Cico, of Bennie K
Happy Birthday to Cico, the rapper of the female duo BENNIE K, who turns 31 today!!!
Bennie K is a Jpop duo largely influenced by American hip-hop. The group formed in 1999 in Los Angeles, where Yuki, who was participating in vocal training, and Cico, a rapper, met by accident and became great friends. The two decided to form a band, and Bennie K was formed.
The group managed to attain a record label under For Life, and released their first single, Melody, in January 2001. During the release of their next three singles they achieved popularity by performing at concerts with other famous artist such as SOUL’d OUT, and by participating in various charity events. For their first album, Cube, which was released in July 2002, they had contributions from popular artists like Diggi-mo and Def Tech, which also increased their fame.
The group’s major popularity arose in September 2004, when they released their 8th single, Sunrise, which managed to top at #10 on the Oricon charts. Afterwards, all of their singles made it onto the Oricon charts, and their third album, Synchronicity, hit the charts at #5.
The group embarked on their first solo tour in 2005, and their single Dreamland, became a theme song for Coca-Cola commercials. Not surprisingly, Dreamland became a hit, peaking at #2 on the charts, and allowed their fourth album, Japana-rhythm, to hit the #1 spot.
They still continue to be a successful group, with singles and albums that hit the charts. Though their latest single, 1001 Nights, peaked at only #17, their newest album, The World, managed to peak at #5. In June 2007 they embarked on their second Japan tour, and in November they released a DVD.
On February 20 they released their thirteenth single, Monochrome, which is the theme song to the TV drama Binbou Danshi. The single peaked at #7 on the daily Oricon charts. In April they released a compilation album, Best of the Bestest, which contained eighteen of the group’s most successful songs.
Their next release was not until September, with the single Music Traveler, which was only moderately successful. However, Bennie K quickly released another compilation album, The “Bestest” Bennie K Show, this time containing the various collaborations they have done with other artists. To promote this album, the duo kicked off a live tour on the 28th of October.
Debut Date: January 2001
Label: For Life
Members:
Yuki - vocals
Cico - rap
Discography:
Singles:
01/24/2001 - Melody
05/23/2001 - School Girl
10/31/2001 - Sunshine
04/24/2002 - Nai / P-Dad
03/05/2003 - My Way
07/23/2003 - Better Days
10/22/2003 - Tegami / Nagori Natsu
09/22/2004 - Sunrise
06/08/2005 - Dreamland
09/21/2005 - Sky
11/08/2006 - Joy Trip
03/07/2007 - 1001 Nights
02/20/2008 - Monochrome (TV Drama “Binbou Danshi” Theme Song)
09/03/2008 - Music Traveler
Mini-Albums:
05/08/2004 - The Bennie K Show
08/02/2006 - The Bennie K Show ~on the floor Hen~
Albums:
07/24/2002 - Cube
11/05/2003 - essence
11/04/2004 - Synchronicity
11/09/2005 - Japana-Rhythm
05/23/2007 - The World
04/23/2008 - Best of the Bestest
10/29/2008 - The “Bestest” Bennie K Show
Chronological Discography
1st single: 01/24/2001 - Melody
2nd single: 05/23/2001 - School Girl
3rd single: 10/31/2001 - Sunshine
4th single: 04/24/2002 - Nai / P-Dad
1st album: 07/24/2002 - Cube
5th single: 03/05/2003 - My Way
6th single: 07/23/2003 - Better Days
7th single: 10/22/2003 - Tegami / Nagori Natsu
2nd album: 11/05/2003 - essence
1st mini-album: 05/08/2004 - The Bennie K Show
8th single: 09/22/2004 - Sunrise
3rd album: 11/04/2004 - Synchronicity
9th single: 06/08/2005 - Dreamland
10th single: 09/21/2005 - Sky
4th album: 11/09/2005 - Japana-Rhythm
2nd mini-album: 08/02/2006 - The Bennie K Show ~on the floor Hen~
11th single: 11/08/2006 - Joy Trip
12th single: 03/07/2007 - 1001 Nights
4th album: 05/23/2007 - The World
13th single: 02/20/2008 - Monochrome (TV Drama “Binbou Danshi” Theme Song)
1st compilation album: 04/23/2008 - Best of the Bestest
14th single: 09/03/2008 - Music Traveler
2nd compilation album: 10/29/2008 - The “Bestest” Bennie K Show
Credits: Wikipedia, JMusicAmerica, Bennie K Official Site
I LOVE this group! They’re so poppy and fun~ The vocalist Yuki has a really great voice, especially for a Japanese, and the rapper Cico is actually pretty good too, although I don’t know anything about rapping skills. Lol. But I have never heard a song I didn’t like from them. There are some I don’t like as much as the others, but I always like to listen to them. 8Db
HI-EXPLOSION with DJ HI-KICK
This is apparently the celebration of “The Best Album Year” for Bennie K…I suppose it’s not the best album year, as in best selling, but it’s probably the year of “best of” albums. This PV and song is super short and honestly it’s kind of all over the place. The video is a little overwhelming, but once you kind of begin to discern the different sounds it’s a pretty cool techno-like song. It’s kind of neat, and not something we’re used to from Bennie K. There’s also a kind of short performance, which also includes other older songs, if you’re interested. 8D
Lyrics | Translation | PV | Performance | Download
Sunrise
I thought I would also upload an older song too, as a Bennie K birthday only comes twice a year and they’re close together. 8D This absolutely one of my most favorite songs ever! It’s so happy! And uplifting~ And Yuki vocals are gorgeous as always. Definitely a song for summer fun, I think. Enjoy!
Lyrics + Translation | PV | Download
Please comment if you downloaded, or if you want to say something! I'm up for comment discussions. =D
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