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{{Short description|Chinese music genre}}
{{Music of China}}
{{Music of China}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2014}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2014}}


'''Chinese hip hop''' ({{zh|s=中国嘻哈|p=Zhōngguó xīhā}}) is a relatively new [[phenomenon]] in [[Chinese music]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.michigandaily.com/arts/chinese-hip-hop |title=Exploring the history and culture of Chinese hip hop |publisher=The Michigan Daily |date=2011-03-13 |accessdate=2014-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Thompson |first=Derek. s|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/10/chinas-uighur-minority-finds-a-voice-through-american-style-hip-hop/280942/ |title=China's Uighur Minority Finds a Voice Through American-Style Hip-Hop - Chris Walker and Morgan Hartley |publisher=The Atlantic |date=2013-10-29 |accessdate=2014-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17204661 |title=Made in China: Hip-Hop Moves East |publisher=NPR |date= |accessdate=2014-02-25}}</ref> Some of the earliest influences of hip-hop in came from films such as ''[[Beat Street]]'' (1984) which entered China on video tape via embassy workers or foreign businessmen and their families.
'''Chinese hip hop''' ({{zh|s=中国嘻哈|p=Zhōngguó xīhā}}), also known as '''C-Rap''', is a subgenre of [[Chinese music]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.michigandaily.com/arts/chinese-hip-hop |title=Exploring the history and culture of Chinese hip hop |publisher=The Michigan Daily |date=2011-03-13 |access-date=2014-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Thompson |first=Derek. s|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/china/archive/2013/10/chinas-uighur-minority-finds-a-voice-through-american-style-hip-hop/280942/ |title=China's Uighur Minority Finds a Voice Through American-Style Hip-Hop - Chris Walker and Morgan Hartley |publisher=The Atlantic |date=2013-10-29 |access-date=2014-02-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17204661 |title=Made in China: Hip-Hop Moves East |newspaper=NPR.org |publisher=NPR |access-date=2014-02-25}}</ref> Some of the earliest influences of hip-hop in came from films such as ''[[Beat Street]]'' (1984) which entered China on video tape via embassy workers or foreign businessmen and their families.


==History==
==History==
The first DJ in China who played hip hop music on a daily basis was a resident at the first Chinese [[nightclub]] Juliana's in [[Beijing]] in 1984.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Ho|first=Wai-Chung|title=Popular Music, Cultural Politics and Music Education in China|publisher=Taylor & Francis Group|year=2016|isbn=9781315601441|location=Abingdon, Oxen|pages=33}}</ref> At the time there were no other clubs in mainland China but Juliana's, which was already receiving monthly deliveries of records from London featuring labels such as [[Sugar Hill Records (hip hop label)|Sugarhill]], [[Tommy Boy Records|Tommy Boy]], and [[StreetSounds]].<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Goldsmith|first1=Melissa Ursula Dawn|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6mR2DwAAQBAJ&q=Juliana%27s+Club+in+Mainland+China&pg=PA117|title=Hip Hop around the World: An Encyclopedia [2 volumes]|last2=Fonseca|first2=Anthony J.|date=2018-12-01|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-35759-6|language=en}}</ref>


In 1992, China got its first regular hip hop nights (Fridays/Saturdays) at Kunlun Hotel Crystal Disco in Beijing.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ho|first=Wai-Chung|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J2GuDQAAQBAJ&q=Kunlun+Hotel+Crystal+Disco&pg=PT89|title=Popular Music, Cultural Politics and Music Education in China|date=2016-12-08|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-07800-5|language=en}}</ref>
In Chinese culture, the rhythmic delivery of insulting or humorous verse – or [[Shulaibao]] – pre-dates contemporary hip-hop.


