#01 KREVA × ALMOSTBLACK

STREET CONTEXT ARCHIVE
A special one-of-a-kind hoodie

STREET CONTEXT ARCHIVE / FILE 01

KREVA × ALMOSTBLACK

The first words a rapper released 20 years ago have come back to clothe him stitch by stitch.
A one-of-a-kind art piece. A brand named "Kachi-iro" (Victory Blue), and
A destined collaboration where words that have won for 20 years intersect.

2025 / ONE-OF-ONE / GALLERY X by PARCO

The day we found out our birthdays were exactly the same – June 18th – this project felt decided. One rapper was buying clothes from one designer to wear as his own personal style. Just that kind of coincidence, piling up one after another, began to look like destiny.

PIECE

KREVA × ALMOSTBLACK Fully Embroidered Special Piece (Sweat Hoodie)
BRAND

ALMOSTBLACK / Designer: Shunta Nakajima
LYRIC

KREVA "Iro" (2004 Solo Major Debut Song) No. 1
ORIGIN

One-of-a-kind piece produced for the solo exhibition "Rapper, Paper, and Pen" (GALLERY X by PARCO)
STATUS

One of a kind / Not for sale archive (collected via lottery at venue)

01 Origin

Inevitable acquisition

Inevitable Acquisition

It all started when KREVA, as a fan, bought ALMOSTBLACK clothing. His fondness for it, both as casual wear and stage attire, led to a connection with designer Shunta Nakajima.

Later, when Nakajima was a guest on KREVA's radio show, the two of them noticed a series of coincidences. They shared the same birthday, June 18th.

Furthermore, they even shared the same place of origin for their mothers. Moreover, 2025 is a year that marks the 10th anniversary of ALMOSTBLACK's establishment and the 20th anniversary of KREVA's solo debut. The release date was decided on that birthday without any hesitation.

It didn’t start with a business proposal. A series of coincidences piled up, taking on the guise of inevitability. We chose this piece as #01 because we were drawn to its texture.

02 THE BRAND

Brand clad in victory blue

Victoria

For those who know KREVA but not ALMOSTBLACK, I want to document the other main player. The designer, Shunta Nakajima, was born in 1982 and is from Aichi Prefecture.

After graduating from ESMOD Paris, she served as a design assistant at from 2005 to 2007. After returning to Japan, she worked at Mister Hollywood before launching ALMOSTBLACK in 2015. The brand usually does not show its logo much, communicating through silhouette and materials.

And this brand has a story in its name itself. ALMOSTBLACK = "Kachiiro" (deep indigo). It's an ancient word referring to a deep indigo color that appears black. This color, dyed by pounding indigo, was favored by samurai during the Kamakura period as an amulet associated with good fortune, as "tsuku" (to pound) sounded like "katsu" (to win). In the Meiji era, it was also called "Gunshokushoku" (military winning color) as the color of military uniforms.

In other words, ALMOSTBLACK is a brand that wears the "color of victory." A man who has continued to win at the forefront of Japanese hip-hop for 20 years teams up with a brand named after the "color of victory."

ALMOSTBLACK is a brand that embodies "the color of winning."

03 THE SONG

Dual Starting Point: "Timbre"

A Double Origin

In 2004, KREVA made his solo major debut with “Neiro.” This song is a "starting point" in two ways. One is the beginning of KREVA's solo career. The other is the origin of the words that would be embroidered on this hoodie 20 years later.

I want to confirm KREVA's standing with numbers. His second album, "Ai Jibunpaku," was the first by a hip-hop solo artist to reach #1 on the Oricon weekly charts. He was the first Asian artist to perform on "MTV Unplugged." He writes lyrics and music, produces tracks, raps, and handles production himself, making him entirely a "man of words."

His first words were “Otoiro.” Along with this hoodie, the archive also houses the single “Otoiro” and the debut album "Shinjin Cleva." The "words" embroidered on the clothing and the "sound" that gave birth to those words are reunited here.

The two original works

THE SOURCE RECORDS

The first song released by KREVA as a solo artist. This was the lead single from his major debut, released on September 8, 2004—“KREVA Day”—following the hiatus of KICK THE CAN CREW. It marks the starting point for the “man of words” who handles everything himself, from lyrics, composition, and track making to rapping. The very first lyrics are the "original text" that would be fully embroidered on the hoodie for this work twenty years later. The words etched onto the clothing originated from here.

