Some people always think that Rapper must be a dirty braid, a flower arm, a mouth of gold teeth, a chain, preferably a black skin color. This inherent understanding always makes us feel that Hip-Hop culture never belongs to us, and as a Rapper who looks "unlike" Rapper, Wang Ether tells everyone in his own way and attitude: Hip-Hop is never an imported product.
"Men's Clothing" = F King Ether = W
F: In your works, the degree of singing is "Eyes Do Not Turn", the degree of walking is "Fairy Tales", and the lyrics are meant to be "Time is Golden", so do you personally think that in the future you want to fill in the parts of your works?
W: I think the three aspects you just mentioned are only superficial by my standards. These are changing with my life and age, and I just want to express what I want to express a little more clearly, so for me, it is enough to really do one of these three aspects, which is actually very difficult.
F: Can I understand that the three songs just mentioned in your standards cannot be your masterpieces?
W: I don't want any masterpieces, and I don't want to label myself. I want to be someone who can consistently output, who wants someone to listen to my songs all the time, to be interested in me all the time.
F: Many people say that your words are very narrative, mostly out of emotional thinking, will marriage make you have a deeper emotional expression?
W: There will definitely be, and the new album will write about this aspect, that is, the inspiration that comes to me after marriage and so on. I think marriage is not the end of a thing, many people say "marriage is the graveyard of love", I think this statement is Bullshit, marriage is a new beginning, will let you know a lot of things that you did not understand before, but also to re-understand yourself.
F: Before participating in the show, you have become slightly famous with your own strength, and after you go out of the circle, you have gained a lot of "fans", is it obvious that your fan base has changed before and after this? How do you feel?
W: Of course there have been changes, but I'm happy with the changes. Before participating in the variety show, it was really quite bitter, there was no way to attract more people to be interested in this thing, but with this platform, the number of practitioners and listeners is greatly increasing, everyone's choice is also changing, we still have a long way to go, and there are more and more people to promote, which is a very happy thing.
F: Now that a lot of your fans listen to your songs because they like you rather than hip-hop, do you have any difficulties in not being understood by your own audience or being culturally isolated from them?
W: Yes, but I don't think it's a big deal. I used to be a person who revered purism, and it seemed like I was playing Hip-Hop, and I had to do "rap of the most rap". But now I'm more and more inclusive, as if most of my songs are really for fans, but my intention is to wait until they hear this song and want to hear my next one, what if he hears the song that he thinks is the most hip-hop, and then he starts to really have a strong interest in our hip-hop culture? It's quite interesting, but these are actually indirectly helping me to restore my purity.
F: How do you feel about some of the labels that some of your fans have given you, such as "milk cute", "crying", "small fresh meat", etc., which are somewhat contrary to the image of Rapper?
W: Actually, I'm not used to using such words to describe myself, but it doesn't hurt and it doesn't matter to me. This is the fan's expression of love for you, and the way you look in their eyes is as long as it is a positive image. Appearance factors are secondary to me, and if you're a very stylish person musically, there's no need to say anything else. Most followers may have different starting points, but it is enough to have the same foothold.
F: From underground to aboveground, which lifestyle do you personally prefer?
W: On the ground, at least there are more possibilities and more opportunities on the ground, but the only thing not to forget is that you came down from the ground.
F: But like a lot of people who adhere to the "purism" you said before, they may still think that the underground cultural circle is more suitable for this cultural atmosphere.
W: Because it's more comfortable and safe, if we still exist underground, if we exist in niche circles, a lot of things are controllable. Your behavior will not cause trouble to the fans, you will not be chased and blocked when you walk on the street, and you can truly own your own life. But fish and bear paws cannot be combined, and the earth gives you unlimited possibilities. Above ground, underground is actually not so important, the important thing is that you have to know what you want to get, or what is the direction of your efforts, do not affect your mood and direction of making music because you are on the ground or underground, no matter what, no matter where you are, we are making music, are promoting this culture together.
F: I heard that you sold out one of your shows in advance tickets in a minute, is this a sense of accomplishment for you? Why was it that at that time, it was a joke, thinking that there were scalpers maliciously grabbing tickets?
