Ballistik Boyz from Exile Tribe

Ballistik Boyz from Exile Tribe (Japanese: バリスティック ボーイズ・フロム・エグザイル・トライブ, stylized as BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE and formerly known as Ballistik Boyz) is a seven-member Japanese male dance, vocal and MC unit formed and managed by LDH. The group is part of the collective Exile Tribe, related to Exile, and signed to the record label Rhythm Zone from the Avex Group .

Ballistik Boyz from Exile Tribe
Also known as
  • Ballistik Boyz
  • BBZ
OriginJapan
Genres
Years active2018–present
LabelsLDH, Rhythm Zone
Spinoff of
Members
  • Miku Fukahori
  • Rikiya Okuda
  • Masahiro Sunada
  • Ryuta Hidaka
  • Yoshiyuki Kanou
  • Ryusei Kainuma
  • Riki Matsui
WebsiteBallistik Boyz

The group was formed in a collaboration of Hiro and Doberman Infinity during Vocal Battle Audition 5.

They are the first group in Exile Tribe where all members are holding microphones to sing and rap while dancing.

Ballistik Boyz debuted with their self-titled first album, Ballistik Boyz, on May 22, 2019.

History

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2018: Formation and pre-debut

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In April 2018, Exile Hiro and Doberman Infinity decided to produce a new group by choosing 4 finalists from "Vocal Battle Audition 5", Ryusei Kainuma and Riki Matsui from the rap division and Ryuta Hidaka and Yoshiyuki Kanou from the vocal division, plus three members of Project TARO who were the winners of 2014's "Global Japan Challenge", Miku Fukahori, Rikiya Okuda, and Masahiro Sunada.[1]

On May 1, 2018, the group's formation was announced on TBS TV show "Weekly Exile" (週刊EXILE).

Starting May 12, the group participated as the opening act of Fantastics nation-wide small-scale tour, the so called, Musha shugyō,"FANTASTICS yume-sha shugyō FANTASTIC 9". They were also performing as opening act of Dance Earth Party's 3-day festival Dance Earth Festival 2018 ~Splash Summer~ on July 14, 15 and 16, 2018.

2019: Major debut and Battle of Tokyo

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From March 2 to 31, 2019, Ballistik Boyz launched their own nation-wide small-scale Musha shugyō tour.[2]

On March 31, it was announced that the group would make their major-label debut on May 22 with a self-titled album.[3] On the same day, the group released their first official music video for the song "Tenhane 1000%", which was filmed in Los Angeles.[4]

In June 2019, LDH's multimedia project "Battle of Tokyo", which includes all Jr.Exile groups, started. During this month those 4 groups released collaboration singles every week, until they released a full album titled Battle of Tokyo: Enter the Jr. Exile on July 3, 2019. Accompanying the album release, the groups held a row of live performances from July 4 to 7 with the same name.

On August 28 it was announced that Ballistik Boyz would release their first single "44Raiders" on October 23 accompanied by a row of release-events.[5] In September, the group held performances in Malaysia and Taiwan and announced they would also perform in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam in near future. On October 1, they released the music video for the title track of their new single and launched their own YouTube channel at the same time.

2020: Additional singles and Live×Online

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After performing in different countries across Asia, it was announced that the group would release their second single "Anti-Hero's" on February 12, 2020, as the kickoff single for their first national tour Ballistik Boyz Live Tour 2020 "BBZ" , which would take place from February 14 to April 25, 2020. The lead song “Anti-Hero's” of the second single includes a message from the life of Ballistik Boyz about pursuing what you truly believe: 'If you believe in yourself and fight without fear, you will truly shine.'[6] Furthermore, all songs from the single were pre-delivered for digital streaming in a weekly manner starting with "Anti-Hero's" on January 22, followed by "Front Burner" on January 29, "Bang Out" on February 5 and "Strangers" on February 12.

