The Paper's reporter Fan Jialai intern Zhang Wanzhi
From "underground" to "aboveground", Chinese rap has become popular overnight, but it has also experienced sudden silence. This summer, a variety show of "everything can rap" made rap stand at the center of public opinion again.
Chen Jinnan
Rapper Chen Jinnan, born in 1998, sang a song dedicated to depressed patients on stage, "Malice from the World". The lyrics were filled with sympathy for the depressed girl, and after the show aired, she received more than 3,000 private messages and comments at once.
A 16-year-old teenager who had already had the idea of taking his own life because of severe depression, told Chen Jinnan, "I thought I was going to stay at the age of sixteen forever, and I wouldn't have a future life." But after listening to this song, I felt that I could still live. ”
In addition to Chen Jinnan, the songs of other contestants invariably turn their attention to reality: for example, Doggie's song was written for a male student who was killed for helping a classmate who was violently attacked on campus, and the college entrance examination was replaced by a female student who went to college. Yu Zhen used a song "She and Her and Her" to reflect on women's unfair experiences in the workplace and life; TangoZ (Zhong Qi) showed a fluent Wu language on the stage, and his singing of "Love Paradise" was retweeted and liked by the official Weibo of the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Stills from the first phase of Rap New Generation
In the self-produced rap variety show "Rap New Generation" on Station B, Rap is no longer just a form of music, but a way to express personal attitudes: the contestants use music to attack school bullying, call for educational fairness, care for depressed patients, and integrate rap with public topics worth paying attention to. "For Rapper, the highest compliment is not a 'musician,' but an expressor." Chen Jinnan said.
Rap in the Circle: Stemming from a love of "expression"
Chen Jinnan, who wears a short skirt and a double ponytail in the eyes of others, is a rather tough "Battle MC" in the rap circle. The so-called Battle, that is, two players through the 1V1 way of fighting, with improvised rhyming sentences to attack each other, if one of the words is particularly fierce and "explosive point", the audience will give crazy cheers, and finally the highest voice wins.
This form of rap, which originated in the streets of black people, came to China and absorbed the blood of local culture, evolved more grounded gameplay, and gradually formed China's unique underground Battle culture. Because the aura of battle was too strong, Chen Jinnan was even given a title by his opponent as "Rap Circle Wei Yongluo".
Born in Jilin, Chen Jinnan has loved music since he was a child, but because of the poor conditions at home, he has not been able to contact professional instruments. As a teenager, she began to contact rap, listening to the songs of "Right Turn Killer" and Song Yueting, and was immediately attracted to this slightly special form of music.
Contestants perform live
"Rap is given to the face, whether I have read a book, understand professional music knowledge, like this melody or not, I can feel the creator's emotions, psychological activities and attitudes of expression, without the need for other turning media." It came straight up to me, directly hit me, offended me, which was particularly attractive. ”
In 2014, Chen Jinnan began to compose his own rap, and gradually began to haunt some underground (underground) Battle competitions, and won the national third place in "Dry One Vote" in 2018. She has a musical talent and often writes a melody while humming a song. "I am very willful, I want to write a few sentences, I don't want to write a few words, just put it there, just like writing a diary, especially life." 」
Under her Weibo, it is common to comment on appearance, such as "you are too fat, it is time to lose weight", and the 22-year-old girl is quite transparent and confident. "Others say I'm fat and ugly, I say, the old lady is beautiful, I'm Northeast Fan Bingbing."
subs
When it comes to the origin of the love of rap, "strength" and "expression" are the high-frequency words that Rapper answers. Born in 1999, Subs volunteered to the program team and won the opportunity to participate in "Rap New Generation", which was also his first time to participate in a variety show. "I want to paint a home with mom and dad sitting in it who will never argue" "I want all the girls, and I won't be afraid to walk at night." "The circle of "Painting" makes all the audience remember this somewhat shy and introverted teenager.
