Osaka Monaurail is a Japanese funk band from Osaka, Japan, founded in 1992 by Ryo Nakata while he was a student. They initially consisted of over twenty members and drew inspiration from James Brown's band The J.B.'s. Their first public performance took place in the Bustle Hall in Osaka in 1993. Between 1998 and 2002, they organized SHOUT! events, which became a significant cultural milestone in Osaka and Tokyo. In 1999, they collaborated with the rap group Buddha Brand on the album Yameru Mugen no Buddha no Sekai (2000). Their debut album, What It Is... What It Was (2000), was released under the SHOUT! label, a sub-label of RD Records. This was followed by Rumble 'n' Struggle (2001) and Thankful (2004). In 2005, they released their first live album, Eyewitness to the Live in Heavy Funk System (2005). Subsequent albums included Reality for the People (2006) and State of the World (2011).
