TEAM 44 BLOX

TEAM 44 BLOX (チームフォーティフォーブロックス, occasionally called フォーフォーブロックス) is a Japanese hip-hop crew centered around four members: DELI, YAKKO, MIKRIS, and MARS MANIE. The formation of 44 BLOX began around the year 2000, when YAKKO combined the number 44 (the county number of Chiba Prefecture) with BLOCK (a district) to name the group TEAM 44 BLOX. The initial members, in addition to YAKKO, included DJ TOMIKEN, MAILMAN, DJ MASAKAZ, and DJ VEGAS. Later, rappers who were active in the Chiba area also joined, leading to the current lineup. Their activities became more formalized in 2005. From July to November, the four core members conducted a nationwide tour under the name TEAM 44 BLOX. In September, they also placed an advertisement on the back cover of BLAST magazine, which was an unusual occurrence as the magazine typically only featured advertisements for artists who had already released works. In 2006, they released a DVD documenting the previous year's tour, as well as their first official release as TEAM 44 BLOX, the vocal album 'BLOCK BUSTER'. This work also incorporated JBL, a collective of hip-hop artists along the Komatsuna Line, which was another project they had been promoting. As a result, a diverse range of artists participated, including KEN WHEEL, who had previously collaborated with MARS MANIE on AQUARIUS mixtapes and albums; two MCs from Lunch Time Speax, who represent Hitachinaka City; two MCs from ESSENCIAL, who are from Ibaraki Prefecture and have been active in collaborations with MR.OMERI's compilation projects, as well as recent collaborations with SCARS, who are home to SD JUNKSTA and SEEDA. This led to a large group with 17 MCs.