[[Yin Ts'ang]] (隐藏) released a full-length album, ''[[Serve The People]]'' (为人民服务) (2002). The album was co-produced and written by British DJ Mel “Herbie” Kent, while being entirely recorded in his home studio. The group was featured in full-length articles in the ''Los Angeles Times'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-nov-12-fg-chinarap12-story.html |title=You Can't Get a Bad Rap Here - Los Angeles Times |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=2004-11-12 |access-date=2014-02-24}}</ref> and ''The New York Times''.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/arts/music/24hiphop.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1295712553-3JHQnmPkaCyHkkMqNYpHiA |title=Now Hip-Hop, Too, Is Made in China |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=24 January 2009 |access-date=2014-02-24 |last1=Wang |first1=Jimmy }}</ref>
The first DJ in China who played hip hop music on a daily basis was a resident at the first Chinese [[nightclub]] Juliana's in [[Beijing]] in 1984.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Ho|first=Wai-Chung|title=Popular Music, Cultural Politics and Music Education in China|publisher=Taylor & Francis Group|year=2016|isbn=9781315601441|location=Abingdon, Oxen|pages=33}}</ref> At the time there were no other clubs in mainland China but Juliana's, which was already receiving monthly deliveries of records from London featuring labels such as [[Sugar Hill Records (hip hop label)|Sugarhill]], [[Tommy Boy Records|Tommy Boy]], and [[StreetSounds]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Goldsmith|first=Melissa Ursula Dawn|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6mR2DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=Juliana's+Club+in+Mainland+China&source=bl&ots=k-b6-ajROa&sig=ACfU3U10WB-kfKpDsPKGgb56QFxbLQXBYA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiTt6aDw8LnAhXSB80KHVc0A3EQ6AEwBXoECA0QAQ#v=onepage&q=Juliana's%20Club%20in%20Mainland%20China&f=false|title=Hip Hop around the World: An Encyclopedia [2 volumes]|last2=Fonseca|first2=Anthony J.|date=2018-12-01|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-35759-6|language=en}}</ref>


Chinese DJ V-Nutz (Gary Wang) claimed, "[Chinese style is] young, local kids really enjoy Western things right now. Then maybe after 10 or 15 years, maybe they can have their own style."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17204661 |title=Made in China: Hip-Hop Moves East |newspaper=NPR.org |publisher=NPR |access-date=2014-02-25}}</ref>). Hip-hop is often performed in English and many{{who|date=November 2017}} believe Chinese is not suitable for the genre; "people said, straight up, you can't rap in Chinese, Chinese does not work for rap... Chinese is not suitable for rap music because it's [[tonal language|tonal]]." XIV of the rap group Yin Ts'ang put it clearly, "I can tell you about what we ''don't'' rap about: gangbangin', pushin' drugs, or the government, that's a good way to not continue your career (or your life)."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uschina.usc.edu |title=USC US-China Today: Home |publisher=Uschina.usc.edu |date=2014-01-27 |access-date=2014-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131181935/http://www.uschina.usc.edu/ |archive-date=2014-01-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
In 1992, China got its first regular hip hop nights (Fridays/Saturdays) at Kunlun Hotel Crystal Disco in Beijing.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ho|first=Wai-Chung|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J2GuDQAAQBAJ&lpg=PT89&ots=MbKajIM9FY&dq=Kunlun%20Hotel%20Crystal%20Disco&pg=PT89#v=onepage&q=Kunlun%20Hotel%20Crystal%20Disco&f=true|title=Popular Music, Cultural Politics and Music Education in China|date=2016-12-08|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-07800-5|language=en}}</ref> 1994 saw the first nightly hip hop club open in China at [[Shanghai]]'s 'Broadway' club in the port area.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

Rap in China later became more mainstream. This was seen in 2003 with the opening of Beijing's "Vic's" and "Mix" nightclubs.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

The first song in China to feature rap style content was by rock and roll artist [[Cui Jian]] in the early 90s, though viewed as experimental. Early [[Taiwan]]ese rap groups had limited success due to a market that was more ballad-focused. In the late 90s [[Hong Kong]]'s [[Softhard]] and [[Lazy Mutha Fucka]] were influential though their [[Cantonese]] was foreign to Mandarin-speaking regions, while Taiwan's [[MC HotDog]] was more widely intelligible in mainland China.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

[[Yin Ts'ang]] (隐藏) was the first group in mainland China to sign with an active record label – [[Scream Records]], and release a full-length album, ''[[Serve The People]]'' (为人民服务)(2002).{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} The group, which consisted of MC Webber, Sbazzo, 老郑XIV, and Dirty Heff, continued on to make appearances at The 2003 Pepsi Music Awards, where they were nominated for Best New Rock-Rap Group and the China National Radio Music Awards, where they won Best New Group of 2003.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} The album was co-produced and written by British DJ Mel “Herbie” Kent, while being entirely recorded in his home studio. In addition to full-length articles by the LA Times,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2004/nov/12/world/fg-chinarap12 |title=You Can't Get a Bad Rap Here - Los Angeles Times |publisher=Articles.latimes.com |date=2004-11-12 |accessdate=2014-02-24}}</ref> the China Daily, Music Magazine (China) and the NY Times,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/24/arts/music/24hiphop.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&pagewanted=all&adxnnlx=1295712553-3JHQnmPkaCyHkkMqNYpHiA |title=Now Hip-Hop, Too, Is Made in China |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |accessdate=2014-02-24}}</ref> the group also made special appearances on CCTV-1, PBS, CTV and Stir TV (cable).{{citation needed|date=November 2017}}

