Dragon Ash (ドラゴンアッシュ Doragon Asshu?) are a Japanese rock group founded in 1996 by Furuya "Kj" Kenji and Sakurai Makoto. They are an icon in Japan and were one of the first groups to popularize hip hop in Japan. They brought a western flavor to Japanese music and helped to turn rap music mainstream,[citation needed] with a mixture of reggae, rap, rap-rock, punk, Spanish, and R&B influences. Some of their best known songs include "Grateful Days", "Life Goes On", and "I Love Hip Hop".[citation needed] Kenji has stated in several interviews[citation needed] that the reason Dragon Ash started out as a pseudo-punk band was because, at the time, punk was popular in Japan, and his handlers felt that the hip hop image wouldn't sell. He has also noted that hip hop has always been first in his book, but he did what was necessary to become successful in the industry. Dragon Ash is a member of Mob Squad, which is an affiliation with the bands Source and Endive.