Rize (stylized as RIZE) is a Japanese

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...

band formed in 1997, debuting in 2000 and currently signed with

Warner Music Japan Warner Music Group's labels include the following. Flagship labels *Atlantic Records *Elektra Records * Parlophone Records *Warner Records Atlantic Records Group * 1st & 15th Entertainment * All Money In * Artist Partners Group * Asylum Rec ...

. The band currently consists of Jesse McFaddin (

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of th ...

/guitar), Nobuaki Kaneko (drums), and KenKen (bass). Their music style is a mix of

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu m ...

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

, punk rock, hard rock and even some

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...

flavor. Their song "ZERO" from ''

Experience Experience refers to conscious events in general, more specifically to perceptions, or to the practical knowledge and familiarity that is produced by these conscious processes. Understood as a conscious event in the widest sense, experience invol ...

'' album has been featured on

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atla ...

commercial in Japan and Asian countries. Their single "Gunshot" has been featured in Resident Evil: Dead Aim credits.

History

1997–2000: Formation and debut

Rize formed in 1997 with members JESSE, Nobuaki Kaneko and TOKIE. They started performing live concerts in the

Shimokitazawa is a commercial and entertainment area in Kitazawa, Setagaya, Tokyo. It is located in the southwestern corner of the Kitazawa district, hence the name "Shimo-kitazawa" (literally ''lower Kitazawa''). Also known as "Shimokita", the neighbourhood ...

. In 2000, they performed at the ''10th Kitazawa Music Festival'' and, after having been signed to

Epic Records Japan Epic Records Japan is a Japanese record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Its founder was Shigeo Maruyama. Between 1978 and 1988 the label operated as a wholly owned subsidiary: Epic/Sony Inc. () was established in August 1978

, released their debut single "Kaminari". They followed up their debut in November with the hit single "Why I'm Me", with an album being released the same month. However, original member TOKIE left after the album's release, with u:zo joining as the new bassist and Nakao Yoshihiro coming in for guitar.

2001–2006: First nationwide tour and tour outside Japan

The following year proved to be a busy one for Rize. In April, JESSE and Nobuaki became radio personalities for the program ''

All Night Nippon is a Japanese radio program broadcast by Nippon Broadcasting System and other radio stations from 1–5 am (JST). It preempts broadcasts from TBS Radio's programming heard on stations under both JRN and NRN ( TBC Radio, CBC Radio, etc.). ...

'' until September. They also performed again at the ''Kitazawa Music Festival'' in July, as well as the '' Rock in Japan Festival'', ''Arabaki Rock Fest'' and

Summer Sonic Festival The , also known as Supersonic, is an annual two- or three-day rock festival held at the same time in Osaka and Chiba, Japan. The majority of the bands playing in Osaka the first day go to Chiba the following day and vice versa. The line-up con ...

'01 in August. The band's collaboration with

Zeebra , known professionally as , is a Japanese hip hop recording artist and DJ who made his first appearance in 1995. Zeebra is a former member of the hip-hop group King Giddra, which also included DJ Oasis and K Dub Shine, and the older brother of ...

, "I CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT MY RADIO", became the theme song for ''FM Festival''. They followed it up with a tour in December called ''4City'' (there were four performances). In May 2002, Rize appeared on the stage @

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

Japan event with

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentJay-Z, etc., in September Rize participated in the South Korean field festival ''2002Etpfes'' at the

Seoul Olympic Stadium The Seoul Olympic Stadium (), also known as Jamsil Olympic Stadium (formerly romanised as ''Chamshil''), is a multi-purpose stadium in Seoul, South Korea. It is the main stadium built for the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 10th Asian Games in 19 ...

. The event was the largest field festival in history, with over 30,000 people in attendance. On February 13 2003, Resident Evil: Dead Aim came out and Rize's single "Gunshot" was featured in the game's credits. In July 2003, they moved to Los Angeles to tour with

Kottonmouth Kings The Kottonmouth Kings is an American hip hop group formed in Placentia, California in 1996 by D-Loc and Saint Dog. The group advocates for legalizing cannabis, and their lyrics frequently refer to smoking marijuana. The group plays hip hop, ...

and

Phunk Junkeez The Phunk Junkeez are an American rap rock band from Phoenix, Arizona that formed in 1991. The group's original lineup consisted of vocalists Joe Valiente (Soulman) and Kirk Reznik (K-Tel Disco) and rotated through various other members over th ...

. In 2005, JESSE formed their own label "Tensaibaka Records". And in July, Rize could successfully perform on the stage of "

Live 8 Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland, from 6–8 July 2005 ...

" as the opening act, a world-renowned event broadcast in 7 other countries. Their powerful performance was highly praised and left a big impression with the international music community. In November 2005, bassist u:zo left, with Nobuaki's brother KenKen replacing him. KenKen was made an official member of the band in April 2006. Their first

Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in N ...

appearance happened with a cover of " Pink Spider" in November 2006, debuting at No. 8.

2007–present

On the top of the successful performance at "Live 8", in 2007 Rize was invited to perform at "

Live Earth Live Earth was an event developed to increase environmental awareness through entertainment. Background Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, ''Live Earth'' was built upon the beli ...

" appearing on the stage with

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and dr ...

, etc., an acclaimed charity live founded by producer

Kevin Wall Kevin Wall is an American entrepreneur, investor, activist and Emmy Award-winning producer of global events such as Live Earth, and Live 8. As the CEO and founder of the investment funPTK Capita, Wall finances companies focused on social and ...

