Notes
“你有freestyle吗?”
“China’s Fledgling Hip-Hop Culture Faces Official Crackdown,” BBC News, 24 January 2018, http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-china-blog-42800032 (accessed on 21 February 2018).
“En Chine, l’avenir incertain du hip-hop” (Hip-hop’s uncertain future in China), L’Express, 22 January 2018, https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/musique/en-chine-l-avenir-incertain-du-hip-hop_1978238.html (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Casey Quackenbush and Aria Hangyu Chen, “‘Tasteless, Vulgar and Obscene.’ China Just Banned Hip-Hop Culture and Tattoos From Television,” Time, 22 January 2018, http://time.com/5112061/china-hip-hop-ban-tattoos-television/ (accessed on 21 February 2018).
“Dispirited culture” was singled out on 17 August 2017 by the People’s Daily. See Zeng Yuli, “Turn Off, Drop Out: Why Young Chinese Are Abandoning Ambition,” Sixth Tone, 27 June 2017, http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1000407/turn-off%2C-drop-out-why-young-chinese-are-abandoning-ambition (accessed on 21 February 2018).
“总局提出节目嘉宾标准:格调低纹身嘻哈文化不用”(Zongju tichu jiemu jiabin biaozhun: ge tiaodi wenshen xiha wenhua buyong, The central office announces behavioural standards for guests: no more hip-hop or tattoos), 新 浪 娱 乐 (Sinlang Yule, Sina), 19 January 2018, http://ent.sina.com.cn/tv/zy/2018-01-19/doc-ifyquptv7935320.shtml (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Tom Ireland, “Hip-Hop’s Ancient Predecessor: Shuochang,” The World of Chinese, 7 December 2011, http://www.theworldofchinese.com/2011/07/hip-hops-ancient-predecessor-shuochang/ (accessed on 21 February 2018).
This is demonstrated in Yin T’sang’s song “In Beijing” (Zai Beijing 在北京), one of Chinese rap’s earliest hits. https://youtu.be/Qh6lJWfYyTo (accessed on 21 February 2018).
何其原 (He Qiyuan), “直击陈冠希审核魔鬼我都喜欢, 也不知更喜欢哪一个” (Zhiji Chen Guanxi shenhe mogui wo dou xihuan, ye bu zhi geng xihuan na yige, Facing Edison Chen god and the devil I like them both), 摩登空天 (Modern Sky), Vol. 13, 2017, 52-83.
See the documentary Story of Iron Mic by Billy Starman (2017), https://youtu.be/-FrigB3W4eY (accessed on 21 February 2018).
黄维 (Huang Wei), “文化部首次公布120首网络音乐产品黑名单 将依法查处” (Wenhuabu shouci gongbu 120 shou wangluo yinyue chanpin heimingdan jiang yifa chachu, The Ministry of Culture has published online a blacklist of 120 songs which are due to be examined before the law), 人 民 日 报 (People’s Daily), 10 August 2015, http://culture.people.com.cn/n/2015/0810/c87423-27439050.html (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Ibid.
Tiffany Ap, “China’s Online Ban Against ‘Fart’ and 119 other ‘Immoral’ Songs,” CNN, 12 August 2015, https://edition.cnn.com/2015/08/12/asia/china-song-ban/index.html (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Jamie Fullerton, “China’s Hip-hop Stars Feel the Heat of Xi Jinping’s Battle to Control Culture,” The Guardian, 5 February 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/05/chinas-hip-hop-stars-feel-the-heat-of-xi-jinpings-battle-to-control-culture (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Tom Phillips, “Publishers Under Pressure as China’s Censors Reach for Red Pen,” The Guardian, 13 November 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/13/china-censorship-xi-jinping-authors-publishers (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Rob Schmitz, “Chengdu Emerges as a New Home for Chinese Hip-Hop,” NPR Music, 1 February 2018, https://www.npr.org/2018/02/01/576819311/chengdu-emerges-as-a-new-home-for-chinese-hip-hop (accessed on 21 February 2018).
