Lead is a Japanese hip-hop dance and vocal group, initially formed under the name Rhymix in Osaka, Japan in March 2002. They went through two name changes before debuting as "Lead" in May 2002 under the Pony Canyon sub-label Flight Master. The group consists of Shinya Taniuichi, Keita Furuya, Akira Kagimoto and, formerly, Hiroki Nakadoi.
The Showcase is the seventh studio album by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead on June 8, 2016, four years after their last album Now or Never. The album became their highest ranking album since their debut, peaking at #2 on the Oricon charts and remaining on the charts for five weeks. The album consisted of seven preceding singles, the first being "Still" in December 2012 and the last being "Yakusoku", released three years later on November 25, 2015.
Now or Never is the sixth studio album by Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on July 18, 2012, under the Pony Canyon label. It was their first album to chart in the top ten on the Oricon charts since their debut album Life on da Beat (2003) coming in at #6 and remaining on the charts for two weeks.
"Fly Away" is the third single by Japanese hip-hop group Lead. It peaked in the top ten on the Oricon charts at #10 and remained on the charts for seven weeks, charting longer than their previous singles.
The discography of Japanese hip-hop group Lead includes 9 studio albums, 1 compilation album, 1 remix album, 16 live albums and 32 singles. Their first sixteen singles were released under the Pony Canyon sub-label Flight Master; since, their singles have been strictly under Pony Canyon.
"Tokyo Fever" (トーキョーフィーバー) is the 27th single by Japanese hip-hop trio Lead. It was their first single after their seventh studio album The Showcase to bring in their new era, Milestone. The single charted well on Oricon, ranking at No. 5, keeping their run of top releases, and remained on the charts for three weeks.
"Upturn" is the twenty-first single by Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on June 19, 2013, becoming their first release of the year. It became their third consecutive single to chart in the top five on Oricon, ranking at No. 5 for the week, and remained on the charts for three weeks.
"Beautiful Day" is the twenty-eighth single by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on August 23, 2017. It was their second single released after their studio album, The Showcase. It charted well on Oricon, taking the #6 spot for the week and remaining on the charts for four consecutive weeks.
"Omoide Breaker" is the twenty-fourth single by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on September 17, 2014. The single peaked on the Oricon charts at number 4 and remained on the charts for four weeks.
"Wanna Be with You" is the nineteenth single released by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, and their first single of the year, released on March 14, 2012. It was their final single before their studio album Now or Never. The single charted well on Oricon, taking the number three spot for the week and remaining on the charts for three weeks.
"My One" is the twenty-fifth single by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, becoming their first release of 2015 on March 4, 2015. The single continued their string of top releases, peaking at number 6 on Oricon and remaining on the chart for three weeks.
"Stand Up!" is the fourteenth single released by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead. The single debuted in the top twenty on Oricon, where it took the No. 20 slot for the weekly ranking and remained on the charts for four weeks.
"GiraGira Romantic" (ギラギラRomantic) is the sixteenth single released by Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released over a year after their previous single on 5 August 2009. The single charted in the top twenty of the Oricon charts, taking the No. 12 spot for the week and remaining on the charts for four weeks.
Milestone is the eighth studio album released by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead on July 18, 2018, released over two years after their previous album The Showcase.
"Speed Star" is the 17th domestic single by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on July 28, 2010, a year after their previous single "GiraGira Romantic". The single peaked at number 11 on the Oricon Singles Chart, and remained on the charts for three weeks.
In Blue is a documentary video about the youngest member of the hip-hop group Lead, Akira Kagimoto (鍵本輝). The DVD charted at #70 on the Oricon charts, dropping off after the first week.
Kamachi (かまち) is a Japanese film produced in 2003 by Rokurō Mochizuki. The film centers around the life of poet and painter Kamachi Yamada at the age of 17. The film stars Lead member Shinya Tanuichi as the titular character.
Boutaoshi! is a 2003 Japanese film. It was directed by Tetsu Maeda. and released on March 21, 2003. The film's screenplay was written by Minoru Matsumoto. It features artists from the Pony Canyon record label, including members of Lead and Flame. Production committee members included those from Pony Canyon, Japan Skyway, Jesus Vision, Tokyo Theaters Company, Inc. and PAL Planning, with distribution by Tokyo Theater and PAL Planning.
"Be the Naked" is the thirtieth single by the Japanese hip-hop group Lead, released on January 30, 2019. The single was announced in December 2018, two weeks before the release of their concert DVD Lead Upturn 2018: Milestone. It debuted in the top ten on the Oricon charts at No. 7.
The Japanese group Lead has released over forty music videos since their debut in 2002. They debuted as a hip-hop group with the music video "Manatsu no Magic" on July 31, 2002. In other visual media, the group has been a part of several films and television shows. In 2003, all four members appeared in the film Boutaoshi!, with Shinya taking on the lead role of Tsuguo Takayama. All four members also appeared in the 2004 film Kamachi. Along with performing the theme song "Get Wild Life", Shinya took on the role of the title character and Hiroki was featured as the troubled teen Shun Iijima. In 2014, Shinya took the role of Tsuyoshi Kakinoki for the movie Oretachi no Ashita.