On June 10, it was announced that due to COVID-19 pandemic, all remaining concerts were cancelled, therefore the tour finishing on February 22.[7] On August 3, the group revealed their new digital single "Summer Hype" to be released on August 10.[8] In compensation of the suspension of their tour, the group held a series of livestreamed concerts on the Japanese streaming platform AbemaTV from September to December. Their first livestreamed concert LIVE×ONLINE IMAGINATION Ballistik Boyz was held on September 20,[9][10] and on October 30, they took part in livestreamed joint concert Live×Online Iinfinity "Halloween" Trick or Treat!! R.F.B.Halloween Party!!.[11] On December 23, they held another livestreamed concert LIVE×ONLINE BEYOND THE BORDER BALLISTIK BOYZ.[12] On December 31, the group took part in the livestreamed concert of LDH artists, Live×Online Countdown 2020▶2021"Rising Sun to the World".[13]

2021: Pass the Mic

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On January 1, 2021, the group released their new single "Animal" on February 3.[14] On February 17, it was announced that they would hold their second national tour, Ballistik Boyz Prologue Live Tour 2021 "Pass the Mic": Way to the Glory in March and April.[15]

On April 18, a new album by Jr.Exile for the Battle of Tokyo project titled Battle of Tokyo Time 4 Jr.Exile was announced to be released on June 23, the songs by the individual groups and the collaboration song of Generations & The Rampage were pre-released digitally from April 19 to June 21, the music videos were released in a hybrid live-action/animated form, with this latter featuring the four groups' avatars. Moreover, the DVD version included the concert video of Battle of Tokyo: Enter the Jr.Exile held in Makuhari Messe in July 2019.[16][17]

On August 4, they released their fourth single "Sum Baby".

On November 24, Ballistik Boyz released their second album Pass the Mic, it includes all their singles since their debut plus the album's promotional track "All Around the World" with a total of 18 songs.[18]

On December 8, the group released the tribute single "Ballistik Boyz from Exile" as a part of Exile's 20th anniversary celebration project "Exile Tribute", the single is the second of the four consecutive tribute singles releases by Jr.Exile groups.[19]

Members

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  • Miku Fukahori (深堀未来)
  • Rikiya Okuda (奥田力也)
  • Masahiro Sunada (砂田将宏)
  • Ryuta Hidaka (日髙竜太)
  • Yoshiyuki Kanou (加納嘉将)
  • Ryusei Kainuma (海沼流星)
  • Riki Matsui (松井利樹)

Discography

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Studio albums

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Title Details Chart positions Sales
Oricon (JPN)
[20]
First week Total
Ballistik Boyz 1
Pass the Mic
  • Released: November 24, 2021 (JPN)
  • Label: Rhythm Zone
  • Formats: CD, CD/DVD, digital download
8
Back & Forth
  • Released: February 21, 2024 (JPN)
  • Label: Rhythm Zone
  • Formats: CD, CD/DVD, digital download
4

Singles

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Title Release date Chart positions Sales
Oricon
[20]
Hot 100
[25][A]
"44Raiders" October 23, 2019 2 7
"Anti-Hero’s" (アンタイ・ヒーローズ) February 12, 2020 14 83
  • JPN: 5,456
"Animal" February 3, 2021 10 57
  • JPN: 4,912
"Sum Baby" August 4, 2021
3
18
  • JPN: 20,247
Ballistik Boyz from Exile
("Touch the Sky", "Fireworks",
"The Next Door" and "Heads or Tails")
December 8, 2021
10
"Ding Ding Dong" May 31, 2023
3
7
"All I Ever Wanted"
(featuring Gulf Kanawut)
October 4, 2023
2
20
"In My Head" February 19, 2024
"Higher Ex" May 22, 2024
8
35
"Say It" December 04, 2024

Participating works

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Release date Song Artist Single/Album
June 26, 2019 D.I till Infinity feat. Tomogen, Ballistik Boyz Doberman Infinity Doberman Infinity Best Album "5IVE"
July 3, 2019 Dead or Alive The Rampage Vs Ballistik Boyz "Battle of Tokyo 〜Enter the Jr.Exile〜"
Shock the World Fantastics Vs Ballistik Boyz
Break Down Ya Walls Generations Vs Ballistik Boyz
24World Generations, The Rampage, Fantastics and Ballistik Boyz
January 1, 2021 Way To The Glory Exile Tribe Rising Sun To The World
June 23, 2021 Viva La Evolucion Jr.Exile "Battle of Tokyo Time 4 Jr.Exile"
Untitled Future
April 27, 2022 Kinironobaton (金色のバトン) Kinironobaton [37]
December 28, 2022 We never die Ballistik Boyz High & Low The Worst Best Album

