Rindo × Oki Miichi: Conveying "The Truth" with an Element of Surprise

Thanks to the internet, MC battles have gained fervent support from millennials. The freestyle rappers at the center of this scene connect with audiences through relatable, authentic words. Meanwhile, modern copywriters also use social media and other platforms to craft words that stir the hearts of everyday people. In an era where anyone can have a voice, Rinnyudo and Miichi continue to craft unforgettable punchlines that refuse to be drowned out. This time, they shared insights into the inner workings of each other's professions.

Music and advertising both need impact right from the start

Mii: When I saw the cover of Rinnyudo-san's CD " Clock Turning Counterclockwise," I thought, "This is scary," but when I took out the disc, it said "Thank you." Was that a deliberate gap effect?

Rindō: Yeah. I've done it since the first album. It's not exactly a grateful expression though (laughs).

Mii: It's like the bottom of a ramen bowl. I like it.

Rindo: Thank you. Your work, Mr. Miichi, is always impactful too. That Kinki University poster, with its Showa-era yakuza movie vibe, is unforgettable once you see it.

Michiichi: I'm glad you say that. If there's no initial shock, people won't feel anything. I made it aiming for the reaction, "Kinki University is so serious it's scary."

Rindo: I focus on grabbing attention too—I always kick off my live shows with freestyle rap. First, I make them think, "Whoa, what's this guy gonna say?"

Mii: So you stir things up first, then make it work.

Rindo: The same goes for how I structure lyrics within a song. The lyrics for the " Devilish Kanna " commercial were striking right from the start.

Michiichi: We designed a worldview where if Hashimoto-san went out into the world like this, everyone would be shocked. We grabbed them with the opening line, "I'm the devilish Kanna Hashimoto." Since she was being praised as "too angelic" at the time, we thought flipping it would create buzz.

In "Clockwise," after stringing together radical words in the first track, you follow it with a song that lays bare her vulnerability, right?

Rindo: Exactly. The first track is crucial for the album's structure too.

Mii: My favorite song on this album is "Toku-no-shima." It paints the simple scenery sparkling through my own eyes, making me want to visit Toku-no-shima. It might be a stretch to say I felt love in the lyrics about how the lady gave me a 100-yen extra charge as a service. It contrasts with the dark first track.

Rinnyudo: "Tokunoshima" is a song I wrote as my true self, so it's fun to perform. The edgier songs are also me, but those are more like battle mode.

Mii: The reason I wanted to visit Tokunoshima after hearing this song might be because Rindo-san's true self shines through. Personally, when given a product to write copy for or a specific theme, I'm good at thinking logically: "This customer has this need, so I'll approach it like this." But that approach might get you a solid hit, not a home run.

Rindo: If the Tokunoshima song had been commissioned by the tourism association, it might have ended up sounding overly calculated and generic.

Mii: But when the creator's genuine passion comes through—like, "This is seriously awesome!"—that heat gets transmitted, right? No matter how many people are involved in production, that passion doesn't fade. Conversely, without that passion, you only end up with something that feels very professional. That's why I always buy and use the product myself first. I value that personal experience as an individual, not just as someone from an ad agency.

Rindo: Infusing that personal passion into the work is essential.

Fake messages don't land in the SNS era

Mii: Listening to Rindo's CD while reading the lyrics, I was surprised how much of the blade turns inward. That raw honesty of "I'm no good either" really hit me.

Rindo: If I had to sum up why I rap in one sentence, it's to energize the listener. Sometimes showing my weaknesses sparks empathy, other times showing my aggressive side makes them think, "I'll do it too," and motivates them. Fundamentally, my lyrics are self-narratives drawn from real experiences and my own memories.

Mii: People resonate with that raw, authentic self-expression. Maybe that's what makes it energizing. But doesn't self-narrative run out of material?

Rindo: That's where the track comes in for rap. The music itself can draw out different expressions from the same memory. What's the purpose for copywriters?

Miichi: For me, the purpose of copywriting is to discover strengths in products or brands that the company hasn't noticed yet, and to make the world aware of them. Like, "Wheel-Entrance-Do seems intimidating, but this is who he really is." It's about digging deep to find the truth and then searching for the words to make it beloved. There's this perception that it's a business of embellishing things, exaggerating, and praising excessively, but that's not it.

Rinnyudo: I definitely had that impression too.

Mii: But that approach ultimately means people won't see it or believe it anymore. When ads appear amidst friends' genuine posts on Twitter and other platforms, no one pays attention to empty promises. There are various reasons, but unless you stick to the truth as much as possible, your message won't get through.

Rindo: When I was in high school at age 26, SNS was already on the rise, but listening to the young people coming to events now, it's permeated society to an incomparable degree. Words on SNS feel more real than what you hear and see in real life.

Mii: Some people react after watching uploaded battle videos, right? Do you worry about that perspective too?

Rindō: It'd be a lie to say I don't. If someone throws current events at me, I do imagine how my response might spread. But when I consciously think about it, I tend to come off as aloof.

