After more than a decade away from the studio, Nigo has returned. The Japanese multi-hyphenate has always been a designer first, but he had a strong run of albums in the first decade of the new millennium, both on his own and with his Yokohama-based rap group, Teriyaki Boyz. Last month, he announced his I know NIGO, his first solo album since 2005's Nigo Presents: Return of the Ape Sounds, due out March 25 via Victor Victor Worldwide/Republic Records. And today he released its lead single, "Arya," featuring A$AP Rocky.
Nigo founded A Bathing Ape in 1993, launched Human Made in 2010, and collaborated with Uniqlo and Louis Vuitton after selling Bape to a Hong Kong conglomerate in 2011. On Sunday, he debuted his first collection as artistic director of Kenzo at Paris Fashion Week.
In the midst of the fashion frenzy currently surrounding Nigo, "Arya" is a musical return to form. Both Nigo's beat and A$AP's bars take us back to the late aughts, Rocky's salad days and a simpler time in hip-hop overall.
The track's new video features cameos from href="https://www.thefader.com/artist/pharrell">Pharrell and Kid Cudi, who will apparently feature on the album, along with Lil Uzi Vert, Pusha T, FamLay, Tyler, Teriyaki Boyz, and A$AP. Watch it above, and view Nigo's full album announcement below.
