A founding member of Japan's seminal hip-hop group King Giddra, Zeebra was part of the force in turning Japanese hip-hop from the party rap promoted within the confines of J-Pop into a socially conscious version of the genre. He left the group in 1997 in favor of a solo career, quickly becoming the brightest star in the emerging market by releasing "Mr. Dynamite" in 1999, the first hip-hop single to break the Top 50 on the Japanese pop charts. Concurrently, Zeebra expanded into television, fashion, advertising, and movie soundtracks. His star grew, reaching major success with 2000's Based on a True Story. A number of albums followed as Zeebra expanded into collaborations with American artists and producers and other Japanese rappers as well as J-Pop artists. ~ Adam Greenberg