W: It's really scalpers grabbing tickets! Although the side reflects that rap is becoming more and more popular, this is too unfair to fans who really want to listen to the song. Even if I didn't sell a single ticket, it wouldn't have much impact on me. I remember when I first started to post "Staring", there was no audience, it would be in a small bar in Chengdu, about forty or fifty people around me to sing the song, I regarded the performance as a relatively private thing, more and more people liked me of course very happy, but even if only one or two people stood under the stage to listen to me sing, I would not be lost.
F: In fact, is it enough to satisfy your desire to express yourself?
W: Yes, that's what I meant when I made music, and all the people who really make music are there to satisfy their desire for expression.
F: There are many performances involved, do you prefer to perform solo or stand on stage with friends?
W: I may prefer a personal show, first of all, because I can bring a band, I have control over the cost and the like, and then my carefully choreographed performance will not be approved because of a certain song, and the second is that the communication with the fans will be more direct. But the next album is different, it's a joint album of me and Aije, so it's definitely going to be the two of us most of the time, whether it's a tour or a music festival or something.
F: When you talk about working with other people, as far as I know before, you rarely have Trap when you release your own singles, but most of them are Trap when you work with others, as a CDC-born person, do you have some specific definition of your own style?
W: No definition, it's all music I like, listening to songs every day, I probably spend 2 hours listening to Trap, 2 hours listening to Jazz, 2 hours listening to Funk... I want each of my albums to have a rich form of expression, sweet and sour, moody and sad, I think there must be, so I am not willing to limit my style in the album, but when working with others, most of them are dry together, and Trap is the most dry.
F: When you first filmed, you heard you play Kendrick Lamar's song, do you like him more?
W: I like a lot of Rapper, and I listen to it more mixedly, and I'm especially willing to listen more, absorb more of everyone's strengths, and then turn it into my own strength.
F: Speaking of Rapper abroad, Hip-Hop is actually an imported product for us, right?
W: I don't think Hip-Hop is an import, it's just summed up by black Americans at a specific time, in a specific social environment. We can actually think that Hip-Hop has existed since ancient times, it is accompanied by human nature, the emergence of Hip-Hop only more aroused human desire for art expression, such as you give a child a crayon, his first thought is to paint on the wall, such as the former Dunhuang murals can also be called "graffiti" today. It is human nature, so it is preserved.
F: Have you ever considered why foreign Rappers treat spending a lot of money, pusssy, weed" as cool, while domestic Rapper once it is put on the identity of "artist", it has to create a good man's personality, and fans also pursue Rapper like Idol, do you think this is a taste for Hip-Hop? Or is it that in our context, these are all necessities and necessities?
W: In terms of musical attributes, one side of the water and soil to support the other, just like the east and west coasts of the United States, the rap style is also different, not to mention the generational difference between the Eastern countries and the Western countries, which is understandable, and there is no standard answer.
Secondly, "every country has its own national anthem", as a creator, you should find various ways to find inspiration, rather than learning the behavior of others, that is, to make excuses for your desires. Hip-Hop has its own unique look in every country, and I think that's what makes it fascinating. As for creating a good man's personality, I want to say, what you are is what you are, behind your "artist" and "star" labels, you are a person, a musician, then the most important thing is to do the music well, right? Don't be wronged by your dreams, no one is perfect, and people who listen to songs should also focus on the songs, not on the life of the singers, everyone is an independent individual, everyone has their own life.
F: In 2019, I was selected as the "Forbes China Under 30 Elite", which is a greater sense of achievement for you or a greater sense of achievement for your own work to win the Annual Golden Melody Award?
W: To be honest, this kind of "achievement" will only make me happy on the day, and what makes me feel the most accomplished is the direct feedback from the fans. For example, someone said to me, "Your song has accompanied me throughout my tired senior year of high school"; another time we were drinking, and a child waited at the door until we finished drinking, asked me for an autograph, and told me, "You must make music well, China needs you to be such a serious music maker", I think these are the highlights of my sense of achievement.
F: Got goosebumps.
W: I was just sobering up, and for a moment I felt that as long as there was such a person, I would make music forever.
Edit = Mr. Zuo
Photography = Wang Yongxing
Interview + text = Candy Dispenser
Costume styling = Jade Xiaoyu
Makeup & Hair = Stan Lee Universe
Edit Assistant = jim
Reproduction without permission is prohibited!
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