Japanese hip-hop powerhouse CREEPY NUTS—the dynamic duo of three-time national rap battle champion R-Shitei and world-champion DJ Matsunaga—has released its latest single, “Running Wheel,” opening the next chapter of a landmark year that has taken the pair from Coachella to their first North American tour and toward an upcoming series of stadium performances as special guests of The Weeknd across Asia.
Written specifically for Honda’s N-BOX CUSTOM, “Running Wheel” serves as the soundtrack to the automaker’s new “NEW IMPACT” campaign and marks the first time an artist has created an original song specifically for an N-BOX commercial. The campaign arrives as the N-BOX continues its remarkable sales record, having been named Japan’s best-selling new vehicle for five consecutive years and the country’s best-selling compact vehicle for 11 consecutive years.
Pushing Beyond Their Signature Sound
Rather than simply revisiting the formula behind their biggest hits, CREEPY NUTS takes its sound in a new direction with “Running Wheel.” Built around DJ Matsunaga’s aggressive production incorporating elements of phonk, the track combines distorted, high-impact rhythms with R-Shitei’s rapid-fire flow and dense lyricism.
The song captures the momentum of the duo’s recent international journey, with lyrics reflecting their current trajectory and experiences performing on stages well beyond Japan.
The release is accompanied by a new music video, which places R-Shitei and DJ Matsunaga in an underground, high-pressure setting surrounded by a crowd dressed entirely in black. Shot with an analog-video aesthetic, the visual continues the duo’s creative partnership with director Daiki Kamoshita, who previously directed videos including “doppelgänger,” “Chxxai,” and “Fright.”
A Deeper Connection with Honda’s N-BOX Campaign
“Running Wheel” also highlights another dimension of CREEPY NUTS’ catalog through the Honda campaign.
Alongside the new single, the duo’s 2021 track “Nobishiro” appears in a separate N-BOX commercial. The song has since become one of CREEPY NUTS’ signature tracks, surpassing 300 million streams.
From Coachella to North America
The release follows a landmark international run for CREEPY NUTS.
In April, the duo made its Coachella debut, taking the final slot on the festival’s Gobi Stage during both weekends. Their opening-night performance was subsequently highlighted by Billboard among the notable moments from the first day of Coachella, with the publication praising the duo as artists who “rap really f—king good.”
Their Coachella appearances then launched CREEPY NUTS’ first-ever North American tour, taking the Japanese-language hip-hop duo from California to New York, Chicago, and Mexico City, where they introduced their distinctive sound to audiences across the continent.
Stadium Shows with The Weeknd
That momentum will continue this fall as CREEPY NUTS joins The Weeknd as special guests for 11 stadium shows across Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia, forming part of the final Asian leg of the After Hours Til Dawn Tour.
The Weeknd’s initial Tokyo date sold out immediately, prompting the addition of a second performance.
The upcoming tour represents another major milestone for a duo whose international breakthrough has unfolded without abandoning the Japanese language or reshaping its identity for overseas audiences.
Their 2024 global breakout “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” surpassed 900 million streams worldwide, while “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” and “Otonoke” made CREEPY NUTS the first Japanese artists to receive RIAA Gold certifications for two separate Japanese-language songs.
Choosing Expansion Over Repetition
With “Running Wheel,” CREEPY NUTS continues to embrace expansion rather than repetition.
From anime hits and Japanese hip-hop to Coachella, North America, phonk-inspired production, and stadium audiences across Asia, the latest release reflects a duo that continues to accelerate while refusing to be confined to a single lane.
“Running Wheel” is now available across all major digital platforms. The official music video is also available on YouTube, alongside the newly launched Creepy Nuts Station, a 24-hour live destination where fans can watch the duo’s video content and interact with fellow viewers in real time.
CREEPY NUTS will also return to Japan for its 2027 arena tour, scheduled to visit eight cities across 12 dates and expected to welcome approximately 120,000 fans.
The Weeknd: After Hours Til Dawn Tour – Live in Asia
Special Guest: Creepy Nuts
- September 19 – Tokyo, Japan | Belluna Dome
- September 20 – Tokyo, Japan | Belluna Dome
- October 2 – Singapore | National Stadium
- October 3 – Singapore | National Stadium
- October 7 – Seoul, South Korea | Goyang Stadium
- October 8 – Seoul, South Korea | Goyang Stadium
- October 11 – Bangkok, Thailand | Rajamangala Stadium
- October 12 – Bangkok, Thailand | Rajamangala Stadium
- October 13 – Bangkok, Thailand | Rajamangala Stadium
- November 4 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | TM Stadium Nasional
- November 5 – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | TM Stadium Nasional
Official Tour Site: The Weeknd – Official Tour Site
