North West, the 11-year-old daughter of Kanye West, is making waves internationally with her new guest verse on the track “Bomb,” featured on her dad’s latest album, Vultures 2. On this high-energy Jersey club track, North greets listeners with Japanese phrases: “Ohayou gozaimasu” (good morning), “Konnichiwa” (hello), and “Watashi no namae wa North-chan” (My name is North). The inspiration behind North’s Japanese lyrics remains unclear, though her “good morning” greeting might be a nod to a song from her father’s 2007 album, Graduation.
North isn’t the only artist incorporating Japanese into their music. Megan Thee Stallion’s viral track “Mamushi,” featuring Japanese rapper Yuki Chiba, became a standout on her self-titled album, Megan, released in June.
Ye and Ty Dolla Sign’s joint album, Vultures 2, was released on Saturday, nearly six months after the first installment of the trilogy dropped in February. Despite facing delays and copyright-related issues, the first Vultures album and its lead single, “Carnival,” achieved significant success, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
