SUIKEN (real name: Yoshiaki Kuwata, Tokyo, born in 1975 ) is a Japanese hip-hop MC. Also known as MC of NITRO MICROPHONE UNDERGROUND.

Suiken who translate means “drunken master” into English, spent the early part of his career as a member of a band called Channel 5 with Dabo, K-Bomb & DJ Hazime. They made a small show and appeared on the radio to teach the youngster the Hip-Hop culture.
The band dispersed when K-Bomb beggining a solo career in 1995, Suiken started with the single “level 5” gaining the attention of producer MC Dev Large, DL took Suiken under his wing and the duo made many notable appearances on mixtapes and “the materials of Buddha Brand” (the Dev Large group) as well as with SHAKKAZOMBIE in 1997.
Becoming famous by his energetic and powerful live performance, Suiken becames the media favorite person and appeared on many TV shows, radio and even on events as a representative of hip-hop culture.
When Dev Large took part in the Eldorado Records in 1998, he signed Suiken to the Roster label and gradually producing “The Sense”.
Working with old friends Macka-Chin and DJ Watarai for his second single “Saturday Night Mongol” Suiken managed to create his first underground hit, making around December 1998.

Beginning the new year with the formation of a new group NITRO MICROPHONE UNDERGROUND, Suiken was still continuing his work with producer Dev Large on the single “Realise”. He participated in the GOD INC project that combined the talents of Buddha Brand, Lunch Time Speax, Osumi from Shakkazombie and Suiken.

Leaving his third single “double trouble”, Suiken decided to leave about Eldorado Records when he received a Sony contract in 2000 and recorded his new single while working with his band.

Returning as a solo artist, at the same time as the album of his group was realized, Suiken released the single “Alkman” produced by Dev Large in August 2000.
With his group he made 2 new single songs before finally releasing his first solo album in April 2001 “Suiken Presents Sixteen Stars”.

With the success of the album, he released a new single 6 months later. Which brought him a great change of style and also a more serious approach to his music. The attenuation of his voice and the change of his more relaxed flow moved to the end of his second album “score” (made only 12 months after the first) showed a more serious side of him, while maintaining his personality.

Solo Albuns
2001 – SUIKEN PRESENTS SIXTEEN STARS
2002 – SCORE
2006 – HOT IN POT
2010 – DEVELOPMENT

SUIKEN × S-WORD

2005 – HYBRID LINK
2012 – MASTERS LINK