Stones Throw Japan Tour 2011

There's something to be learnt from looking at which artists have cancelled their Japan tours recently – and which ones haven't. We're sure there was a bit of hand-wringing involved in Stones Throw's decision to push forward with its 15th anniversary tour here… but only a little bit. After all, Japan is one of the most enthusiastic audiences for the hip-hop imprint's wayward output, and the love is clearly mutual. Stones Throw boss Peanut Butter Wolf will be returning to these shores with his brain-boggling video DJ set, alongside turntable pioneer J. Rocc – whose solo album drops this week – and soulful crooner Mayer Hawthorne, the latter flexing his muscles behind the record decks for a change. That's only half of the line-up, though: there'll also be a sizable posse of local hip-hoppers doing their thing, including Zen-La-Rock, Muro and Luvraw & BTB.