On Monday, April 13, Japanese hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts made their New York City debut at the Manhattan Center’s Hammerstein Ballroom. Rapper R-Shitei and DJ Matsunaga are the elite duo behind Creepy Nuts, delivering a high-octane, 20-song set to a sold-out crowd that had clearly been waiting a long time for this performance and the duo made absolutely sure it was worth the wait.
The Midtown Manhattan venue, known for its grand arched ceilings, ornate balconies, and room-shaking sound system, created a perfect backdrop for the Japanese hip-hop duo. The audience was a mixed blend of anime fans and hip-hop lovers alike, brought together by a shared love for a sound that has taken years to reach American shores. The atmosphere was palpable. It was excitement mixing with the unique occasion. After all, this is first time Creepy Nuts had ever headlined a show in New York City. Setting the stage, in every sense, for a night that felt historic and present.
Who Is Creepy Nuts?
R-Shitei, born Ryosuke Yoshida, is a three-time consecutive winner of Japan’s premier rap battle competition, he’s spent years proving himself in the most unforgiving places before ever setting foot on a concert stage. His delivery is rapid-fire and precise, with the lyrics bouncing between sharp observations and self-aware humor that makes them land harder than they have any right to. DJ Matsunaga, his partner, is the 2019 DMC World DJ Championship winner, widely regarded as one of the finest scratch and turntable artists. Together since 2013, they have carved out a melody that refuses to sit still, part boom-bap, part electronic, going through with references to anime, otaku culture, and the everyday absurdities of modern life in Japan.
Their 2024 single “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” the opening theme for the anime series Mashle: Magic and Muscles, surpassed 900 million streams worldwide and became the track that put their name in front of a global audience. In February 2025, they headlined Tokyo Dome to approximately 50,000 people, a milestone that very few Japanese artists ever reach. Their North American tour spanned April 10–17, with stops at New York’s Hammerstein Ballroom and Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre starting with a pair of Coachella sets Art Threat, making Monday night only the second proper headlining show the duo had ever played on American soil.
Billiken to LEGION
The set opened with “Billiken,” a confident opener that set a punchy tone for everything that followed. R-Shitei took the stage like someone who had been rehearsing for this city his entire career, and the crowd responded in kind. “Yofukashi no Uta” and “Daten” came after, showcasing the duo’s ability to shift between moods without ever losing the thread. R-Shitei’s cadence relentless and locked-in. Matsunaga’s production precise and fully underneath him. “Gouhouteki Tobikata no Susume” and “Japanese” came next quickly, the latter drawing some of the loudest recognition of the early set. The room was not full of observers. These were fans who knew all, and they let the duo know it.
The momentum surged further with the arrival of “LEGION,” the lead single from their March 2026 vinyl release, which hit with a force in the live setting that recordings simply cannot replicate. Its layered, aggressive arrangement filled every corner of the Ballroom. The kind of song that makes a large room feel even larger.
Matsunaga Takes Over
“Chudai” and “doppelgänger” kept the energy soaring before Matsunaga stepped into center stage for an extended DJ routine that paused the show in the best possible way. Using just his decks and an incredible sense of timing, he captivated the room with a set that was both technically impressive and fun to watch. His bond with the crowd was instant, fans cheering at each scratch and cut as if watching the Super Bowl. It was a powerful reminder that Matsunaga is not just the backdrop for R-Shitei’s rapping. Then came “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” and the reaction was immediate. The entire Hammerstein erupted, every voice in the room locking into the hook as the floor surged with movement. It was the kind of singular, inevitable moment that only a truly great song can produce live.
Second Half: Night’s End
The second half of the night had a vibe of its own. After “dawn” and “Emmanuelle,” they dropped “Mirage,” which is one of the massive hits that helped Creepy Nuts sweep the global charts. You could feel the crowd lock in on that one. They followed it up with “Nemure,” a quieter and more personal track. That got the room to go silent for a moment. Right before “Katsute Tensaidatta Oretachi e” and “Nidone” kicked the energy back into top gear.
Then “Otonoke” started and the place went nuts. As the Dan Da Dan theme, it has clearly become an anthem for people. Hearing it live felt less like a concert and more like a massive release. They wrapped up the main set with “Losstime” and “Nobishiro. “
The Hammerstein Ballroom show proves that their appeal travels perfectly. They owned the stage by balancing viral hits with deep cuts in a way that worked for both die-hard fans and people seeing them for the first time. For a duo that has already sold out the Tokyo Dome, a club show in Manhattan might seem small, but on Monday night it felt like the start of a much bigger US chapter. New York was lucky to be there.
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