The YouTube video for “WeChat” (not viewable in China) has received 5.2 million views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsQCNtCH2sc (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Meanwhile, the video for “Made In China” has amassed 8.8 million YouTube views: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rILKm-DC06A (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Lauren Teixeira, “Higher Brothers Are Chinese Hip-Hop’s Greatest Hope,” Noisey, 28 January 2018, https://noisey.vice.com/en_us/article/xw4bkn/higher-brothers-profile-chinese-hip-hop (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Higher Brothers, “Black Cab”: https://youtu.be/YfZPz7okidc (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Higher Brothers, “7-11”: https://youtu.be/GOF9E2WirfE (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Fei Lu, “Why Higher Brothers Wasn’t Censored By China’s Government,” The Paper, 23 January 2018, http://www.papermag.com/higher-brothers-china-censorship-2528064793.html (accessed on 21 February 2018).
“能做商业,谁他妈愿意做地下:和重庆说唱歌手 GAI 一起”超社会” (Neng zuo shangye, shei tama yuanyi zuo dixia: he Chongqing shuochang geshou GAI yiqi ‘Chao shehui,’ If you could make money, who the fuck would want to be underground?:We get gangsta with Chongqing rapper GAI), Noisey, 15 October 2015, http://noisey.vice.cn/read/interview-with-rappeur-gai (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Ibidem.
See “从水浒到嘻哈:说唱文化与中国江湖” (Cong Shuihu dao xiha: shuochang wenhua yu Zhongguo jianghu, From water’s edge to hip-hop: Rap culture and China’s ‘Jianghu’), 界面文化(Jiemian Wenhua), 2 September 2017, http://www.sohu.com/a/169030139_99897611 (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Online: https://youtu.be/i7a8vwx3BPQ (accessed on 21 February 2018).
See the online video of his CCTV-3 performance: https://youtu.be/KugiopC40ac (accessed on 21 February 2018)
Alex Linder, “‘Stupid laowai’: Chengdu Rapper Comes out with Incredibly Racist Diss Track Against Foreigners,” Shanghaiist, 14 August 2017, http://shanghaiist.com/2017/08/14/stupid-laowai.php (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Meng Yaping, “‘The Rap of China’Turns Underground Music into Mainstream Hits,” CGTN, 23 July 2017, https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d4d444e3567444e/share_p.html (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Zhang Xingjian, “Chinese Pop Star’s Freestyle Becomes Instant Buzzword,” China Daily, 7 July 2017, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/life/2017-07/07/content_30030625_2.htm (accessed on 21 February 2018).
For example Tom Phillips, “Chinese Officials Hire Gangsta Rappers to Boost China’s Image Abroad,” The Guardian, 30 June 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/30/chinese-officials-hire-gangsta-rappeurs-to-boost-chinas-image-abroad ; Javier C. Hernández, “Propaganda With a Millennial Twist Pops Up in China,” The New York Times, 31 December 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/31/world/asia/china-propaganda-communist-party-millennials.html (accessed on 21 February 2018).
The Communist Youth League’s original message in Chinese can be read here: https://www.weibo.com/3937348351/FCO4auXuV?from=page_1001063937348351_profile&wvr=6&mod=wei-botime&type=comment#_rnd1518432363965 (accessed on 21 February 2018).
In December 2017, the punk band SMZB and metal band Voodoo Kungfu had already been the target of similar criticism. See Nathanel Amar, “Piece of Garbage Complains to China’s Bureau of Culture Regarding Punk Legends SMZB,” Unite Asia, 19 January 2018, https://uniteasia.org/piece-garbage-complains-chinas-bureau-culture-regarding-punk-legends-smzb/ (accessed on 21 February 2018).
“Why Hip-Hop Scares the Chinese Communist Party,” The Economist, 25 January 2018, https://www.economist.com/news/china/21735605-criticised-his-coarse-lyrics-rappeur-china-blames-influence-black-music-why-hip-hop (accessed on 21 February 2018).
See PG One’s message posted on Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/1875781361/FCOmqdspA?from=page_1005051875781361_profile&wvr=6&mod=weibotime&type=comment (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Jiayun Feng, “Report: China to Ban Tattoos and ‘Hip-hop Culture’ from TV Shows,” Sup China, 19 January 2018, http://supchina.com/2018/01/19/china-bans-tattoos-and-hip-hop-culture-from-tv-shows/ (accessed on 21 February 2018).
