m-flo (エムフロウ) m-flo (meaning "meteorite flow") first burst onto the scene in 1999 with their debut single the tripod e.p. As to the origins of the group's name, VERBAL explains: "It was originally "meteorite flow," but for the Japanese that's pretty long, so (Avex) asked us to shorten it to m-flo, and it stuck. There's no deep meaning to it. I guess we wanna have impact like a meteorite." Originally a trio consisting of Takahashi Taku on turntables, VERBAL supplying the rapping and some of the vocals, and LISA as the main vocalist, they released a number of singles together until 2002, when LISA left to pursue a solo career. m-flo went on hiatus following Lisa's departure, but Taku and VERBAL reformed the unit in 2003 as a duo. Upon reformation, m-flo embarked on an experiment of sorts, in which they collaborated with a variety of artists from the J-Pop and J-Urban world. The result was a series of "m-flo loves..." singles featuring such notable artists as BoA, CHEMISTRY, and melody. The "m-flo loves..." collabs have proven to be very successful for m-flo, giving them their first #1 album (BEAT SPACE NINE) and launching the group's star to even higher heights. Takahashi Taku (☆タカハシタク) First Name: Taku 拓 Last Name: Takahashi 高橋 Stage Names: ☆Taku Takahashi, ☆Taku (☆タカハシタク, ☆タク) Birthdate: March 29, 1974 Blood type: B Birthplace: Kanagawa prefecture, Japan Hobbies: Playing computer games, soccer, and collecting recordings VERBAL (バーバル) First Name: Yong Gi 영기 Last Name: Ryu 류 Stage Name: VERBAL バーバル Ethnicity: Korean Birthdate: August 21, 1975 Blood type: B Religion: Christian Marital status: Married to wife Yoon since September 2004 Musical influences: Gang Starr, Company Flow, Ras Kass, RUN D.M.C., A Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of the New Skool, De La Soul, Stetsa Sonic