Rip Slyme
In the first decade of the 21st century, hip hop music and contemporary R&amp;B influences in Japanese music started to gain attention in popular mainstream music. In November 2001, R&amp;B duo Chemistry's debut album "The Way We Are" sold over 1.14 million copies in the first week, and debuted at the number-one position on the Oricon weekly album charts. Hip hop bands such as Rip Slyme and Ketsumeishi were also at the top of the Oricon charts.