Photo/Zhang Jian (NBD)

May 22 (NBD) -- "Hip-hop is a young man thing now and we are trying to eliminate the prejudice against it in China, trying to show people that hip-hop is all about unity, joyfulness and peace in our own way," said Chengdu-born rapper Wang Yitai in an interview with National Business Daily (NBD).

The 24-year-old rapper shot to fame in The Rap of China Season 2, a rap competition show credited for making hip-hop widespread and mainstream in China.

This January, Wang was awarded as "New Artist of the Year" and his song Can't Take My Eyes Off You was awarded the "Ten Best Songs in 2018", by NetEase Cloud Music, a Spotify-like online music platform in China.

Behind the young man's road to fame is unfolded a story of underground rappers gaining mainstream attention. 

Underground rapper walks to stage 

"The show gives us a stage and a chance to perform something that is not really recognized by people," recalled Wang, referring to The Rap of China.

Acclaimed as "putting hip-hop music into the national spotlight for the first time in China" by BBC, the rap show also exposed underground rappers like Wang to a wider public.  

"For people go to a singing show, they may not be able to sing whatever they write. While in this show, it basically keeps us original," said Wang.

The season one of The Rap of China aired in June 2017 and celebrity rapper-singer Kris Wu, the pioneer of Chinese rap music MC HotDog, rapper Will Pan and rock musician Chang Chen-yue joined in the show as judges. China's rap, influenced by American rappers like Eminem and Jay-Z, has been gaining momentum ever since the popularity of the rap show.

Nowadays the burgeoning rap force is shaping the future of rap music in the country. Independent labels encompasses C-Block in Changsha, GO$H in Chongqing, CDC Rap House in Chengdu, HHH in Xi An, DMOB in Beijing, LSD in Shanghai and etc.

Used to be an active underground rapper and now a member of CDC Rap House in Chengdu, Wang initiated his exploration of music when he was at elementary school.

"I first found myself interested in hip-hop when I was in elementary school. During that time, I got my first MP3 which can only store less than 20 songs. Most of those longs were pop music talking about love whose content was not that strong for me," recalled Wang in the interview. "While a pop musician Jay Chou put a lot of rap into his songs. I found it different. I think it has more diversified content and it has more power."

Original pop music by Jay Chou with revolutionary lyrics and flow ignited Wang's enthusiasm for rap music. "After Jay, I grew up while listening to MC HotDog who is a really famous rapper already during the rest of my elementary school. When I turned into middle school, I started to listen to Eminem, 50Cent, D12, Jay Z, 2 Pac..." shared Wang.

After completing his first original rap work in 2012, Wang went to the U.S to study recording engineering one year later. However, he found it deviated from what he expected and then 2 years later, he quitted in a bid to be fully devoted to his hip-hop music career. 

When asked about how to push forward with China's rap, Wang said to NBD, "We should have a better understanding of people's acceptance level of hip-hop culture and be patient and humble." 

The show's popularity may fade away some day while hip-hop music will keep moving forward in China, Wang added.

Although shooting to stardom already, "keep calm" becomes Wang's most frequently mentioned word during the interview.

"If I can give younger rappers any advice, that would be keep calm and stick to your own way," said Wang in earnest. "Do not need to follow anybody's step. You must know what's your own tone, what's your own style and find your own way. How Wang Yitai made it maybe does not fit you."

Photo/Dfic

Hip-hop fever in Wang's hometown

Wang Yitai hails from Chengdu, a cultural hub in the country's southwest region, one of many cities across China where hip-hop music is gaining popularity.

"There was a group called Big Zoo which is formed in probably 2004. They started to rap in Sichuan dialect at first. The founder of Big Zoo initiated CDC Rap House around a decade ago. From that time, it started to go on really seriously," recalled Wang.  

"(After CDC Rap House was founded,) people started to treat us as like professionals. They started to listen to our music more carefully," Wang said. He joined CDC Rap House in 2015.

There witnessed other Chengdu rappers rising, such as Higher Brothers dubbed "the charismatic, genre-bending quartet" and rapper Boss Shady who made waves domestically with his work Daddy Ain't Going to Work Tomorrow in Sichuan dialect in 2014.

"In Chengdu, the environment for hip-hop has already been established. If you try to do rap, Chengdu is the best place for you," speaking of Chengdu for nourishing hip-hop scene, explained Wang. "The lifestyle here, it is unique and it is more like Los Angeles because everybody is trying to have fun, to get a new start, to receive new information. It doesn't cost a lot if you rent a house here and the pressure of life is not that big." 

Chengdu aspires to not only become a hotspot for a unique genre but also develops itself into an entertainment and music district.

"Before hip-hop, Chengdu used to be a rock and roll city, a town of bands. It is a diversified environment. Band culture still develops now. Besides hip-hop, I think that's the second biggest genre in Chengdu," claimed Wang.

In January, Chengdu reported the overall revenue of its music industry in 2018, with the number reaching 39.79 billion yuan ($5.75 billion) and an increase of 21.69 percent over the previous year. This city hosted more than 1600 shows and over 2000 street performances last year.

Chengdu now wants to use music to promote tourism, and music is already a big part of the area economy as the city ranks among the top three nationwide for revenue from music shows, media outlet China Daily reported citing a consultant in the music industry.

Email: gaohan@nbd.com.cn