Tokyo’s Revenge has dropped a new EP, 7VEN. It may only be seven songs in length, but it displays his wide range of vocal and emotional capabilities.
Tokyo’s Revenge started freestyling at school when he was 16, and he was homeless by the age of 18. This did not stop him, though. He taught himself how to use production software while bouncing between friends’ houses. At first, he used this talent to mix his friends’ music but, eventually, he started creating his own. His talent eventually received viral attention with his 2019 track, “GOODMORNINGTOKYO!” The track received so much mainstream attention that it peaked on Spotify’s Global Viral 50.
Tokyo’s Revenge is most famous for his aggressive, screamo hip-hop sound, which 7VEN gives us, but it also exhibits his laid-back alternative contemporary blues side.
The EP was highly anticipated after Tokyo’s Revenge dropped the promotional singles “GOTHAM” and “BODYCOUNT (feat. Jasiah).” These tracks both displayed his infamous screamo style, with vulgar yet genius lyrics.
“BULLETPROOF” is one of the more belligerent tracks on the EP because Tokyo’s Revenge does not hold back. He raps in his screamo style about winning any fight that comes his way. He tells of how his enemies talk like they want a fight, but never actually pull up to face him. Also, of course, there are the typical lines here and there about women and, in the interlude, he even cracks a joke about the backlash he gets from the way he talks about women in his songs.
The rapper pauses the track and talks in a short interlude, mocking haters, “Nah, we can't do that anymore / You can't rap about anything that, um, dehumanizes women / Or, um (Yeah), offends anybody who may not have- (Shut the, yeah, f---).”
Tokyo’s Revenge is the king of referencing anime in his music. He does this twice on the track “BULLETPROOF” alone.
During the second verse of the track, he references “JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure,” rapping “Bullets make you stop in time like I control the world, yuh.” Then, in the third verse, he references Avatar: The Last Airbender, spitting “I'm flyer than Aang on a mother------- bison.”
“SINNER PT. 3” is where Tokyo’s Revenge has his top tier, slowed-down vocals come in. He sings about a girl in his life that he has fun memories with, but feels that it is best for him to keep his distance from her so they can let each other go. The meaning of the song could be that he struggles with anger issues and takes his inner demons out on people he loves when that isn’t his intention. He could believe it is for the best that he focuses on himself.
Tokyo’s Revenge recounts the toxic relationship he had with a girl, singing “You would let me cuss you out, but I didn't mean it / And I hold you while you bleeding / And you would tell me I'm a demon.”
Tokyo’s Revenge wraps up the EP with “we made an anime opening (feat. ZEDSU),” a melancholy track with a rock-like melody about the toxicity and confusion he has with someone in his life. The lyrics seem to indicate that he and a significant other get off on each other’s pain and continue to pretend like everything is fine.
The end of the track, and EP as a whole, is a powerful statement that fits the mood of the project, “Your pain is too infectious / My toxic lethal weapon / I should get away, I know / Diaries of a tortured soul.”
Tokyo’s Revenge is brilliant at releasing his emotions through music and benefiting his listeners who relate to his lyrics. His anger, sadness and battles with inner demons are created into pure art that others can listen to while feeling heard. 7VEN is an early project in the artist’s career, and it is no question that he has a bright future in music with his creativity and versatility.
