KS REPRESENTATIVE : AFRA

Written by Tes Uno

Afra and Tes met in the late nineties, through mutual friends, and clicked immediately. Since Afra didn’t have a family in America, Tes and his girlfriend became his American family. During these days Afra did not speak English and Tes did not speak Japanese. Afra learned English pretty well soon enough, but Tes, well lets just say he’s a slow learner.

When Afra arrived in the US he had just begun to make music with his mouth and felt beatboxing was his calling in hip-hop/rap. Since Afra and Tes didn’t understand each other their language was based on motions and charades. Pretty funny exchanges were had on numerous occasions.

One thing they did understand, in a mutual way, was the art of communication through hip-hop and Rap. Soon after they began hitting stages as “Language Arts,” tearing them up, one by one, from the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, to Wetlands(RIP) to Tramps(RIP), SOB’s, NYU University shows and Columbia University shows to name a few.



Although they didn’t speak the same language, or share the same born culture, they connected like magnets through hip-hop.

Afra, Akira Fujioka, originally named his self Afra, cuz he had an Afro and thought it was called an Afra. kind of funny but true. He confessed that he had his hair done into an Afro to connect with African-Americans and hip-hop.

He soon realized that an afro didn’t give hip hop credibility, but he still loved the name Afra and continued to rock with it. His real name Akira is a very popular name in Japan as John is in America.

When Tes met Afra, Tes coined a different meaning for the name Afra. That meaning, which Afra still uses to this day, is “Always Fresh Rhythm Attack!”

The first time anyone saw Afra on stage they were most likely like, what’s this Little nerdy Japanese kid going to do? Boy, the doubters learned their lesson and they learned it quickly!

When ever Afra hit the stage he would transform into this incredible spectacle of mega beats that would bomb the system while lifting everybody to new heights. Talk about a way to start a show, he pretty much stole every show.

What he would do only took ten minutes to complete going in and out straight raw with the best possible intentions hip hop ever dreamt of…



Previously: Tes Uno