This post is the second of a 4-part series on Rock in Shanghai. Here are links to other posts in the series: Part 1: DJs, MCs; Part 3: Venues, Nights; Part 4: Media, Crossover, Brands.
In terms of influence, the underground hip-hop scene in Shanghai is highly influenced by Western hip-hop, especially those involved in old-school hip-hop and turntablism. While some musicians may use Chinese elements and topics during the creation process of a mix or song, the vast majority of their influence comes from Western hip-hop.
Gary Wang, founder of The Lab, explains the current influences and style of Chinese hip-hop: "I would say we don’t have a Chinese style yet. If you really want me to say, what is Chinese style, I would say it's young, local kids really enjoy Western things right now. Then maybe after 10 or 15 years, maybe they can have their own style."
The Lab's list of influences includes a wide range of hip-hop, soul and funk artists: "Dj Premier, Neptunes, Beat Junkies, Timbaland, Dr. Dre, Evil Dee, Lord Finesse, X-ecutionars, Nas, Mobb Deep, Common, ATCQ, Kanye West, Jay-Z, Jadakiss, Lox, Run DMC, Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Outkast, James Brown, Rick James, Mary J Blige, WU TANG CLAN, DITC, BIG L, TUPAC, BIG, Freaky Tah, Proof, J dilla, RIP. "
Tang King, the Shanghainese MC and member of Redstar recognizes the need to develop a local style, rather than just following Western influences: "Adding your local style and adapting it to your country is important to making your own hip-hop," he says. "We should focus on how to combine Chinese and American hip-hop and create a hip-hop culture that really belongs to our own country."
In terms of lyrics, the original cultural expression of hip-hop was a way for marginalized groups in African American culture to voice social and economic inequalities in the US. Without the same cultural context, Chinese hip-hop deals with alternative themes, largely apolitical, including the praise of hip-hop, love and everyday life issues.
Because of the Western hip-hop influence, English is prominent in Chinese hip-hop and even more so in the past when many people believed that Chinese was not as suitable to rapping. However, lately, there has been more use of Chinese language in rapping including the incorporation of local dialects -- Cantonese, Shanghainese, Kunminghua, Beijing, etc.
In 2005, Sony-BMG and ShanghaiNing.com put out the first Shanghainese rap compilation, titled《有啥讲啥@ Shanghai》("Whatever you have to say, just say it @ Shanghai).
In terms of demographics, the hip-hop scene in Shanghai is composed of a mix of Chinese and foreigners, whose age ranges from high school up to late 30s. Because of the strong foreign roots, foreigners often make up a significant portion of the people at hip-hop events.
The general style and fashion is strongly influenced by American streetwear / hip-hop with many of the younger scenesters paying close attention to the latest fashions. Prominent fashion items include baseball caps, doorags, jewelery, basketball jerseys and name-brand streetwear clothing. At the same time, there is a significant portion of more mature musicians and DJs who eschew the obsession with the latest hip -hop fashions in favor of more understated, old school style and a focus on the music.