Live

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As lead artists

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Year Period Title
2020 From February 14 to February 26 BALLISTIK BOYZ LIVE TOUR 2020 "BBZ"

As a participating group

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Year Period Title Group
2019 From July 4 to July 7 Battle Of Tokyo 〜Enter The Jr.Exile〜 Generations, The Rampage, Fantastics, Ballistik Boyz from Exile Tribe
December 31 LDH Perfect Year 2020 Countdown Live 2019▶︎2020 "Rising"

Livestreamed Concerts

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Headlining

LIVE×ONLINE IMAGINATION BALLISTIK BOYZ(September 20, 2020)

LIVE×ONLINE BEYOND THE BORDER BALLISTIK BOYZ(December 23, 2020)

Joint

LIVE×ONLINE INFINITY "HALLOWEEN" Trick or Treat!! R.F.B.Halloween Party!!.(October 30, 2020)

LIVE×ONLINE COUNTDOWN 2020▶2021"Rising Sun to the World" .(December 31, 2020)

Tie-up

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Song Tie-Up Tracklist
Tenhane -1000%- (テンハネ -1000%-) Fuji TV drama "The King Of Novels" Theme song[38][39] Album "BALLISTIK BOYZ"
TV Tokyo "Japan Countdown" May's opening theme
Music On! TV "Zoom Up!" ending theme
PASION Fuji TV drama "The King Of Novels" Ending song[39]
Make U a believer TV Asahi "Freestyle Dungeon" ending song[40]

Filmography

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TV shows

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Year Title Network
2018 – present Weekly Exile (週刊EXILE) TBS

Awards

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Year Ceremony Award Nominee/Work Result
2019 MTV VMAJ 2019 Rising Star Award
Won[41]

Notes

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  1. ^ Sources for chart positions are as follows: "44raiders",[26] "Anti-Hero's",[27] "Sum Baby",[28] "Ding Ding Dong",[29] "All I Ever Wanted",[30] "Higher Ex"[31]