Chinese DJ V-Nutz (Gary Wang) claimed, "[Chinese style is] young, local kids really enjoy Western things right now. Then maybe after 10 or 15 years, maybe they can have their own style."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17204661 |title=Made in China: Hip-Hop Moves East |publisher=NPR |date= |accessdate=2014-02-25}}</ref>). Hip-hop is often performed in English and many{{who|date=November 2017}} believe Chinese is not suitable for the genre; "people said, straight up, you can't rap in Chinese, Chinese does not work for rap... Chinese is not suitable for rap music because it's [[tonal language|tonal]]."{{who|date=November 2017}} XIV of the rap group Yin Ts'ang put it clearly, "I can tell you about what we ''don't'' rap about: gangbangin', pushin' drugs, or the government, that's a good way to not continue your career (or your life)."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uschina.usc.edu |title=USC US-China Today: Home |publisher=Uschina.usc.edu |date=2014-01-27 |accessdate=2014-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140131181935/http://www.uschina.usc.edu/ |archive-date=2014-01-31 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

When [[Eminem]]'s movie, ''[[8 Mile (film)|8 Mile]]'', came out in 2002 the art of [[freestyling]] was popularized in China.{{citation needed|date=November 2017}} "In the wake of the Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989, interest in hip-hop waned as the government attempted to revitalize reverence for traditional Chinese culture and socialism" (Steele, 2006) and "the government still keeps a tight hold on radio licenses" (Trindle, 2007). However, there was considerable uptake of "Dakou CDs" – "surplus CDs created in the West that were supposed to be destroyed but were instead smuggled into China and sold on the black market" (Steele, 2006).


Dana Burton, an American, started the Iron Mic competition, an annual rap battle which encouraged more free-styling and less karaoke-style performances, in 2001 (Foreign Policy, 2007). Burton recorded:
Dana Burton, an American, started the Iron Mic competition, an annual rap battle which encouraged more free-styling and less karaoke-style performances, in 2001 (Foreign Policy, 2007). Burton recorded:
<blockquote>
<blockquote>
"The few rappers I met [initially] were rapping in English. I'd say, 'Let me hear you rap', and they'd just do a karaoke thing, repeating a few lines of Eminem or [[Naughty by Nature]]. As an American that was so odd for me; you can't say anyone else's rhymes, you just don't do that. But it's the culture here. They like karaoke and doing someone else's songs." (Foreign Policy, 2007).
"The few rappers I met [initially] were rapping in English. I'd say, 'Let me hear you rap', and they'd just do a karaoke thing, repeating a few lines of [[Eminem]] or [[Naughty by Nature]]. As an American that was so odd for me; you can't say anyone else's rhymes, you just don't do that. But it's the culture here. They like karaoke and doing someone else's songs." (Foreign Policy, 2007).
</blockquote>
</blockquote>


One underground Chinese artist, Hu Xuan, recorded all of the tracks on his album in Kunminghua, the local dialect spoken in the area of Kunming (Go Kunming, 2007). "One rapper spits out words in a distinctive Beijing accent, scolding the other for not speaking proper Mandarin. His opponent from Hong Kong snaps back to the beat in a trilingual torrent of Cantonese, English, and Mandarin, dissing the Beijing rapper for not representing the people."<ref>[[Jeff Chang (journalist)|Chang, Jeff]]. “It’s a Hip-hop World.” Foreign Policy 163, Nov/Dec 2007, 58-65</ref>
One underground Chinese artist, Hu Xuan, recorded all of the tracks on his album in Kunminghua, the local dialect spoken in the area of Kunming (Go Kunming, 2007). "One rapper spits out words in a distinctive Beijing accent, scolding the other for not speaking proper Mandarin. His opponent from Hong Kong snaps back to the beat in a trilingual torrent of Cantonese, English, and Mandarin, dissing the Beijing rapper for not representing the people."<ref>[[Jeff Chang (journalist)|Chang, Jeff]]. “It’s a Hip-hop World.” Foreign Policy 163, Nov/Dec 2007, 58-65</ref>


