AK-69 is the hip-hop project of Japanese rapper and singer Takeshi Hiroki. ∙ In addition to rapping as AK-69, he has released many albums as a singer since 2003 under the name Kalassy Nikoff. ∙ After first collaborating with rapper B-Ninjah in the early 2000s, Hiroki made his solo debut as AK-69 on the 2005 album 69: I’ma Player. ∙ His 2011 Gold-certified LP, The Red Magic, included the breakthrough hit “Public Enemy” and reached the Top 5 on the Oricon Albums chart. ∙ AK-69 was named Independent Artist of the Year at the 2011 Billboard Japan Awards. ∙ In 2016, Hiroki became the first Japanese artist to sign with the famed New York rap label Def Jam Recordings.