Image credit: Tracey Lan
Kelly Marshall
The noteworthy traits of China’s Sichuan are relatively universal and well-known. While pandas and spicy hotpot represent major Sichuanese contributions to the global conception of China, in recent years Sichuan has become notable for a cultural product much less “Chinese.” Sichuan’s capital Chengdu has become a global center for the hip hop art form, which continues to be a largely American phenomenon yet has increasingly proliferated to other nations and cultures across the world. In particular, Chengdu natives MaSiWei, DZ, Psy.P, and Melo have found themselves at the forefront of a burgeoning local rap scene under the name 海尔兄弟, or the Higher Brothers. Their songs, most of which are concerned with aspects of their daily and personal life, have found widespread popularity both within China and the United States, exemplified by their recent full length album titled Black Cab. At first it may be difficult to understand what appeal an art form associated with American minorities may carry for Chinese listeners. Because rap music is often spoken of not only as a musical genre but also as a feature of “hip hop culture,” the answer to this question lies within both the culture that influences their work as well as the culture from which they originate. In order to better understand this cultural exchange, I will examine defining aspects of hip hop music and how the Higher Brothers have given them meaning and appeal within the Chinese cultural context by adapting notions which have been thoroughly explored in American hip hop such as economic status, linguistic difference, and political dissonance to the realities of modern China.
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