Sent in Reggae “Kitakyushu Bad Guys!!” March 7th 11:48

A short video with heart-stopping lyrics to the light reggae rhythm of "no shooting incidents

, no grenades dropped" has become a hot topic on social media.

Posted by a 24-year-old reggae singer from Kitakyushu.

Once you hear this rhythm, you might end up in an infinite loop in your head.

What did the young singer put into the video?

(Kitakyushu Broadcasting Station reporter Michiko Okura)

Is it buzzing? Sending out the charm of Kitakyushu through reggae

A number of short videos that have been posted on the video sharing app “TikTok” since the summer of 2022.

Popular tourist destinations such as Mojiko and Kokura Castle, and niche places unique to the local area.

It introduces the city with various themes, and concludes with the final line, "Kitakyushu Walnut Catcha!!"

The videos have been made into a series, with more than 70 submissions so far.

Once you hear the light reggae rhythm and catchy lines, you won't be able to get them out of your head for a while, and you'll be humming along.

The total number of views is 3.6 million.

Posted by reggae singer SING ARTHUR.

He is 24 years old from Kitakyushu City.

I fell in love with reggae when I heard the songs of the popular music group "Shonan no Kaze" when I was a student.

She graduated from a local high school and once got a job at a company, but she made up her mind to become a singer.

She started her music career four years ago when she was 20 years old and made her debut in just two years.

She has released 4 songs so far, and is gaining popularity for her singing ability and sympathetic lyrics.

SING ARTHUR:

It's a culture unique to reggae, but anyone can add lyrics to a so-called rhythm called a riddim and release it as a completely different song. But when I realized I could do it, I started writing lyrics.I

think that reggae is something that conveys your thoughts directly, and that you can convey them directly.The way you express yourself is really straight and cool.”

I want to wipe out the image of "the land of sura"

There was a reason why he started distributing short videos.

He wanted to get rid of the image of the city of Kitakyushu.

Speaking of Kitakyushu, the land where the only specific danger designated gangster "Kudokai" in Japan has its headquarters office.

Numerous incidents targeting citizens have shook the region, and it has been touted as a "land of shura".

Since 2014, when the top was arrested, the police have continued to crack down on what they call a "destruction operation."

SING ARTHUR was born and raised in Kitakyushu.

I couldn't forget the casual words said to me by an acquaintance.

SING ARTHUR-san

: “When I went to another prefecture, it became an urban legend like ‘Kitakyushu Yankee’ and ‘If you dig, you’ll find grenades, right?’

I wanted to get rid of that image, so I wondered if there was anything I could do.It would be great if I could use tools such as social networking sites that I and people of my generation to see and say, "It's a good place." I thought

Focusing on lyrics and sound quality

In mid-January, I heard that they were going to shoot a short video, so I went along.

When I stopped by the Murasaki River, which flows through the center of the city, I used a selfie stick to set up my camera.

And think about it... only 10 minutes!

While filming with one smartphone, I played the sound from the other smartphone and started humming.

“I took a walk along the Murasaki River, and the people and town seem to be in good spirits.

I have two things in mind when making videos.

First is the lyrics.

I think about it so that you can convince me that it is "bad naicha".

"People and towns are fine, but the opposite of 'likely' is 'not likely'. When I wondered what was unlikely, incidents occurred. leads to the word

Another commitment is the sound quality.

After shooting, we headed to the recording studio.

The lyrics are re-recorded in the studio.

You may think that the video is posted as it is after shooting, but as a professional, I spare no effort in paying attention to sound quality.

Use the smartphone app to edit the video and audio, add subtitles, and you're done.

Junior high and high school students who try to imitate also react slowly

When it is posted on SNS, the comment section becomes lively as if it had been waiting.

When I went out to look for people who had seen the video, I found one after another, mainly middle and high school students.

There was also a high school student who immediately hummed and told me his impressions.

“People often say that there are a lot of strange people, but that’s not the case. If there were people who could send messages like this, more people would come to Kitakyushu, so I think it’s great.”

Among them, there were even junior high school students who tried to imitate the song with their friends.

“We used to do it among friends. We wrote lyrics to the rhythm, filmed it, and posted it on social media.

“I want to liven up my beloved Kitakyushu with my favorite reggae”

In mid-February this year, the final video of the "Kitakyushu Waru Naiccha!!" series was posted, marking a milestone.

Up until now, SING ARTHUR has been based in his hometown of Kitakyushu, but he has decided to move his base to Yaizu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, where his office is located, and begin his music activities.

In the future, we will go around live venues nationwide and strengthen promotions on SNS.

In other words, we aim to make further progress by repeating martial arts training.

She says she regrets leaving her beloved hometown, but she wants to spread the word about Kitakyushu, the city where she was born and raised, wherever she goes to sing.

SING ARTHUR

-san “I realized that I could create a movement with just one piece of music. My dream is to become as big as they say, come back, and have a big reggae live event in Kitakyushu, inviting famous artists. I want to liven it up with

Finally, one more!

.

Kitakyushu Broadcasting Station Reporter

Michiko Okura

Joined in 2012 After working at the Kumamoto Station News Production Department, worked at Kitakyushu Broadcasting Station

Kitakyushu is easy to work and raise children.