DJ Honda

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DJ Honda (ディージェイホンダ) is a Japanese DJ and Hip Hop artist. Born in Hokkaido, Japan in 1965, he has become well known for producing and promoting some of Japan’s top up and coming hip hop artists.

Career

Moving to Tokyo at the age of 17 to pursue his dream of playing in a rock band, DJ Honda started his own first band called Clique and was the lead guitarist and vocalist. The band struggled however and Honda was forced to find a day job, pushing him to DJ in the nearby city of Shizuoka where he first experienced hip hop and learned about scratching and turn table usage. He soon became well known for his scratching technique and as a DJ started playing some of Japan’s biggest clubs. He appeared on local radio stations and started remixing tracks for local record labels. He would later come to be close with other artists and groups such as Afrika Bambaata and Universal Zulu Nation in Tokyo.

Collaborations

DJ Honda has worked in collaboration with multiple artists, including Mos Def, Grand Puba, The Beatnuts, Sadat X, Cuban Link, Fat Joe, Gang Starr, Biz Markie, Redman, Jeru the Damaja, Shawn Period, and Keith Murray.