Who Is Creepy Nuts?

Last updated: October 2026

Name (Japanese)	Creepy Nuts（クリーピーナッツ）
Members	R-Shitei (rapper), DJ Matsunaga (DJ/producer)
Category	Hip-hop duo
Active since	2013 (major-label debut 2017)
Known for	"Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" (Mashle), "Otonoke" (Dandadan)
Label	ONE NATION / Sony Music Labels (Japan)

Creepy Nuts are a two-man hip-hop unit from Japan made up of rapper R-Shitei and turntablist DJ Matsunaga. Formed in 2013, the duo spent a decade becoming one of the most respected acts in Japanese hip-hop before exploding onto the world stage with “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” the opening theme for the anime Mashle: Magic and Muscles, and “Otonoke,” the opening theme for Dandadan — two of the biggest Japanese songs of the mid-2020s.

What makes Creepy Nuts unusual is that both members are literal champions of their crafts: R-Shitei won Japan’s biggest freestyle rap-battle tournament three years in a row, while DJ Matsunaga is a world-champion battle DJ. That technical pedigree, delivered with a sharp sense of humor, has carried them from small club battles to Coachella, historic RIAA Gold certifications in the United States, and arena dates opening for The Weeknd in Asia — all while rapping almost entirely in Japanese.

Rise to Fame

R-Shitei built his name in Japan’s MC battle scene — competitive freestyle rap events similar to battle rap in the West — winning the national Ultimate MC Battle (UMB) grand championship three consecutive times from 2012 to 2014. DJ Matsunaga earned an equally serious reputation behind the turntables, and in 2019 he won the head-to-head battle division (“Battle for World Supremacy”) at the DMC World DJ Championships, one of the highest honors in turntablism.

The two joined forces in 2013 as Creepy Nuts. Their 2016 EP Tarinai Futari entered Japan’s Oricon albums chart, and in 2017 they made their major-label debut under Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Albums such as Creep Show (2018), Case (2021) and Ensemble Play (2022) steadily grew their audience, helped by anime and TV tie-ins — in Japan, having a song chosen as the theme for a popular show is one of the most powerful promotional engines in music. From 2018 to 2023 the duo also hosted their own edition of All Night Nippon, a legendary late-night radio franchise that has launched Japanese entertainers since the 1960s — they returned to the franchise with a new slot in 2024 — which made them familiar voices well beyond hip-hop circles.

Then came “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born.” Released in January 2024 as the opening theme for season two of Mashle: Magic and Muscles, the frantic, playful track set off a global dance meme based on the anime’s opening choreography and spent 19 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 — the second-longest run in the chart’s history — while also reaching No. 8 on the Billboard Global 200. It finished as Japan’s best-performing song of 2024, earned an Excellence Award at the 66th Japan Record Awards, and took the duo to NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen, the prestigious New Year’s Eve song contest that is considered a rite of passage for Japanese artists.

What Creepy Nuts Is Known For

For overseas listeners, a few things define the duo:

“Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” (2024): the Mashle season-two opener that became a worldwide viral hit and the duo’s signature song.
“Otonoke” (2024): the opening theme for the hit anime Dandadan, which gave them a second No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and another entry on the Billboard Global 200, where it peaked at No. 37.
Championship-level technique: R-Shitei’s dense, fast, wordplay-heavy rapping and DJ Matsunaga’s world-class scratching, both honed in competition.
Anime-driven global reach: like YOASOBI and other recent Japanese breakout acts, their international fanbase grew largely through anime theme songs.
Personality: years of radio and television work in Japan gave them a reputation as funny, candid talkers as well as elite musicians.

Recent Years

In February 2025 Creepy Nuts released their fourth studio album, Legion, which collected “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” “Otonoke” and other singles, and charted in both Japan and on Billboard’s US World Albums chart. That same month they headlined Tokyo Dome for the first time — the roughly 55,000-capacity stadium that symbolizes arrival at the very top tier of live acts in Japan.

Their global momentum kept building through 2025 and 2026. “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” was certified Gold by the RIAA in February 2025, and “Otonoke” followed in August 2025, making Creepy Nuts the first Japanese act to have two Japanese-language songs individually reach that milestone in the US — a historic first widely reported in early 2026. In April 2026 they completed their first North American tour, including a Coachella debut where they closed the Gobi Stage on both weekends, plus shows in New York, Chicago and Mexico City, and released the single “Fright.” A further single, “Running Wheel,” followed in August 2026.

In the fall of 2026 the duo joined the Asia leg of The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn stadium tour as special guests, with dates in the Tokyo area in September and Singapore in early October. As of October 2026, Creepy Nuts stand alongside Japan’s most visible musical exports — a battle-bred rap duo that turned anime openings into a passport to the world.

FAQ

Who are the members of Creepy Nuts?

Creepy Nuts are rapper R-Shitei and DJ Matsunaga. R-Shitei won Japan’s Ultimate MC Battle three years in a row (2012–2014), and DJ Matsunaga won the battle division (Battle for World Supremacy) at the 2019 DMC World DJ Championships.

Which anime theme songs did Creepy Nuts make?

Their best-known anime themes are "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born," the season-two opening of Mashle: Magic and Muscles, and "Otonoke," the opening theme of Dandadan. Both became No. 1 hits in Japan and were certified Gold by the RIAA in the US.

Has Creepy Nuts performed outside Japan?

Yes. In April 2026 they completed their first North American tour, including a Coachella debut, and in fall 2026 they opened for The Weeknd’s After Hours Til Dawn tour in Asia, with shows in the Tokyo area and Singapore.