[[Big Zoo]] became a popular Chinese hip hop group,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://baike.baidu.com/view/3658637.htm |title=Big zoo_百度百科 |publisher=Baike.baidu.com |date=2012-10-10 |accessdate=2014-02-24}}</ref> but in 2008, one of the crew members, Mow left the team, and rapper Free-T released his song "Diary of Life," signaling the return of Big Zoo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cloudpry.com:8080/showItem/showDetail/8979815.html |title=Time Entertainment - blog bus - cloudpry.com - cloudpry.com |publisher=Cloudpry.com:8080 |accessdate=2014-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228061339/http://www.cloudpry.com:8080/showItem/showDetail/8979815.html |archive-date=2014-02-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[Big Zoo]] became a popular Chinese hip hop group, but in 2008, one of the crew members, Mow left the team, and rapper Free-T released his song "Diary of Life," signaling the return of Big Zoo.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cloudpry.com:8080/showItem/showDetail/8979815.html |title=Time Entertainment - blog bus - cloudpry.com - cloudpry.com |publisher=Cloudpry.com:8080 |access-date=2014-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228061339/http://www.cloudpry.com:8080/showItem/showDetail/8979815.html |archive-date=2014-02-28 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


There is an official annual Chinese Hip-Hop Awards Show (中国嘻哈颁奖典礼).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/87717551|title=中国嘻哈颁奖典礼永久停办|website=知乎专栏|language=zh|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>
There is an official annual Chinese Hip-Hop Awards Show (中国嘻哈颁奖典礼).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/87717551|title=中国嘻哈颁奖典礼永久停办|website=知乎专栏|language=zh|access-date=2020-02-07}}</ref>


The 2017 show ''[[The Rap of China]]'' brought hip-hop to new levels of mainstream success, with billions of online views,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-china-hip-hop-20180125-story.html |last=Zhang |first=Gaochao |title=China embraces hip-hop even a government censor can love |newspaper=LA Times |date=25 January 2018 |access-date=2018-04-28}}</ref>
[[Chengdu]] rap group the [[Higher Brothers]] became popular following their 2016 mixtape release, and toured the United States in 2018.

The 2017 show ''[[The Rap of China]]'' brought hip-hop to new levels of mainstream success, with billions of online views,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-china-hip-hop-20180125-story.html |last=Zhang |first=Gaochao |title=China embraces hip-hop even a government censor can love |publisher=LA Times |accessdate=2018-04-28}}</ref> and made several Chinese rappers into stars.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d4d444e3567444e/share_p.html|title='The Rap of China' turns underground music into mainstream hits|accessdate=2018-04-28}}</ref>

In 2018, the airing of the second season of ''The Rap of China'' has made more Chinese young people fall in love with hip-hop culture.{{citationneeded|date=April 2019}}

==Breakdance==
''Pīlìwǔ'' (霹雳舞) (thunder dance or [[breakdancing]]), is seen as a type of ''Hip hop dance'' ([[Simplified Chinese]]: [[wikt:街舞|街舞]]) in China. Breakdancing has been going on sporadically in China since 1990s, but has never gained much attention. Mel "Herbie" Kent was a leading proponent of breakdancing while in the capacity of Resident DJ at Beijing's cavernous 3500 capacity "Oriental No.1 club" 1995–1997, where he would take to the stage and perform hand spins and crazy footwork, usually to tracks from "Ultimate Breaks" compilations. MC Dizzy and Herbie would also perform rap shows which were often televised by CCTV and BTV with Herbie performing turntablism duet-ting with composer Bian Liu Nian (Erhu) for a capacity 73,000 people at Beijing's Workers Stadium during the 2000 Student Olympiad closing ceremony/Beijing's Olympic bid. More recently, following the [[Korean Wave]], Western-oriented Korean influence has played a role in Chinese pop culture development, particularly in Beijing. Each regional breakdancing (or Bboy) scene is slightly different. In Shanghai B-boying first became systematized with many local break dance schools (although often confusing uprocking and body popping with the actual act of breakdancing itself).{{Citation needed|date=February 2014}}

==Overseas Chinese==
Rappers of heritage in China have achieved renown success in the United States, the most recent is the [[Miami]]-born, NYs 106 and Park hall-of-famer [[Jin (rapper)|Jin]], who raps in both English and Cantonese.<ref>{{cite web|author= |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3nfrDlPwZA |title=Jin - "ABC" |publisher=YouTube |date= |accessdate=2014-02-24}}</ref> In 2017, Jin competed in the first season of ''[[The Rap of China]]'' as "HipHopMan".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/culture/2017-09/10/content_31805003.htm |publisher=CGTN |title=MC Jin: 'Anything is possible' in Chinese hip-hop |accessdate=2018-04-28}}</ref>

Another [[Chinese American]] rap group was [[Mountain Brothers]], based in [[Philadelphia]] in the 1990s; the group rapped in English.


