After his arrest in July for cannabis possession, many of RIZE bassist KenKen's commitments were put on hold - most notably his support work with the popular rock band Dragon Ash.
However, as KenKen was not an official member of the band, the members of Dragon Ash decided to go ahead with the tour they had booked in his absence. The BONEZ and Pay money To my Pain bassist T$UYO$HI was announced as his replacement for
the tour, and he also featured on the band's September digital single Fly Over, but whether or not KenKen would be returning in the future was left as something of a mystery.
On November 18th, KenKen released a written statement via Twitter announcing that he has officially ended his support activities with the band. He stated that he does not wish to cause Dragon Ash or its members any more trouble.
He wrote that he is very grateful for the time he spent with Dragon Ash, and that he wishes from the bottom of his heart that they will continue to create wonderful music in the future.
KenKen began performing as Dragon Ash's support bassist in 2011, when he filled in temporarily for original member Ikuzo "IKUZONE" Baba, who was sidelined due to a struggle with radial nerve palsy at the time. After IKUZONE suddenly passed away in 2012,
KenKen slowly became more and more involved with the band, but retained the title of support member out of respect for his predecessor.
The MV for Headbang from Dragon Ash's 2017 album Majestic, which features KenKen on bass, can be viewed below, followed by the MV for Fly Over feat. T$UYO$HI.
