It will take more than mainstream artists to keep this train running. Luckily, several independent creators are working to keep the relationship between Japanese anime and hip-hop a long-lasting one. Tephlon Funk, a manga by Stephane Metayer, takes place in an urban setting and draws influence from Nas’ debut album, Illmatic. Metayer’s goal is to produce an animated show that attracts fans of both genres.

One of very few creators to bring New York City to life in a manga form. Drawing inspiration from Nas’ Illmatic, Tephlon Funk follows Queensbridge-native Inez as well as three other characters from New York City’s outer-boroughs: Gabriel (Brooklyn’s Coney Island), Giselle (Washington Heights) and Cameron (The Bronx). Together, the four are slowly being brought together for a cause that has yet to be revealed.

The creative force behind the forthcoming graphic novel, ‘Tephlon Funk’, a hip-hop, manga and anime inspired urban drama. It raised $22,027 on Kickstarter in late 2015 to fund the graphic novel, that surpassed his initial goal of $15,000. The project combined a multicultural crime and martial arts tale centered on a 14-year-old girl who is trying to escape life in New York’s gritty Queensbridge housing projects.

An urban crime drama set in a super-stylized vision of New York, Tephlon Funk follows 14 year-old Inez Jozlyn from Queens, who dreams of a life beyond her gang and drug-infested community. Tephlon Funk combines the aesthetics of Japanese-style comics (manga) with hip hop sensibilities, with a dose of 70’s-era Blaxploitation cinema for flavor.

Let’s say you’ve been yearning for a hip-hop manga inspired by Nas’ seminal album Illmatic. Tephlon Funk might be just what you’re looking for. The demo sample makes it feel like a classic rap narrative told in dramatic, decompressed Japanese comics style.

Noticing the lack of black heroines in the media, and the surplus amount of stereotypical characters. To change the perception by mixing the characteristics of X-Men’s, Storm and Metroid’s, Samus with a New York City backdrop. With many influences like Akira Toriyama, Osamu Tezuka, Katsuhiro Otomo, Bengus, Akiman, Kentaro Miura and Hayao Miyazaki.