Nigo
is first and foremost a fashion designer, but his career has always been closely linked with music. His debut album
Ape Sounds
was released by
Mo Wax
around the turn of the millennium, and it seemed tailor-made for SPIN magazine readers and eclectic college radio playlists. Filled with guest appearances by
Grand Royal
-adjacent acts like
Money Mark
,
Cornelius
, and
Ben Lee
, it hopscotched from Japanese hip-hop to dub to mellow psych-pop to noisy punk. Soon after,
initiated a successful business partnership with
Pharrell Williams
, created a show on MTV Japan, and formed the rap supergroup
Teriyaki Boyz
, whose albums sported appearances by
Kanye West
Daft Punk
Ad-Rock
of the
Beastie Boys
Busta Rhymes
, and many other guests. After spending half a decade as the manager and producer of Japanese girl group
Billie Idle
returned to his own music career in 2022, releasing a string of singles featuring famous friends such as
A$AP Rocky
Pusha T
Kid Cudi
. Full-length
I Know Nigo!
contains all of these tracks as well as cuts with
Tyler, The Creator
Gunna
, and the late
Pop Smoke
, among others. While exclusively a rap album this time, the release switches between a grab bag of styles, from danceable pop-rap (
's "Want It Bad") to dark, ominous drill (the songs with
and
Lil Uzi Vert
) to the chaotic glee of
Pharrell
A$AP Ferg
's "Paper Plates." The most notable tracks include opener "Lost and Found Freestyle 2019," featuring amped-up
Rocky
Tyler
verses and some exciting beat switches, and
's wavy "Hear Me Clearly," which counts
Kanye
among its many co-producers and co-writers. The best tracks make it worthwhile for fans of any of the artists involved. Thanks to all of its big name guests,
rocketed to number 13 on the Billboard 200. ~ Paul Simpson