‘The Rap of China 2024’ Is Your Next Binge Watch

Welcome to Golden Dragon, a newsletter by Eric Diep about Asians in hip-hop and my takes on trending topics in AAPI pop culture. Golden Dragon is a rotation of interviews, reviews, news, critical perspectives, and random blogs about music I recommend.

Here’s What I’m Unleashing Today 🐲

• An introduction to The Rap of China and some thoughts on American hip-hop's influence on China.

• Diep Cuts by Bohan Phoenix, Melo, Epik High, Lil Boi, and Yuki Chiba.

I am spending the summer avoiding the heat by watching Season 7 of The Rap of China 2024. I’m currently nine episodes in, invested in finding out who has the hottest bars to be crowned the winner.

My introduction to Chinese hip-hop was in 2017, which was the same time I started watching the first season of The Rap of China. I learned about the “你有freestyle” (do/can you freestyle?) meme that took over China’s social media platforms. I started to root for my favorites like Gai and Jonny J. I was highly entertained by the variety show antics and competition.

Just as the show was resonating with viewers, China aimed at the nascent hip-hop scene in 2018, banning the culture and actors with tattoos on television. It was an attempt to control what could be a bad influence on society after a rapper’s song promoted drug culture and insulted women. Years later, to see hip-hop remain in the Chinese zeitgeist and evolve made me tap back into The Rap of China.  

The Rap of China is the best introduction to Chinese hip-hop. The show has a wide pool of contestants. There are returning stars from previous seasons. There are surprise legacy acts that compete. There are popular pop idols who can also rap, rising favorites, and eccentric artists who bring props to freestyle.

The returning celebrity judges/mentors for Season 7 are Taiwanese rapper MC HotDog and Taiwanese rock and hip-hop musician Chang Chen-Yue. Joining them are Chinese singer and actor Adam Fan, Chinese rapper Xie Di (Fat Shady), Chinese rapper Fa Lao (Pharoah), Chengdu rapper KeyNG, Tablo of South Korean rap group Epik High, and Chinese singer, songwriter, and former member of The Flowers, Wowkie Zhang.

Here’s what you need to know about The Rap of China.