From 2016, the [[Chinese Communist Party]] began supporting hip hop music as a new propaganda outlet. The Communist Youth League, a government-backed Communist youth movement, sponsored [[CD Rev]], also known as Chengdu Revolution, a hip-hop group , released the song "This is China", in June 2016, and "No THAAD" in May 2017. Hip-hop groups have expressed their patriotism in rap songs. Media scholar Sheng Zou wrote, “the state-centric ideology is aesthetically evoked by co-opting popular cultural formats, maneuvering grassroots nationalistic expressions and appropriating symbols of both tradition and modernity. Hip-hop is thus localized and sanitized as a cultural medium of propaganda.”<ref>Sheng Zou,” When nationalism meets hip-hop: aestheticized politics of ideotainment in China”, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14791420.2019.1637008</ref>
[[Florida]]'s "[[Smilez]] and [[Southstar]]" under [[Trans Continental Records]] and Hong Kong-based hip hopper [[Edison Chen]] has also gained some popularity in the US.


==See also==
==Overseas==
Rappers of heritage in China have achieved renown success in the United States, the most recent is the [[Miami]]-born, NYs 106 and Park hall-of-famer [[Jin (rapper)|Jin]], who raps in both English and Cantonese.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3nfrDlPwZA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/p3nfrDlPwZA |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=Jin - "ABC" |publisher=YouTube |access-date=2014-02-24}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[Hong Kong hip hop]]


==References==
==References==
Line 56: Line 36:


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://www.youtube.com/zhongtv ZHONG.TV (Latest Hip Hop / Urban Video Platform)]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/dongting08 Angela Steele (Fulbright Scholar Researching Chinese Hip-Hop)]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/dongting08 Angela Steele (Fulbright Scholar Researching Chinese Hip-Hop)]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/dongting08 Hip Hop in China (documentary)]
* [https://www.youtube.com/user/dongting08 Hip Hop in China (documentary)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110122093821/http://www.mogo.com.cn/ Mogo.com.cn: Music, Videos, Interviews and Concerts from Mainland, China]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110122093821/http://www.mogo.com.cn/ Mogo.com.cn: Music, Videos, Interviews and Concerts from Mainland, China]
* [[:zh:嘻哈|Wiki-China Page on Hip-Hop]]
* [http://lins-bros.com/ 林氏兄弟 LINS BROS.美国嘻哈资讯网站 | 美国嘻哈朝圣地登陆中国]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130306000302/http://www.streetwear.com.cn/ China Streetwear | A streetwear store form china]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150924091721/http://www.rockinchina.com/wiki/images/Representin_(online_version).pdf Representin' the Dirty North - Rebecca Cowell]
* [http://www.freshestkidschina.com the freshest kids in china / chinese hip hop, street dance, underground youth culture]


{{Hiphop}}
{{Hiphop}}


[[Category:Chinese hip hop|*]]
[[Category:Chinese hip hop| ]]
[[Category:C-pop]]
[[Category:C-pop]]

Revision as of 00:21, 15 August 2024

Chinese hip hop (Chinese: 中国嘻哈; pinyin: Zhōngguó xīhā), also known as C-Rap, is a subgenre of Chinese music.[1][2][3] Some of the earliest influences of hip-hop in came from films such as Beat Street (1984) which entered China on video tape via embassy workers or foreign businessmen and their families.

History

The first DJ in China who played hip hop music on a daily basis was a resident at the first Chinese nightclub Juliana's in Beijing in 1984.[4] At the time there were no other clubs in mainland China but Juliana's, which was already receiving monthly deliveries of records from London featuring labels such as Sugarhill, Tommy Boy, and StreetSounds.[5]

In 1992, China got its first regular hip hop nights (Fridays/Saturdays) at Kunlun Hotel Crystal Disco in Beijing.[6]

Yin Ts'ang (隐藏) released a full-length album, Serve The People (为人民服务) (2002). The album was co-produced and written by British DJ Mel “Herbie” Kent, while being entirely recorded in his home studio. The group was featured in full-length articles in the Los Angeles Times,[7] and The New York Times.[8]

