A Japanese theme runs throughout the work of Chicago rapper/producer brandUn DeShay, and he continues the trend with the 2-song music video "Tokyo" and "A GoldUn Ballad." The visual component is nothing more than a series of images from the Japanese anime "Bakemonogatari."
For "Tokyo," DeShay plies a Migos flow over some Flying Lotus-grade jazzy harmonies and a sound palate foreign to mainstream American hip-hop. A jazzy piano interlude follows before he sings on "A goldUn Ballad," a Frank Ocean-esque slow groove. The connection between jazz and anime runs deep, notably in the soundtrack of popular show "Cowboy Bebop" and the music of late Japanese hip-hop producer Nujabes, and it has clearly influenced DeShay's aesthetic sensibilities.
All in all, DeShay's latest sounds like music from the future. He flies under the radar but he has some impressive production credits under his belt, having provided beats for the likes of Mac Miller, Dom Kennedy, Danny Brown, Curren$y, and Casey Veggies. Would be surprised if he doesn't get in the studio soon with fellow Chicagoan Towkio, who is half-Japanese.