He told the surging news reporter that after the program was broadcast, he sat in front of the computer every day and repeatedly looped the clips of his performance, feeling particularly happy. Six years ago, he was first exposed to the form of rap and felt that "it is very powerful and can express a lot of things". His "Painting" stems from personal experience: "When I was young, my parents often quarreled, which made me very unhappy; I also saw a lot of uncomfortable news, such as young girls encountering danger, innocent children being hurt, feeling very angry, and wanted to write this feeling with a pen." ”
Live number
Because of his slightly mature appearance, the 30-year-old "Shengfan" was jokingly called "Uncle" in the show. He got married, had a daughter, had a mustache, spoke a Beijing accent, staged funny imitation shows at any time, and was often called to participate in the "Happy Comedians". Seemingly careless, Sheng Fan is actually a core member of the label "Danzhen Beijing" and a senior elder of the Beijing rap circle.
In his recollection, he was exposed to rap because of the influence of his brother when he was young. "He graduated from Peking University and lives near Zhongguancun, and I always loved to play with him when I was a child. Seeing that there were a lot of shops selling SDS over there, the owner said that your generation should listen to and hear more, and then bought a few, and when I returned home, I was fascinated and listened to it repeatedly. ”
Decibel.com is an early original music platform in China and an early source of inspiration for Shengfan. "I think it's cool to say it with Chinese", with this simple idea, Shengfan also began to write some of his childish ideas into lyrics and post them on the Internet, and Rap has since become his lifelong hobby. "Compared with general pop music, rap can carry more formal content, and many rappers feel the same way."
Occupation: Income is unstable, but the industry is getting better
"It wasn't until recent years that rap was noticed by most people in society." Shengfan once experienced the most depressed period in the rap industry: the band did not have money to rent instruments, lost money to run performances, and there were more Rappers on the field than in the audience. He has been in the Beijing rap scene for decades, witnessing rap spreading and growing in the streets of the city – as one of the first cities in China to embrace Western culture after the reform and opening up, Beijing was one of the first cities to listen to foreign music and one of the earliest cities in China.
After 2010, major hip-hop labels were established, ironmic and eight miles underground, and began to become a platform for many battle MC competitions. In a bar in Beijing called Section 6, many underground rappers such as Little Tiger, Lil Ray and so on were born. In Shengfan's memories, narrow and stuffy small bars, simple stereos and crowded crowds are the true portrayal of underground rap culture.
Although he is well-known in the circle, Shengfan has always regarded rap as a hobby and has never given up his job. He has been working in the watch industry for ten years and is already the youngest store manager in the entire unit. "Every year, the host of the annual meeting has to come to me, and the whole unit knows who I am."
After the program was broadcast, the leaders of his unit listened to the songs he wrote, and sent him a message, rapping really well, and one person also said: "Baby, you sang to me and cried", which made him a little embarrassed. "The leader said: After so many years of colleagues, I didn't expect you to be so talented."
Sheng Fan confessed that he needed a serious career and a stable income to support his hobbies. "As I get older, I don't dare to leave my career and become a full-time Rapper. Because I am married and have children, I must give an account to the parents of both sides and to my own family. ”
The lyrics of "And Stand" sing his changes and sing his feelings. "Identity changes from the husband of the child to the father of the child, and carries on his shoulder something called responsibility. You see that time is like an arrow, children and daughters are complete, no longer a teenager has gone through the butterfly to break the cocoon, but stand in the present, raise a glass to send the year. Shengfan said that since the birth of his daughter, he rejected all unnecessary liquor bureaus, thinking about going home early every day, and the reason why he sang this song at the age of 30 was also to leave an album and give it to his daughter in the future.
