side project. I wanted it to be like, 'Here's this band out of nowhere.' [That way] I can get an honest opinion. […] I wanted a true reaction to it." Concerning the denial of the rumors, he said, "[I]t was more so because it wasn't finished and I didn't really know if I wanted to do it and I didn't want it to be presented to the world in that controversial way. I just wanted it to come out and people got on to it and one day we did a show and I come out like, 'Oh my God! It's Lupe!' I would have preferred to have that than have an Internet scandal. This is one of the downsides of having a fanatic fanbase that I love so much."[2]
On January 1, 2010, the band unveiled an action figure of Fiasco, assumed to drop later that year.[6] On July 17, 2010, Messie reported via his Twitter account that the band were currently working on their sophomore album. On January 25, 2015, they announced that the next album, M.I.L.K. Is for Pussies, was in the works and "coming soon."[7][8]
Band members[]
- Wasalu "Double J" Jaco – vocals, production
- Graham Burris – bass
- Matt Nelson – keyboards
- Le Messie – production
Discography[]
Studio albums[]
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| In the Jaws of the Lords of Death |
|
Music videos[]
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Army" | 2009 | Nathan Cabrera |
| "Heirplanes" | 2010 | 13THWITNESS |
References[]
- ↑ Roberts, Steven (January 5, 2009). "Is Lupe Fiasco Fronting a 'British' Indie-Rock Band Called Japanese Cartoon?". MTV News.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Ahmed, Insanul (September 10, 2010). "Interview: Lupe Fiasco Talks "Lasers" Delay, Japanese Cartoon, and "Food & Liquor II"". Complex.
- ↑ "Lupe Fiasco Abandons Rap and Launches Post-Punk Band?". NME. January 5, 2009. Archived from the original on January 22, 2009.
- ↑ "Fiasco Laughs Off Japanese Cartoon Rumours". Contactmusic.com. January 7, 2009.
- ↑ "Japanese Cartoon (@JapaneseCartoonBand)". Facebook. January 1, 2010.
- ↑ "Lupe Fiasco Japanese Cartoon Vinyl Figure Preview". Hypebeast. January 1, 2010.
- ↑ "Lupe Fiasco (@lupefiasco)". Instagram. January 25, 2015.
- ↑ "Japanese Cartoon (@JapaneseCartoonBand)". Facebook. January 25, 2015.
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