Chinese DJ V-Nutz (Gary Wang) claimed, "[Chinese style is] young, local kids really enjoy Western things right now. Then maybe after 10 or 15 years, maybe they can have their own style."[9]). Hip-hop is often performed in English and many[who?] believe Chinese is not suitable for the genre; "people said, straight up, you can't rap in Chinese, Chinese does not work for rap... Chinese is not suitable for rap music because it's tonal." XIV of the rap group Yin Ts'ang put it clearly, "I can tell you about what we don't rap about: gangbangin', pushin' drugs, or the government, that's a good way to not continue your career (or your life)."[10]

Dana Burton, an American, started the Iron Mic competition, an annual rap battle which encouraged more free-styling and less karaoke-style performances, in 2001 (Foreign Policy, 2007). Burton recorded:

"The few rappers I met [initially] were rapping in English. I'd say, 'Let me hear you rap', and they'd just do a karaoke thing, repeating a few lines of Eminem or Naughty by Nature. As an American that was so odd for me; you can't say anyone else's rhymes, you just don't do that. But it's the culture here. They like karaoke and doing someone else's songs." (Foreign Policy, 2007).

One underground Chinese artist, Hu Xuan, recorded all of the tracks on his album in Kunminghua, the local dialect spoken in the area of Kunming (Go Kunming, 2007). "One rapper spits out words in a distinctive Beijing accent, scolding the other for not speaking proper Mandarin. His opponent from Hong Kong snaps back to the beat in a trilingual torrent of Cantonese, English, and Mandarin, dissing the Beijing rapper for not representing the people."[11]

Big Zoo became a popular Chinese hip hop group, but in 2008, one of the crew members, Mow left the team, and rapper Free-T released his song "Diary of Life," signaling the return of Big Zoo.[12]

There is an official annual Chinese Hip-Hop Awards Show (中国嘻哈颁奖典礼).[13]

The 2017 show The Rap of China brought hip-hop to new levels of mainstream success, with billions of online views,[14]

From 2016, the Chinese Communist Party began supporting hip hop music as a new propaganda outlet. The Communist Youth League, a government-backed Communist youth movement, sponsored CD Rev, also known as Chengdu Revolution, a hip-hop group , released the song "This is China", in June 2016, and "No THAAD" in May 2017. Hip-hop groups have expressed their patriotism in rap songs. Media scholar Sheng Zou wrote, “the state-centric ideology is aesthetically evoked by co-opting popular cultural formats, maneuvering grassroots nationalistic expressions and appropriating symbols of both tradition and modernity. Hip-hop is thus localized and sanitized as a cultural medium of propaganda.”[15]

Overseas

Rappers of heritage in China have achieved renown success in the United States, the most recent is the Miami-born, NYs 106 and Park hall-of-famer Jin, who raps in both English and Cantonese.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Exploring the history and culture of Chinese hip hop". The Michigan Daily. 2011-03-13. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  2. ^ Thompson, Derek. s (2013-10-29). "China's Uighur Minority Finds a Voice Through American-Style Hip-Hop - Chris Walker and Morgan Hartley". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  3. ^ "Made in China: Hip-Hop Moves East". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  4. ^ Ho, Wai-Chung (2016). Popular Music, Cultural Politics and Music Education in China. Abingdon, Oxen: Taylor & Francis Group. p. 33. ISBN 9781315601441.
  5. ^ Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn; Fonseca, Anthony J. (2018-12-01). Hip Hop around the World: An Encyclopedia [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-35759-6.
  6. ^ Ho, Wai-Chung (2016-12-08). Popular Music, Cultural Politics and Music Education in China. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-07800-5.
  7. ^ "You Can't Get a Bad Rap Here - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 2004-11-12. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  8. ^ Wang, Jimmy (24 January 2009). "Now Hip-Hop, Too, Is Made in China". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  9. ^ "Made in China: Hip-Hop Moves East". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  10. ^ "USC US-China Today: Home". Uschina.usc.edu. 2014-01-27. Archived from the original on 2014-01-31. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  11. ^ Chang, Jeff. “It’s a Hip-hop World.” Foreign Policy 163, Nov/Dec 2007, 58-65
  12. ^ "Time Entertainment - blog bus - cloudpry.com - cloudpry.com". Cloudpry.com:8080. Archived from the original on 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
  13. ^ "中国嘻哈颁奖典礼永久停办". 知乎专栏 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  14. ^ Zhang, Gaochao (25 January 2018). "China embraces hip-hop even a government censor can love". LA Times. Retrieved 2018-04-28.
  15. ^ Sheng Zou,” When nationalism meets hip-hop: aestheticized politics of ideotainment in China”, https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14791420.2019.1637008
  16. ^ "Jin - "ABC"". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2014-02-24.