Here are three new homegrown albums from musicians around China on our radar this month.
1. OVERSEAS by Bohan Phoenix
Quickly becoming one of the most notable Chinese rappers, Bohan Phoenix
is in the unique position of gaining traction in China and the US
simultaneously, perhaps hinting at a future in which musicians find
fame by appealing to different cultures and countries at the same time, rather than
existing in a bubble of one country and then having to be repackaged in
some way to make it overseas. A defter touch defines this EP, our
favorite of his thus far, as Phoenix flexes his skills at switching
effortlessly between rapping in English and Mandarin to wax about his
background and identity, especially over a delicate piano on the title
track. ‘Falling’ featuring Masiwei of Higher Brothers has a lighthearted
and funky beat, while the slow burn ‘Fuck Trap’ features confessionial
lyrics like “too foreign for here, too foreign for home, too torn to
choose,” and mentioning his single mother. The song’s name derives from a
sound bite from frequent collaborator Howie Lee, who tells him to
“forget about trap, just stop doing those trash singles.” The album
shines thanks to beats that are both simple and unusual, and this allows
Phoenix’s raps, which have always been insightful, to stand out.
2. DragonTown by YoungQueenz
Between Higher Brothers and the aforementioned Bohan Phoenix, Chengdu is
rapidly becoming synonymous with the best of Chinese hip-hop. This EP
by Hong Kong’s YoungQueenz proves that other regions also have much to
offer. The founder of a crew called WILD$TYLE, the grill-sporting rapper
draws inspiration from both 90s gangsta rap and Japanese anime,
channeling Hong Kong’s futuristic city vibes and switching between
Cantonese and English in his gruff, raspy, almost DMX-like vocals.
YoungQueenz explained in an interview with Neocha that he makes a point
of working with up-and-coming producers on his beats and featuring other
rappers, and indeed almost every song on DragonTown features another
member of YoungQueenz’s crew, allowing for a varied range of voices
throughout. The album starts with a bang on the highlight opening track
thanks to its high-energy beat and YoungQueenz’s purposeful slurring of
the title, so it sounds like the he’s saying “Draaagtown.” While a few
other songs might be a bit derivative, the album’s beats and breaks
paired with YoungQueenz’s raps would satisfy any hip-hop fan.
Listen here (VPN on).
3. Self Salvation by Genome 6.66Mbp
The Shanghai collective returned from Chinese New Year with their second compilation album, 11 tracks by members of their ranks as well as artists they’ve brought to Shanghai in the past year, like the mighty Rui Ho, whose track ‘Galactic’ is one of the album’s many highlights. Nanjing producer Dirty K’s battle cry ‘Torment,’ followed immediately by Kelvin T’s aggressively catchy industrial track ‘Save Him from the Glass’ keep things high energy. There’s also Organ Tapes’ unmistakably wonky dancehall beat ‘Fa Shao’ and Shanghai rapper Charity’s somewhat solemn and lovely hip-hop song ‘Pao Mo.’ Things get weird at the end with a spare and skittering bass-line in xin’s finale track ‘who am i to say you look like spam?!’ Self Salvation shows an impressive range while staying true to Genome’s self-described goal of making “forward-thinking weirdo club music.” The album’s name could mean many different things, but we like the idea that it references a lingering white savior complex in Western DJs who swoop into China’s nightclub spaces believing they know better how to produce music and build a scene. Self Salvation makes it clear that Genome needs no help with either.
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