Akiko Urasaki, professionally known as Awich, is a Japanese hip-hop artist, rapper, and songwriter widely regarded for her powerful lyricism and multilingual delivery in English, Japanese, and Okinawan dialect.
She is known for her expressive storytelling and strong vocal presence within contemporary Japanese rap.
Since her major-label debut, she has achieved major milestones in the industry, including headlining the Nippon Budokan and performing at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, strengthening her status as a leading figure in Japanese hip-hop.
Profile
- Full Name: Akiko Urasaki
- Stage Name: Awich
- Born: December 16, 1986
- Age: 39 years old
- Birthplace: Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan
- Nationality: Japanese
- Ethnicity: Ryukyuan (Okinawan)
- Occupation: Rapper, Singer, Songwriter
- Height: 1.65m
- Religion: Shintoism
- Parents: Mr and Mrs Urasaki
- Siblings: Unknown
- Spouse: None
- Children: Toyomi Jah’mira
- Relationship: Single
- Net Worth: $2.5 million
Early Life and Education
Awich was born on December 16, 1986, in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.
She was raised by her parents, Mr and Mrs Urasaki, in Okinawa, and grew up alongside siblings whose identities are not publicly documented.
She attended local schools in Okinawa before developing a strong interest in Tupac Shakur at age 13, which led her to study English intensively.
At 19, she moved to the United States for higher education and later graduated from the University of Indianapolis in 2011 with a degree in business and marketing.
She is of Ryukyuan heritage from Okinawa and was raised within Japan’s cultural traditions.
Career
Awich began her professional journey in the mid-2000s, making her very first recorded appearance on a local Okinawan hip-hop compilation before independently dropping her debut extended play, Inner Research, in 2006.
Her initial breakthrough came shortly after her return to Japan, when she aligned with the elite Tokyo-based hip-hop collective Yentown in 2017, serving as the powerhouse crew’s sole female artist.
Partnering with visionary music producer Chaki Zulu, she released her fiercely honest comeback studio album 8, which instantly captivated underground hip-hop purists and critics alike with its raw emotional depth, unmatched verbal agility, and gritty exploration of personal tragedy.
Following this heavy underground footprint, Awich expanded her creative horizons by signing a major recording contract with Universal Music Japan in 2020 and releasing her major-label debut EP, Partition.
She aggressively staked her claim on mainstream pop culture with her landmark 2022 studio project Queendom, an anthem of female empowerment and cultural pride that catapulted her to a sold-out headline concert at the prestigious Nippon Budokan.
Continuously elevating her global reach, she dropped her highly praised studio record The Union in late 2023, commanded the mainstage at major events like the Fuji Rock Festival, and made history with a groundbreaking performance at the Coachella festival in 2024.
Through consistent, independent, collaborative releases extending into 2025 and early 2026, she has left an enduring legacy as an international trailblazer who radically altered the parameters of modern Japanese urban music.
Awards and Nominations
- Winner – Space Shower Music Award for Best Hip Hop Artist (2022)
- Nominated – GQ Japan Men of the Year – Best Musician (2022)
- Winner – Apple Music Japan Album of the Year (Queendom) (2022)
Social Media
- Instagram Handle: @awich098
- Facebook Handle: @awich098
- Twitter Handle: @awich098
- YouTube Channel: @AwichOfficial
- TikTok Handle: @awich098
Personal Life
Awich is 39 years old and stands at 1.65m. During her university years in Atlanta, she married an American man, and they had a daughter named Toyomi Jah’mira.
Her husband was later killed in a violent incident shortly after her graduation, and she has remained unmarried since then.
She has since focused on raising her daughter—who has occasionally appeared with her on stage—and on her work in her marketing firm, Cipher City.
Net Worth
Awich has an estimated net worth of $2.5 million.
Her income is primarily driven by streaming royalties from her major-label releases, strong ticket sales from arena and festival performances across Asia, and performance fees from international music events.
Additional revenue streams include earnings from her work with Cipher City, merchandise sales, and brand partnerships with fashion and lifestyle companies.
Discography
- Inner Research (EP, 2006)
- Asian Wish Child (Album, 2007)
- 8 (Album, 2017)
- Beat (EP, 2018)
- Heart (EP, 2018)
- Peacock (Album, 2020)
- Partition (EP, 2020)
- Queendom (Album, 2022)
- United Arrows (EP, 2023)
- The Union (Album, 2023)
- Rasen in Okinawa (Single, 2023)
- Aliens (Single, 2025)
- TSUBASA (Single, 2025)
- Call Me (Single, 2026)