"Rap is not the mainstream form of music in China, and everyone will worry about its prospects and future direction, and wonder if it can support itself." Chen Jinnan said that it is recognized that there are few female Rappers in the circle, and there are practical factors behind it. "Girls need to face a lot of things, at a certain age, the family will urge marriage, have children, at this time simple dreams are difficult to fight against the real factors." There are not many girls who play rap well around, but they often give up their dreams because of reading, falling in love or under pressure at home, which I think is a pity. ”
The hot pot time that Chen Jinnan showed in Weibo
She confessed that in fact, her family is against her taking the road of professional Rapper, because she feels that her income is unstable, and her friends around her also hope that she can choose a more comfortable job, but friends in the rap circle encourage her: "Chen Jinnan, you can do it, come on." ”
"During my school days, I always took rap as a hobby, until I finished my studies, passed my work internship, and I had the most basic income to maintain food and clothing, and then I considered being a full-time Rapper. This is equivalent to leaving myself a way out, in addition to rapping, I have other abilities and abilities to survive in society. Chen Jinnan said. This is also an explanation to the family, so that they no longer worry about me, worry about what I will do when I get old, what to do when I can't eat music. ”
Subs' parents have also been watching him in front of the TV screen. "After watching it, my mom said, I should lose this game; my dad said, my face is too big, I have to lose weight." Prior to participating in the festival, Subs studied fine arts in Changzhou and then worked as a full-time rapper. "I don't have my own income, but my parents have been supporting me and encouraging me, and they think I'm still very young, at this age, I should chase and work hard for my dreams."
"Rap is an imported product, and you need to create your own style"
As an imported art form, the broadcast of "China Has Hip Hop" in 2018 made rap go from the underground to the spotlight. Rappers are pleased that rap has moved from niche music to the public eye as it continues to break the loop.
Sheng Fan feels that the younger generation of singers, both in technology and in ideas, is more mature than his peers. "Rap is characterized by authenticity, to retain what you think, rather than pretending to be mature. The expression of that moment is yourself. ”
In recent years, the benchmarking of the market has made many contemporary young Rappers tend to cater to the audience's preferences, but Shengfan insists on his own style. "I'm not happy is unhappy, write an unpleasant song to curse the world, don't go pop for the sake of pop." In his view, the young Rapper who has just entered the industry listens to songs more, often records songs, often posts songs, turns his ideas into his own creations at any time, and slowly finds balance.
In the past two years, rap has been well integrated in China, but it is inevitable to encounter some water and soil dissatisfaction. Almost all Rappers have English names, Flow, Hook, Respect, Real, Peace, Love, which are words that rapper often hangs on their lips and writes into songs. As for underground, the literal translation is underground, but only with underground can it seem to reflect that sense of pride from the street.
How should Chinese rap combine imported culture to create its own? In Shengfan's eyes, this is a question worth pondering for today's Rapper, such as the fusion of Chinese folk songs and Peking opera in "And Li"—he used a chanel sentence as an analogy: "Popularity is fleeting, but style is eternal." ”
Chen Jinnan told the surging news reporter that his dream is to be a rapper with a humanistic atmosphere. "I want my rap to be not just musical, but also to express my opinions on one thing, which is why I play rap in the first place." After the show was broadcast, she used to read the replies and comments of netizens all night, and the next day she got up and her eyes were crying and swollen. "I can't talk all night with everyone who has lost the will to live, so I wrote this song in the hope of bringing them a little comfort and a little encouragement."
Among those who replied to her, there were fat girls with small eyes and collapsed noses, who envied her confidence in being able to stand on the stage bravely; there were also students who studied alone, saying that they were very hard, and felt warm after listening to her songs, as well as boys who suffered from school violence, girls who were suppressed by long-term emotions and did not pay attention... Chen Jinnan said that he tried to write encouragement for them in the lyrics: "You see how great you are, you will definitely grow into what you like, this is not your problem, you don't need to prove to anyone, the malice of the world is just a farce, if you don't have much courage left now, I have been with you, I hope you have gone through thousands of sails, still radiant." It also made her feel the meaning of her existence as a creator.
"I hope Chinese rap can get better and better, because it's getting better and better, and I'm getting better and better." Subs said his Weibo called "Happy People Subs" said that this is because he himself has always felt unhappy, so he hopes to make more people feel happy through his songs.
The broadcast of the show gave him the opportunity to be known by more people, and it was also a new starting point for career development - in the recording interval, he had begun to compose a theme song for an anime work, "but to compete with many people, who writes well will choose whoever." ”
Editor-in-Charge: Liang Jia
Proofreader: Zhang Liangliang