Beef or Chicken by Teriyaki Boyz

Teriyaki Boyz are a famous hip-hop outfit in Japan. They were the first Japanese group to be signed by Def Jam Recordings, a hip-hop label run by Jay-Z.

Teriyaki Boyz's debut release, Beef or Chicken, is a good album with catchy rhymes, and beats that flow smoothly. But there isn't enough zing to make it a hip-hop classic.

The group is led by DJ Nigo, a trendsetter in Japan who created the hip street-fashion label A Bathing Ape - aka Bape.

DJ Nigo teamed up with four popular hip-hop MCs - including Ilmari and Ryo-Z from Rip Slyme - to form Teriyaki Boyz in 2004.

Although the quintet is from Japan, the album was produced by some of the most sought-after international producers, including Adrock from Beastie Boys, DJ Shadow, Grammy winners The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo) and French electronica outfit Daft Punk.

The album fuses futuristic hip-hop sounds (Adrock's Eat INtro and Take OUTro) and old-school beats (School of Rock), resulting in rhythms that are infectious. There's also a 1980s influence, found in Moon the World.