References

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  1. ^ Inc, Natasha. "LDHに平均年齢18.8歳の"全員が歌って踊る"新ユニットBALLISTIK BOYZ誕生(コメントあり)". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-03-31. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ LDH. "EXILE TRIBE FAMILY -EXILE TRIBE OFFICIAL FAN CLUB-". EXILE TRIBE FAMILY -EXILE TRIBE OFFICIAL FAN CLUB-. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  3. ^ "BALLISTIK BOYZがメジャーデビューへ(日刊スポーツ)". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  4. ^ "Interview with BALLISTIK BOYZ". JaME U.S.A. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  5. ^ "BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE 1st Single「44RAIDERS」10/23(水)Release & リリースイベント開催決定! | NEWS". EXILE TRIBE mobile (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-08-28.
  6. ^ "【2020/1/22(水)より4週連続楽曲配信START!!】BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE 2nd Single『ANTI-HERO'S』2020/2/12(水)発売決定!! | NEWS". EXILE TRIBE mobile (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-12-14.
  7. ^ "LDH PERFECT YEAR 2020 公演についての重要なお知らせ". www.ldh.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2020-06-23. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  8. ^ "BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE 配信限定シングル「SUMMER HYPE」8/10(月)リリース決定!!". www.ldh.co.jp. Retrieved 2020-08-03.
  9. ^ "BALLISTIK BOYZ『LIVE×ONLINE』で見せた"自分たちのライブ"を追求する意志 7人の表情豊かなパフォーマンス光る一夜に". Real Sound|リアルサウンド (in Japanese). 21 September 2020. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  10. ^ Inc, Natasha. "【ライブレポート】BALLISTIK BOYZ、初の配信ワンマンでリスペクト込めEXILEとD.Iカバー(写真9枚)". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-02-25. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  11. ^ Inc, Natasha. "【ライブレポート】THE RAMPAGE、FANTASTICS、BALLISTIK BOYZハロウィンライブで「BOT」が復活(写真8枚)". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-02-25. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  12. ^ MUSIC(エムオンミュージック), 音楽WEBメディア M.-ON!. "BALLISTIK BOYZ、『LIVE×ONLINE』でダンス&ボーカルグループの固定観念を覆す"攻め"のアプローチ!". 音楽WEBメディア M-ON! MUSIC(エムオンミュージック) (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  13. ^ "大晦日にEXILE TRIBE総勢48名が集結!"RISING SUN TO THE WORLD"幕開け(エムオンプレス)". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  14. ^ "BALLISTIK BOYZ、世界的プロデューサー迎えた『Animal』 ダンス&ボーカルのスキルが詰まった充実のシングルに". Real Sound|リアルサウンド (in Japanese). 5 February 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  15. ^ "BALLISTIK BOYZ PROLOGUE LIVE TOUR 2021". EXILE TRIBE mobile (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  16. ^ "New Album "BATTLE OF TOKYO TIME 4 Jr.EXILE" to be released on 6/23 (Wed.)!". LDH - LOVE + DREAM + HAPPINESS TO THE WORLD -. Archived from the original on 2021-06-18. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
  17. ^ "Jr.EXILE Performers Collaborate on LDH Japan's Battle of Tokyo 'Mixed Reality' Project With Anime, Game". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2021-12-12.
  18. ^ "BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE NEW ALBUM 11/24(水)発売決定!". EXILE TRIBE mobile (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2021-09-02. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  19. ^ "The 4 groups from Jr.EXILE to release their tribute singles for 4 consecutive weeks from 12/1 (Wed.) as a part of EXILE's 20th anniversary celebration project". LDH - LOVE + DREAM + HAPPINESS TO THE WORLD - (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-12-02.
  20. ^ a b "BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBEの売上ランキング". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2023-06-19.
  21. ^ 週間 CDアルバムランキング 2019年06月03日付 [Weekly CD Album Ranking on June 3, 2019]. Oricon News (in Japanese). Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  22. ^ "2019年05月度 オリコン月間 アルバムランキング". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-07-09.
  23. ^ オリコン週間 アルバムランキング 2021年11月22日~2021年11月28日 [Oricon Week Album Ranking November 22, 2021 – November 28, 2021]. Oricon. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  24. ^ 週間 デジタルアルバムランキング 2024年02月19日~2024年02月25日 [Oricon Weekly Album Ranking February 19, 2024 – February 25, 2024] (in Japanese). Oricon. March 4, 2024. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  25. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot 100 | Charts". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved 2019-08-26.
  26. ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). November 4, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  27. ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). February 24, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  28. ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). August 16, 2021. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
  29. ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  30. ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  31. ^ "Japan Billboard Hot 100". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  32. ^ "オリコン週間 シングルランキング 2019年10月21日~2019年10月27日". Oricon. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  33. ^ "週間 シングルランキング 2021年12月20日付" (in Japanese). Oricon. December 20, 2021. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
  34. ^ "週間 シングルランキング 2023年06月12日付" (in Japanese). Oricon. June 12, 2023. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  35. ^ "週間 CDシングルランキング 2023年10月16日付" [Weekly CD Single Ranking for October 16, 2023] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  36. ^ オリコン週間 シングルランキング 2024年05月20日~2024年05月26日 [Oricon Weekly Single Ranking May 20, 2024 – May 26, 2024] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  37. ^ "Jr.EXILE「金色のバトン」4/27(水)配信Release!". EXILE TRIBE mobile. LDH. 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  38. ^ "EXILE白濱亜嵐、LDH新ユニットBALLISTIK BOYZから刺激 自身主演ドラマ主題歌に決定<小説王> - モデルプレス". モデルプレス - ライフスタイル・ファッションエンタメニュース (in Japanese). 29 March 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  39. ^ a b "LDH7人組BALLISTIKBOYZ、白濱亜嵐主演ドラマ主題歌 デビュー前の抜てき「まさか」". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2019-03-31.
  40. ^ "BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBE's "Make U a believer" chosen as the ending song for tv asahi's "Freestyle Dungeon"! | NEWS (ALL) | LDH - LOVE + DREAM + HAPPINESS TO THE WORLD -". www.ldh.co.jp. Retrieved 2019-06-20.
  41. ^ "BALLISTIK BOYZ from EXILE TRIBEが「MTV VMAJ 2019」にて『Rising Star Award』受賞 & 9/18(水)にSTUDIO COASTにて開催「MTV VMAJ 2019 -THE LIVE-」出演!". Exile Tribe Mobile. Retrieved 2019-09-04.[permanent dead link]
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