A History of Takashi Murakami's Music Collabs
Takashi Murakami can’t sing, rarely raps, and his dance moves appear limited to subtle hand gestures. Even so, the Tokyo-based contemporary artist has remained instrumental in music over the last three decades, creating cover art for stadium-status albums and centerpiece pianos for rap royalty.A key figure that Pharrell Williams bows to and Billie Eilish leans on, Murakami’s Superflat theory resonates louder in 2026 than when he created it over a quarter century ago. The rising popularity of anime and manga influences the biggest acts in each hemisphere and across genres, with Murakami still serving as the go-to auteur when visualizing vibes and creating colorful worlds.His latest collaboration is with 32-year-old Japanese rapper JP THE WAVy. The duo, who call themselves MNNK Bro., have been working on new music—Murakami as writer and muse, JP as performer. Or, as Murakami recently told us, he considers himself the Yoko Ono of the duo. MNNK Bro is just the latest Murakami venture. Here's a history of his music collaborations over the years.
