In 2018, the censors who oversee Chinese media issued a directive to the nation’s entertainment industry. They barred artists with tattoos and those who represent hip-hop or any other subculture. For months, no rappers appeared on the dozens of variety shows and singing competitions on Chinese TV.
Chinese rapper Boss X performs at a concert in Chengdu in southwestern China ’s Sichuan province, Saturday, March 16, 2024. The rapper, who had come up from making music in a run-down apartment in an old residential community in the city, was now playing to a stadium of thousands. Fans of Chinese rappers including Boss X react during a performance in Chengdu in southwestern China ’s Sichuan province, Saturday, March 16, 2024.
in China has only continued. It has done so by carving out a space for itself while staying clear of the government’s red lines, balancing genuine creative expression with something palatable in aMuch of the energy can be found in Chengdu, a city in China’s southwestern Sichuan region.
Part of the city’s hip-hop lore centers around a collective called Chengdu Rap House or CDC, founded by a rapper called Boss X, whose fans affectionately call him “Xie laober” in the Sichuan dialect. The city has embraced rap, as its originators like Boss X went from making music in a run-down apartment in an old residential community to performing in a stadium for thousands. At Boss X’s performance in March, fans sang along and cheered in Sichuanese.
But even though the rap battles are gone, the field has more rappers than ever. That’s a good thing. “The more players there are,” he says, “the more interesting it is.”. But the talent competition/reality TV show “The Rap of China” has played an outsized role in building China’s rap industry. Then came the 2018 meeting where censors reminded TV channels of who could not appear on their programs, namely anyone who represented hip-hop. PG One was finding that any attempts to release new music were quickly taken down by platforms. The platform, IQiyi, even took down the entire first season for a while.
Some, like GAI, have fully taken on the government’s mantle in the mainstreaming of hip-hop. He won “The Rap of China” with a song called “Not Friendly” in which, in classic hip-hop fashion, he dissed other rappers that he didn’t name. “I’m not friendly. I can break your pen at any moment. Tear down your flashy words. … My enemies you better pray for you to have a good end.
Hip Hop And Rap China Chengdu General News L Entertainment Beyonce Knowles Lifestyle E I World News Kris Wu World News
United Kingdom Latest News, United Kingdom Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Chinese Girl Names: 110 Ideas For Chinese Baby Names For GirlsGenevieve Shaw Brown is an Emmy award-winning lifestyle journalist and the author of the parenting book, “The Happiest Mommy You Know.” She is an avid traveler and was named the Lowell Thomas Silver Grand Award Travel Journalist of the Year. She has appeared as a parenting, travel and lifestyle expert on every network in the country.
Read more »
Chinese E-Marketplace Temu Encourages Use of Chinese Cotton Despite Human Rights ConcernsChinese cheap goods e-marketplace Temu has been encouraging suppliers to use Chinese cotton in their products, despite the majority of that cotton being produced in occupied East Turkistan. This raises concerns about potential human rights violations and the use of forced labor.
Read more »
Luxury powerhouses are not just betting on Chinese shoppers, they are investing in Chinese talentThe recent engagement with emerging Chinese talent shows that luxury brands are not just looking to capitalize on established names — they are localizing their own relevance by investing in young talent from the country.
Read more »
Recipes: This cookbook is devoted to Chinese food — and food that’s not really Chinese‘A Very Chinese Cookbook: 100 Recipes from China and Not China (But Still Really Chinese)’ features both authentic and Americanized dishes.
Read more »
In 2018 crash, Tesla’s Autopilot just followed the lane linesDepositions in a civil case over a fatal 2018 crash -- set for trial this week -- provide insights into how Tesla programmed its Autopilot software to follow lines on the road
Read more »
Why is this 2018 action movie starring The Rock so popular on Netflix right now?DT Video
Read more »