![[PV] ZEEBRA - Street Dreams](http://web.archive.org./web/20110222070458im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/8vy_xytdWrA/0.jpg "[PV] ZEEBRA - Street Dreams")
[PV] ZEEBRA - Street Dreams
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- Duration: 5:07
- Published: 2009-06-20
- Uploaded: 2011-02-02
- Author: Kiiteruka
| Name | Zeebra |
|---|---|
| Background | solo_singer |
| Birth name | Hideyuki Yokoi |
| Alias | Zeebra |
| Born | April 02, 1971 Tokyo, Japan |
| Genre | hip hop |
| Years active | 1995–present |
| Label | Polystar (1995-2003) UBG Records/Pony Canyon (2003-2010) Ariola Japan (2010-present) |
| Associated acts | King Giddra |
Zeebra is one of the most popular rappers in Japan, and his popularity is not specific to either gender. He appears not only in hip-hop magazines, but also in fashion and street culture magazines. He often features in and produces other rappers' songs, and appears in their videos. He has also performed live with various rappers from America.
In 1998 Zeebra undertook his first solo tour. He became recognized as an individual rapper for the first time, making hip-hop more familiar to Japanese listeners. In the same year he started the first hip-hop TV program in Japan, titled Beats to the Rhyme. One of Zeebra's songs was used in a Nike promotion video for NBA Japan games. The following year Zeebra released the single "Mr. Dynamite", the first hip-hop single to break into the top 50 on the Japanese pop charts. In June 2000, he released his new album Based on a True Story, which sold 250,000 copies. At the end of that year Zeebra started his first Japan tour, the first hip-hop event to sell out. In 2001 Zeebra released the single "Never Enuff", the theme song for a Japanese movie called Brother, directed by Takeshi Kitano and starring Claude Maki. In 2002 he temporarily rejoined King Giddra, but has been doing solo work since 2003 and has released many songs. At present, he is producing songs not only for rap artists, but also for pop stars like Namie Amuro.
He is the grandson of businessman Hideki Yokoi, former president of the Hotel New Japan. The hotel's flagship property in central Tokyo caught fire in 1982, disgracing Hideki Yokoi and causing Zeebra to be bullied by his classmates. Zeebra eventually dropped out of high school during his first year.
He married around the age of 20 and fathered two sons before divorcing his first wife. He kept custody of both sons, and later remarried and fathered two daughters.
King Giddra's popularity grew in Japan. In 1996, He recorded his first solo track "Untouchable" produced by Gang Starr producer DJ Premier. By 1997 Zeebra left King Gridda to start a solo career, appearing frequently in trendy hip hop and street culture magazines and TV shows about hip hop.
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* MTV Video Music Awards Japan - Best Hip Hop Video - Not Your Boyfriend (feat. Jesse (RIZE))
Category:Japanese rappers Category:Living people Category:1971 births Category:Sony Music Japan artists
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![[LIVE] ZEEBRA - Not Your Boyfriend feat. JESSE (RIZE)](http://web.archive.org./web/20110222070458im_/http://i.ytimg.com/vi/89KZMcxS5N8/0.jpg "[LIVE] ZEEBRA - Not Your Boyfriend feat. JESSE (RIZE)")
