JESSE, the 46-year-old vocalist of the rock bands RIZE and The BONEZ, has been arrested on suspicion of using cocaine, and The BONEZ have canceled six event appearances through next March, their agency announced on the 9th.
The agency did not mention the case in its statement, but the cancellations cover events scheduled from November through next March.
It emerged on the 7th that JESSE was arrested on suspicion of violating the Narcotics and Psychotropics Control Act by using a small quantity of cocaine in or around central Tokyo on the 4th or shortly before. The arrest was dated the 4th.
In 2019 he was convicted of possessing cannabis, among other charges, and received a two-year prison sentence suspended for three years. His father is the guitarist Char, 71.
Support work in disaster areas
Despite a rough public image, JESSE began holding free-entry live shows after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. He kept them going after the 2019 drug conviction and continued disaster relief work after the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake.
In August he held a free live event, "Noto no Hi Bring The HOPE Project," in Nanao, Ishikawa Prefecture.
An entertainment industry figure who knows him said JESSE was shaped by hip-hop as much as by rock. "He values what the hip-hop world calls 'hook-up' — the spirit of famous artists supporting unknown ones," the person said.
“He said, 'At first glance it looks like a gathering of scary people, and some of them have actually failed. But I've failed too. I don't think one mistake or failure should make someone a dropout.' He has taken part in projects and activities that energize the hip-hop scene.”an entertainment industry figure who knows JESSE, entertainment industry source
That made the news harder to take, the person said. "I thought those words came from having faced his last drug case head-on. I'm truly disappointed."