Looking For TOKYO’S REVENGE? He’s In Gotham.

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Written By Shaeley Hicks

TOKYO’S REVENGE, the anonymous, genre-blending artist is bringing music videos back to life, starting with his latest video for his track “GOTHAM.” With thanks to the 1824 team at Universal Music Group, representatives here from SoulTalk Magazine had the opportunity to listen to what Tokyo had to say regarding his new project “7VEN”, inspirations for his craft and visuals, and even some of his favorite animes.

Released at the beginning of this month, the “GOTHAM” music video proved just as captivating as the EP Tokyo would release a week after. Tokyo explained that he derived a lot of influence for this video from the movie Skyhigh and various animes as it features lively combat and action-like scenes. When working with JMP on writing the video he commented that, “we kept coming up with these movie-ish vibes, trying to translate them, and this is the most fun I’ve had in awhile.” The music video is jam packed with entertainment. Tokyo mentioned that he wants to create stories within his videos rather than having the camera pan solely on him. He acquires a lot of inspiration from old Eminem and Dr. Dre videos that similarly display enthralling storylines.

“Watch “GOTHAM” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml6NDc2AAPQ”
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However, “GOTHAM” is just one piece of Tokyo’s new seven track EP called “7VEN.” Tokyo is well known for having an extremely distinct music presence comprised of aggressive vocals and provoking lyrics all the while blending genres in surprising combinations such as heavy metal with hip hop. Tokyo said regarding his new EP that “the expectations I set weren't number based or based on anything other than reaction. I want to see everyone come to this project and be like, ‘yo no misses.’” He added that each song is entirely different and he is overwhelmingly happy with all of the support he has received. The EP delves into the numerous corners of Tokyo’s talent, highlighting his strong delivery of lyrics in which he described: “I rap in a really bipolar way where I want it to be super clear that my lyrics have absolutely nothing to do with but delivery. If I can create a scenario in which I'm using an extremely aggressive delivery style, but extremely light hearted lyrics, it's almost confusing, but it makes it go harder because you were expecting something based on the way that my voice came in. But when you pay attention to what I'm saying and those things don't add up. I'll do the same thing while switching and say something super aggressive lyric wise, but then use a super endearing, nice, more childish, even juvenile type of voice.”

“Listen to “7VEN” here: https://open.spotify.com/album/4bpJcZWlOG2uWxfiRnRVcm?si=6Py3DPnJSgWh7w0Bd0EC2w”

Tokyo’s following began growing in 2019 when his hit song “GOODMORNINGTOKYO!” took over social media platform Tik Tok. The song has accumulated 130 million streams since then along with countless trends featuring the song. When creating the unforgettable single, Tokyo claimed that he had a strong feeling regarding it. Prior to dropping the song, he even tweeted that he predicted it would be his first song to hit 1 million plays. To say the least, it exceeded that extremely.

“Tweet: https://twitter.com/KyotosRevenge/status/1139990269347225601?s=20”

Before his song became a staple repeat to millions, Tokyo said that while growing up he listened to a lot of Fleetwood Mac and Jimmy Buffett because of his parents. He found inspiration to create his own sound from various hip hop stars like Tyler, The Creator, Jay Z, Eminem, and soundtracks from Tony Hawk games - “It is all kind of a big mosh pit that led me to where I am now with the way that I choose rap.” When it comes to blending genres, he mentioned that he was heavily influenced from Southern Florida music.

Furthermore, anonymity and a lack of social media presence are two things that emphasizes Tokyo’s focus on his craft. He said that he wants people to be more focused on his art and creation rather than who he is. Tokyo is known to go months without posting as he claims he is not “overly attached to social media.” He sees that a lot of musicians are focused on being social media influencers and he feels the exact opposite. By adopting the moniker “TOKYO’S REVENGE,” he has remained anonymous and quite vacant from social media as he prefers.

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Tokyo has a lot of advice to offer to those following in his footsteps. After graduating from highschool, he found himself couch-hopping with different friends. In such an environment he was surrounded by others making music which allowed him to learn about his favorite part of the music industry - engineering- and to begin posting music on Soundcloud that would one day be heard by many. From this, he says to new and aspiring artists that “there is absolutely no reason to stop. Even if you're not reaping as much as you sow, even if you're not collecting as much as you're putting in. There's no reason to stop because if you're constantly releasing or improving on something, you will get better, and getting better is all that matters.”

If you are wondering what Tokyo is up to besides creating, he is likely on Discord with his fans, playing Super Smash Bros with friends, or watching an anime in which his favorites are Bleach, Soul Leader, Fire Force, Devilman: Crybaby, Promise Neverland, and the classic Naruto. Tokyo creates music in the same room he plays video games in and lives with his best friends who he gains a lot of support from. As for the future of TOKYO’S REVENGE, he says that he wants to “make whatever I feel like is fun.” Make sure to check out his new EP “7VEN” and to watch the “GOTHAM” music video listed below:

Shaeley Hicks
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