FUNKY MONKEY BΛBY’S, the Hachioji-born hip-hop duo of Funky Kato (ファンキー加藤) and Monkichi (モン吉), will appear on Nippon TV’s music program “Yoru no Oto -TOKYO MIDNIGHT MUSIC-” on October 20, opening up about the behind-the-scenes story of their 2013 breakup and their 2021 reunion.
The group, formerly known as FUNKY MONKEY BABYS, began as a three-piece with DJ Chemical and racked up hits including “Kokuhaku” (“Confession”), “Hero,” and “Ato Hitotsu.” They appeared on NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen, the broadcaster’s annual New Year’s Eve music special, four years running, and won composition, best-work, and best-album honors at TBS’s Japan Record Award over three consecutive years. At the height of their popularity, the group disbanded following a two-night concert at Tokyo Dome in June 2013.
Roughly eight years later, in March 2021, the full lineup reunited for a one-night-only performance on TBS’s “Ongaku no Hi.” That same month, Kato and Monkichi announced they would continue as a duo under the renamed FUNKY MONKEY BΛBY’S, alongside their individual solo careers. The new lineup released its first single, “Yell,” in September 2021, played its debut one-man show at Nippon Budokan that October, and has since put out the single “ROUTE 16” (2022) and the album “Funky Monkey Babys Z” (2023).
On the show, hosted by Fuma Kikuchi of timelesz and Mei Hata, the pair trace their story back to the group’s 2004 formation in Hachioji, including the struggles of moving from clubs to live houses and how DJ Chemical’s signature “no actual DJing, just go wild” persona came about at Kato’s request. Hata, who says she watched the group as a child, recalls being transfixed by DJ Chemical without understanding who he was. The origin of the group’s trademark cheer songs is also traced back to an experience from Kato’s childhood.
Monkichi reveals he tried various things to prevent the 2013 breakup but ultimately couldn’t stop it. The two also discuss how an offer tied to the 10th anniversary of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake prompted their return as a two-member act, with Kato admitting he was conflicted about restarting, and they share the feelings behind the lyrics to “Yell.” A studio performance includes the songs “Natsuko,” the family-themed cheer song “Hero,” and “Chippoke na Yuuki,” the latter staged in collaboration with music video director Atsunori Higashi on a mirror-floored set.
Who is FUNKY MONKEY BΛBY’S?
FUNKY MONKEY BΛBY’S is the duo of Funky Kato and Monkichi, the surviving members of the hip-hop group formerly known as FUNKY MONKEY BABYS. This year marks 20 years since their major-label debut, and the group is currently in the middle of a 29-date nationwide tour spanning 27 cities.
Author’s Comment
Ah, the classic J-pop move: break up at your absolute peak, let the fans mourn for eight years, then stage a tearful "how we almost didn’t make it" TV special once the nostalgia market is primed. I love it, I really do — Japanese entertainment has turned the group-breakup-and-reunion arc into its own genre, and FUNKY MONKEY BΛBY’S are playing it beautifully. Monkichi finally admitting he tried to stop the split and just couldn’t? That’s the quiet regret this country’s showbiz interviews run on — everyone’s polite, nobody’s bitter, and the tears do all the talking. Twenty years in, two guys who could’ve just faded into solo obscurity are still filling a 29-date tour and a midnight TV slot talking about it. Say what you want about the reunion industrial complex, but these two earned theirs.