Timbre

KREVA / 2004 Solo Major Debut Song (with obi)

KREVA's first solo album, featuring “Neiro.” Released on November 3, 2004, it includes 14 tracks totaling approximately 45 minutes. While featuring guest artists such as Mummy-D, BONNIE PINK, and KANA, its core was a declaration of "doing everything by myself." The title, "Shinjin" (Newcomer), was intentionally chosen. A seasoned artist, standing on the blank slate of a solo career, announces himself once again from scratch. This album became the foundation of his 20-year solo career.

Newbie Cleva

KREVA / Debut Album (with obi strip and lyric booklet)

04 CRAFT

Raw manuscript, and thread

The Exhibition & The Thread

The place where this hoodie was born is also worth documenting. In January-February 2025, KREVA held his first original manuscript exhibition and sale, "The Rapper, Paper, and Pen" (GALLERY X by PARCO). What was exhibited and sold were not finished works.

This is the actual handwritten manuscript from the moment he created a masterpiece. Scrawled ink, signs of revision, notes in the margins. It was an exhibition that presented the "scene of thought," normally unseen by anyone, as art.

ALMOSTBLACK responded to this. They created two items: a "one-of-a-kind" piece and merchandise. That one-of-a-kind piece is the hoodie from this archive. The response was threaded. Handwriting on paper was transferred as embroidery onto clothing. Instead of printing, which would be instantaneous, it was reproduced with careful stitches. The movements of the writer's hand were answered with the movements of the sewer's hand.

05 THE PIECE

To wear lyrics

Wearing the Lyric

The base is a high-density sweatshirt parka that symbolizes ALMOSTBLACK. KREVA's lyrics from his solo major debut song "Neiro" are embroidered, not printed, onto it. At first glance, it looks like abstract graphic art, but as you get closer, you realize it's all "the rapper's words." This inversion based on distance is the core of this piece.

When worn, it becomes a walking poetry collection; when hung on a wall, it becomes a painting. While it is clothing, it transcends the function of clothing.

Embroidered words, their original source "Tone Color"

THE SONG

Original source

SAMPLE

A phrase from “Seoul Across the Sea” encounters Japanese words and transforms into thread twenty years later. The “culture of quotation” that is sampling overlaps with the "transplantation" of embroidery. (Sample notation is based on album credits.)

Timbre / KREVA (under the name Dr.K) 2004. His solo major debut song, the “original source” that would be fully embroidered onto this hoodie 20 years later.

Sounds Like A Love Song Bobby Glenn (70s Soul). The original song, which KREVA is said to have used as material to build up the chords and atmosphere.

◀ SAMPLED FROM

Sounds Like A Love Song

Bobby Glenn

1976 ・ from "Shout It Out"

06 Make words tangible

The Will to Connect

Why is this an "art piece" rather than "clothing"? In hip-hop, lyrics typically exist as "sound" heard with the ears or "text" read with the eyes. But this hoodie transcends both. The lyrics become a "substance" to be worn, or hung on a wall and admired.

Materializing words means giving them a "non-degrading substance." Sounds disappear into the air with each playback, and text can be infinitely duplicated. However, a one-of-a-kind word sewn with thread exists only in that one place. A word that is not consumed. This completely overlaps with what we aim for in the act of "archiving."

This piece arrived in our possession after a lottery at a solo exhibition. Something that exists only once in the world came here through a series of coincidences. C.r.e.a.m. Team Records isolates this from the cycle of commercial consumption and records it within the context of the label. The "Kachi-iro" brand, which has been "winning" for 20 years, has transformed those words into an imperishable substance. This is where that intersection is preserved as a record that will not degrade.

Until the two anniversaries overlap

TIMELINE

2004

Timbre

KREVA makes major solo debut with "Tone."

2005-2007

RAF SIMONS

Shunta Nakajima serves as a design assistant at .

2015

ALMOSTBLACK Establishment

A brand named "Kachi-iro" (Victory Color) launches.

2025.1

Rapper, paper, and pen

KREVA's first original artwork exhibition and sale. ALMOSTBLACK creates one-of-a-kind pieces.