Mii: So there is an influence after all. For copywriting, the impact on social media might be even greater. For better or worse, if something doesn't become a talking point, it won't even be noticed. Since the spread of social media, I think the focus on writing words that provoke reactions has intensified. Before, we thought it was enough if a newspaper ad stayed with one person. Now, we aim for people who see the copy to talk about it and for the words to circulate.

Those who read their opponent and sharpen their focus win the battle

Mii: Do you prepare specifically for freestyle battles?

Rindo: I might glance at notes with rhyme ideas, but I don't use them. I'm responding to what my opponent says, so pre-planned material might not fit.

Mii: What the audience really wants to see is the raw, live drama happening right then, right? If you're focused on your stock material, you can't concentrate on your opponent. Do you check your opponent's recent activities before a battle?

Rindo: I do, but sometimes digging into that can backfire and kill the vibe. I also gauge the crowd's energy and decide on the spot.

Mii: What's going on in your head during the battle?

Rindo: Sometimes I'm chasing the words coming out of my mouth, but other times my brain is like ten steps ahead. It's a rush when I land that killer punchline at the end while completely out of myself.

※Punchline: The punchline or killer line.

Mii: So it's formed as specific words in your head?

Rindō: It's like it's floating around in my mind, and the moment I hear the last word of the other person's turn, it just snaps into place in my head. If I could get into that state every time, I'd be unbeatable (laughs).

Mii: That's an incredible sensation. My tempo isn't quite that fast, but even in advertising, there's that moment when you just know, "This is it." It might still be just a note, but the concept, the vibe, this big, abstract feeling just comes down, and then it's just a matter of writing it down!

Rindo: So you see it before you even start creating it.

Mii: To draw a parallel with the battle world, ads often involve competing presentations. When you get the brief, predict what competitors will do, and grasp that "if we go this route, we'll win. And it'll really resonate when it hits the market" – that feels great. When you have that feeling, it absolutely works out.

Rindo: Having a good image even in battle is crucial. For me, it starts with waking up in the morning and deciding what to eat and wear.

Mii: Ah, I totally get that. It's about building that invincibility feeling throughout the day.

Rindo: On days when I've managed to focus well, things just come to me.

The strongest words are the ones lying around in everyday life.

Rindo: Do copywriters collect words or ideas?

Mii: Words lose their freshness, I feel. I'm more drawn to phrases found in everyday, unassuming scenes—like signs at the neighborhood candy shop or students chatting on the train—than words treated like museum artifacts. Like the other day, I spotted a sign at a bar in Ebisu that said, "Free tequila, 'cause we're idiots!" I wouldn't use it for copy, but I like to hold onto that feeling of wanting to go in because it seemed fun, or wonder why they wrote it that way. I love those rough, powerful words everyone uses in daily life.

Rinnyudo: Rappers also often draw from everyday topics around them.

Mii: When talking to people, don't you find yourself reading between the lines, thinking "What's their real intention...?" Maybe it's my occupational hazard.

Rindo: You're quite the suspicious type. For B-BOYS (*), reading between the lines is practically their job. I do the same with battle opponents and audiences, so I feel a kinship.

※B-BOY: A general term for men involved in hip-hop culture.

Mii: In rap, you convey that by perfectly rhyming it, right? On this album, the rhyme "If you bend to the powerful, you'll end up a fake" really stuck with me.

Rindo: Rhyming in rap is practically common sense.

Mii: Copywriting has that kind of rhetoric too, but I'm not really good at it. I didn't even understand why rappers rhyme, but when strong feelings ride on the rhyme, it really hits hard.

Rinnyudo: Rap is music, after all, so it feels good whether you're rapping or just listening.

Mii: I'm the type of copywriter who gets embarrassed when I think I've come up with something clever.

Rindo: How do you actually go about writing copy?

Mii: For pure copywriting jobs, I come up with over 100 candidates for a single piece of copy.

Rindo: One hundred! How long does that take?

Mii: Two or three hours, maybe. Not all of them are fully fleshed out. I try to come up with 100 reasons why someone would want that product. For example, with tea, it could be health benefits, taste, targeting men, targeting women—changing the perspective makes it not that hard.

Rindō: I'd probably stop at 20 (laughs).

Mii: Advertising requires putting yourself in the user's shoes. For cosmetics work, I read women's magazines, meet target demographics, and meticulously research what they think, talk about, and consume across media. For "Devilish Kanna," the CM did well and became the coupling track for Kanna Hashimoto's debut single, so I got to write the full lyrics too. Since I, an old guy, had to write a song for teenage girls to sing, I just kept interviewing young women. The line "I'll mark it as read but won't reply" was a phrase that stuck out during my research. I gathered words like that and made them into lyrics. It was freer and more fun than writing copy.

Rindo: If Mr. Miichi, who usually comes up with 100 options to choose from, wrote rap lyrics, they'd probably be packed with punchlines, right?

Miichi: But freestyle rappers do that instantly in their heads.

Produced by: Shunsuke Kaga
Title Calligraphy: Kengo Aoki
Rapper Selection: Taika