m-flo is more jpop these days, but their old stuff has some good hip-hop influence. They are good for people wetting their feet.
Buddha Brand is that classic undeniable 90's sound. Lot's of funk influence. Really fun dope band.
Gagle is literally my favorite band. I've been following them for about 10 years now. They have an almost "true" hip-hop sound, and many of their tracks sound organic. This is the song that made me look into jhop and really appreciate it more.
Nujabes is truly inspirational. Very chill and spiritual. He's a producer who has worked with a couple of emcees worldwide. Unfortunately he passed away several years ago in a car accident. I cried the day I found out he passed away. He did many tracks for Samurai Champloo if your into anime it's worth watching too. I miss him. R.I.P. Jun Seba.
Shing02 is bilingual and really awesome. He's done songs with Nujabes as well. I believe he travels back and forth from LA and Japan. Really genuine guy.
ZEN-LA-ROCK is goofy and has a really unique voice. Most of his videos are funny and does remix contests often. Lately I've been listening to him a lot.
Grooveman Spot is a DJ and producer. He's also worked with a wide array of emcees from around the globe. He's also from the same label as Gagle which is called Jazzy Sport.
BASI is that really cool, dope, and quiet kid you know. I really like his flow and style. He has several other songs that are more easy and simple to listen to.
KOHH is from the Japanese projects. If trap is something that might interest you than this kid is right up your ally.
VICE Japan did a special on him that's worth watching. The video does have subs you just have to enable them. I enjoyed it.
So that's most of who I listen to. Keep in mind jhop is really really small compared to here in the states. Japanese hip-hop is like non-existent to the general Japanese populace, because rock and pop dominate the scene.
I hope you give them all a shot, and I hope to hear your thoughts on some of them. Enjoy!
Peace!