2025.6.18

Collaboration release

Released on both parties' shared birthday (10th Anniversary x 20th Anniversary).

—

Archive Collection

A one-of-a-kind item was acquired for the #01 collection following a lottery. "Otoiro" and "Shinjin Kureba" were also acquired.

2026.6.18

Second collaboration

"GHOST ALMOSTBLACK × KREVA" released. Inspired by the US Army's deception unit "Ghost Army" and Japan's "Nin" (ninja), contemporary artist Izumi Kato created the logo.

All cuts

FULL ARCHIVE

From KREVA's personal Instagram

From the Artist

See this post on Instagram

KREVA(@kreva_drk_dj908) shared a post

ARCHIVE NOTES

Notes on this archive

Location and background of the work
The works and clothing featured in this series are from the archives owned by C.r.e.a.m. Team Records and are not for sale.
Regarding the authenticity of the work
#01のパーカーは、2025年開催のKREVA20周年記念展示会「ラッパーと紙とペン」にて、会場での厳正な抽選を経て入手した世界に一点のみのスペシャルピースです。
On-site Exhibition Information
Each published archive is scheduled to be exhibited in person at upcoming C.r.e.a.m. Team Records pop-up stores and live event venues.
Exhibition Information Announcement
Specific exhibition schedules and venue details will be announced sequentially on this website and our official social media channels once they are confirmed.
Rights and respect
The public release and exhibition of this archive aim to record and connect cultures. We will operate in accordance with ownership rights, with deep respect for the publicity rights and copyrights of each artist and brand.

REFERENCES

Sources and References

One-time recording (in-house archive) This parka is a one-of-a-kind special piece, originally created by ALMOSTBLACK for KREVA's 2025 solo exhibition "Rapper, Paper, and Pen" (GALLERY X by PARCO). It was acquired through a lottery held at the venue, making it the only one in the world. Ownership, condition, and the inclusion of "Tone" and "Newcomer Kureba" are based on our company's archive database and the credits of the physical item. (Details regarding sample notation are provided later.)

02 Brand/Designer (Shunta Nakajima / ALMOSTBLACK) Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1982, graduated from ESMOD Paris, worked as a design assistant at〈RAF SIMONS〉from 2005-2007, founded ALMOSTBLACK in 2015. Origin of the brand name = "Kachiiro (Victory Color)": ＜ALMOSTBLACK＞ Designer Shunta Nakajima — QUI／ ALMOSTBLACK Designer Interview — fashionsnap

03 KREVA In 2004, made solo major debut with "Neyro" (September 8th = KREVA Day). 2nd album "Ai Jibunpaku" became the first hip-hop solo artist album to reach #1 on the Oricon weekly charts. First Asian artist to perform on "MTV Unplugged". September 8th is officially recognized as KICK THE CAN CREW Day by the Japan Anniversary Association. KICK THE CAN CREW (formed 1997 / hiatus 2004): KREVA Official Profile／ Love Earth, Love Myself - Wikipedia／ MTV Unplugged Appearance — Music Natalie

04 Solo Exhibition "Rapper, Paper, and Pen" January-February 2025, GALLERY X by PARCO, KREVA's first exhibition and sale of original manuscripts (genuine drafts). ALMOSTBLACK produced two items: "one-of-a-kind" and "merchandise" (Source: KREVA Official Profile Timeline above).

Timeline / Collaboration Part 1: Release Date: June 18, 2025 (Shared Birthday / ALMOSTBLACK 10th Anniversary x KREVA 20th Anniversary) Launch - PR TIMES／ First installment — fashionsnap／ Part 2: June 18, 2026 "GHOST ALMOSTBLACK × KREVA" (Contemporary artist Izumi Kato created the logo). Part 2 — fashionsnap／ New Capsule Collection — Real Sound

THE SONG / "Ton'iro" Sampling "Neiro" (by KREVA / Dr. K, 2004) is said to sample Bobby Glenn's "Sounds Like A Love Song." The source is based on the album's sample credit notation (owned by the user).

C.R.E.A.M. Team Records

Alright, to the stage. Cream Team Records is a 90s hip-hop specialty label where anyone can participate in creative activities as an artist or owner.