, and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, where again Rize's outstanding performance brought them international fame. In same year 2007, Rize released their fifth album '' Alterna''. In October 2007, they released their latest single, "LADY LOVE". Rize released '' KO'', their sixth full-length album, in April 2008. The following month saw the band performing at the hide Memorial Summit, at which they performed their rendition of Pink Spider in tribute. On May 20, the band announced through their official site that Yoshihiro Nakao would be parting ways from Rize, citing creative differences as the main factor in his decision. However, the remaining members were determined to carry on activities as a trio. In June Rize went on their 2008 "T.K.O. Tour" that consisted of 29 shows and in November released a live DVD of the tour "T.K.O.". In 2010, Jesse paved the road for Rize to release their 7th album ''

''. A majority of the tracks from this album were masterminded and produced by Jesse, enabling him to get huge attentions as not only an artist and musician, as a music producer. "Zero," the iconic song of this album, was picked up by

and lead to the collaboration commercial with

Hidetoshi Nakata is a Japanese former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest Asian players of all time. Nakata began his professional career in 1995 and won the Asian Football Confederation Player ...

/ former famous soccer player and Coca-Cola Zero, which is still being aired across a large part of Asia. In July 2011, Rize released their 10th debut anniversary, band history and live DVD titled ''PIECE.'' In 2012, Rize transferred to Warner Music. On July 20, 2019, it was announced that Jesse and KenKen had both been arrested for violation of the Cannabis Control Law. After a month long investigation based on a tip, police raided their homes; Jesse was found in possession of 2.4 grams of marijuana and .09 grams of cocaine, while KenKen had 0.2 grams of marijuana. Both pled guilty and in October 2019 both received prison sentences suspended for three years; KenKen received 6 months, while Jesse received two years. Rize has since been on a hiatus.

Jesse's solo project

Jesse started the Hip-Hop unit E.D.O., a diverse group of

rappers Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

and artists made up of some of his old high school buddies. E.D.O. has puts out numerous single and their first full album ''Revolvers'' was big hit among the Japanese Hip-Hop community. In couple of years, members of E.D.O. have ventured off on their own to start solo projects that have brought much attention to Jesse and his Hip-Hop unit. One project in particular that has received spotlight from underground music critics is Jesse's own E.D.O solo project THE BONEZ. A mixture of Jesse's favorite music genres, rock, hip-hop, and electro, THE BONEZ has put out 6 singles, with each having a different music concept from the previous. Jesse introduced the Japanese music community to the duo, Def Tech. With many major labels turning away their heads to the young pair, in 2001 Jesse decided to take Micro and Shen under his wing and mold them into the multi-platinum artists that they are today. Not only did Jesse create the road to success for Def Tech but he also played a key role as their producer for their first album and helped Def Tech write the hit song "My Way". In 2005, Jesse has launched his own label Tensaibaka Records, where Def Tech, Rize, and E.D.O. have released a majority of their work. With much under his belt as a successful musician, artist and producer, Jesse has also become one of Japan's leading icon in fashion with his original clothing line S&Co's and clothing shop Takenaka Sound Shop located in his hometown of Togoshi. S&Co's has become a popular brand amongst celebrities, with big names such as

Hayato Ichihara is a Japanese actor who is best known for his roles in film and television, including the 2001 film ''All About Lily Chou-Chou''. In 2009 he was voted one of Oricon's "fresh Stars" of the year. In 2009 he was also voted the 4th most attractive ...

being one of its many loyal customers and fans. Starting in May 2010, led by Jesse, Bring the Hope Project was established. This project is a form of Jesse's manifest to spread the message of "Hope" through music and free live performances. The first Bring the Hope Project Live took place on May 4, 2010, in which many artists and fans gathered to commend in a charity-live to raise hope and awareness for our past, present and future.

Band members

; Current members * Jesse McFaddin – vocals, guitar (1997–present) :In addition to singer/

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

, guitarist, he is also proven career as music producer/composer, plus as "Fashion Icon" among youngsters appeared on

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

CM +

Vans Vans is an American manufacturer of skateboarding shoes and related apparel, established in Anaheim, California, and owned by VF Corporation. The company also sponsors surf, snowboarding, BMX, and motocross teams. From 1996 to 2019, the co ...

sponsored their 2009 Live Tour, etc. His father is Japanese musician Char.Char、息子JESSEと親子セッション披露
– Oricon Style * Nobuaki "NK" Kaneko — drums (1997–present) :He is only signature drummer in Japan by

Pearl A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium ca ...

. * Kensuke "KenKen" Kaneko – bass (2006–present) :He is a recognized session bass player in various kind of collaborations with famous artists including performing @ Muzikmesse. He is Nobuaki's younger brother. ; Former members * Tokie – bass (1997–2001) * u:zo – bass (2001–2005) * Yoshihiro Nakao – guitar (2001–2008) ;Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Internet/ Digital releases

Compilation albums

DVDs

Music videos

Awards and nominations

;

Japan Gold Disc Award The is an award presented by the Recording Industry Association of Japan The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Associ ...

, - , 2001 , RIZE , New Artist of the Year , ;

Space Shower Music Awards Space Shower Music Awards (old name: SPACE SHOWER Music Video Awards, abbr. to SPACE SHOWER MVA) are an annual set of music awards sponsored by Japanese Space Shower TV. The prizes have been awarded since 1996. Winners in main categories Best ...

, - , 2003 , "02" , Best Directive Shooting Video , ;

, - , 2018 , RIZE , Best Punk/Loud Rock Artist , Nominee

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rize Japanese alternative rock groups Rap rock groups Japanese nu metal musical groups Warner Music Group artists Musical groups from Setagaya