The copy of the SAPPRFT’s directives has not been confirmed by the organisation, but they are cited in “总局提出节目嘉宾标准:格调低纹身嘻哈文化不用,” op. cit., http://ent.sina.com.cn/tv/zy/2018-01-19/doc-ifyquptv7935320.shtml (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Michael Wines, “Loosening Rules, China Allows Facial and Neck Tattoos to Join Army,” The New York Times, 2 November 2011, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/world/asia/china-loosen-ing-rules-lets-tattoos-into-army.html (accessed on 21 February 2018).
“The Rise of Chinese Hip-Hop: From Underground to Mainstream,” Global Times, 18 December 2017, https://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1080811.shtml (accessed on 21 February 2018).
“Chinese Rapper Apologizes for Lewd Lyrics, Blames ‘Black Music’,” Global Times, 4 January 2018 http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1083357.shtml (accessed on 21 February 2018).
ZhangYiqian, “China’s Patriotic Hip-Hop Quickly Gains Steam as Rappers Repent Past Deviations,” Global Times, 8 January 2018, http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1083843.shtml (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Ai Jun, “Scandal Shows Hip-Hop Cannot Thrive in China,” Global Times, 8 January 2018, http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1083903.shtml (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Huang Tingting, “Once-Marginalized Hip-Hop Culture is Becoming One of China’s Hottest Trends,” Global Times, 9 January 2018, http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1084014.shtml (accessed on 21 February 2018).
The Global Times pronounced the song a “hit” despite attracting views in only the tens of thousands on the Chinese internet. It can be watched on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zpb6uKQDK1s (accessed on 21 February 2018).
“Chinese Rapper GAI Removed From Singing Show ‘Singer’: Reports,” Global Times, 18 January 2018, http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1085543.shtml (accessed on 21 February 2018).
“Hip-hop’s Prospects in China Seem Dim after Chinese Rappers Removed from TV Shows,” Global Times, 21 January 2018, http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1085836.shtml (accessed on 21 February 2018).
“77首喊麦歌曲被禁,MC天佑阿哲被迫改名,1000余名主播被封,喊麦将步嘻哈后尘?” (77 shou hanmai gequ bei jin, MC Tianyou A Zhe beipo gaiming, 1000 yu ming zhubo bei feng, hanmai jiang bu xiha houchen, With 77 hanmai songs banned, MC Tianyou forced to change his name and 1,000 users deleted, will hanmai suffer the same fate as hip-hop?), 网络大电影 (Wangluo da dianying), 27 January 2018, https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/z86ZkxQF8IuqDX1YjpCseQ (accessed on 21 February 2018).
Fan Shuhong, “77 Songs Banned on YY.com With New Regulations,” RadiiChina, 2 February 2018, https://radiichina.com/77-songs-banned-on-yy-com-with-new-regulations/; Kenrick Davis, “China’s Hip-Hop Haters Turn Their Ire to ‘Hanmai’,” Sixth Tone, 30 January 2018, http://www.sixthtone.com/news/1001631/chinas-hip-hop-haters-turn-their-ire-to-hanmai (accessed on 21 February 2018).
An Baijie, “Xi Urges Artists to Focus on the People,” China Daily, 28 September 2017, http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2017-09/28/content_32580095.htm (accessed on 21 February 2018).
“Le rappeur Sofiane condamné à quatre mois de prison avec sursis pour un clip sur l’autoroute” (Rapper Sofiane given a four-month suspended prison sentence for shooting a video on the motorway), Le Monde, 5 February 2018, http://www.lemonde.fr/police-justice/article/2018/02/05/le-rappeur-sofiane-condamne-a-quatre-mois-de-prison-avec-sursis-pour-un-clip-sur-l-autoroute_5252183_1653578.html (accessed on 23 February 2018).
“Up until the mid-1990s, people who worked in the entertainment world pointed to hip-hop’s rootedness in African American communities as a reason to doubt its possible takeoff in Japan, where different understandings of race, language, and social class prevail.” (Condry 2006: 11-12).
https://youtu.be/t9_jaIsuWFc (accessed on 9 April 2018).
Fan Shuhong, “GAI Returns with ‘Endless Flow’ After Being Banned from Chinese TV,” RadiiChina, 9 March 2018, https://radiichina.com/gai-returns-with-endless-flow-after-being-banned-from-chinese-tv/ (accessed on 9 April 2018).
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