I knew I should have worn my Testaverde jersey
I was going to write something here about how I don’t get the whole Chinese hip-hop thing, how it’s a rather unoriginal way for Chinese youth to express their individuality, how it would be nice to see these kids clinging to something more Chinese, something that could grow in China organically, the way rap did in America in the 1970s. I was going to write all that — but then I realized to do so would be stupid and hypocritical. These kids have just as much right to their rap music — maybe more — as little white Danny Washburn did in lily-white Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania in the 1980s. And I listened to rap music. Lots of it. I hooked up my stereo to a TV cable and was able to get Power 99-FM from Philadelphia. So I knew about all the new rap and R&B before even the guys at the record store on Main Street. It made me feel special. I liked being different. Eric B and Rakim were some cool motherf**kers, and because Follow The Leader occupied my Walkman, so was I. What’s more absurd: And honor student in rural Pennsylvania listening to gangsta rap or city kids in China flashing gang signs for photos?
The kids I saw last night at the Shanghai Hiphop II Party at Club Fusion had the style down, alright. In fact, it looked as though the event was cosponsored by Champs Sports and IcedOutGear.com. (Actually, it was cosponsored by ShanghaiNing.com and Sony-BMG, which helped release the Shanghai Rap CD that Friday’s partygoers got for free.) Where can you get cool retro NBA jerseys in huge sizes in Shanghai? Ask this guy. And if you’re a Christian in need of some bling, this guy might be able to point you in the right direction. And what of the music? Hard to say. I couldn’t understand any of the lyrics, save for the odd “baby girl,” “check it,” “murder” or “word up.” Actually, most people in China wouldn’t have been able to understand the lyrics. They were in Shanghainese, which is cool, because the dialect is at risk — fewer and fewer young Shanghainese are learning it. The beats, however, were universal — and, often, very tired and familiar. The only thing original about the music was the language. But give these guys some time. It’s early yet. And hey, Shanghainese rap is already less annoying than Vanilla Ice.
Links:
42 of my photots from Friday night on Flickr
All Flickr photos tagged “shanghaihiphop”
My videos from the show on YouTube (Direct links to the three clips: Bamboo Crew, Super Rap Crew, Super Rap Crew slows it down)
Shanghai Rap page on ShanghaiNing.com, with downloadable songs
Shanghai blogger Josh reviews Shanghainese rap songs
More at Shanghaiist.
07.30.2005, 9:01 PM · Audio, Music, Observations, Photos, Video · Comments (3)
I think I have found my bar … finally
If I had owned my own label, I would have signed the dude to a record deal on the spot. A Chinese guy who can handle indie rock and reggae? Not to mention the fact that he had more stage presence than there was stage. Not to mention the fact that he went toe-to-toe with the police in between sets. Not to mention the fact that he always appeared to be stoned or drunk — or both — until he opened his mouth to sing. This guy had rock star written all over him. And he was performing for a crowd of a few dozen in an unassuming watering hole tucked away on a lonesome residential Shanghai street, far away from where the city’s pretty people play on Saturday nights.
It was exactly where I wanted to be.
The bar is called Tang Hui Pub and it is located at 13 Xingfu Lu, near Fahuazhen Lu. On my city map, it’s about five inches northwest of Xujiahui. It was a 16 kuai cab ride from my apartment on Madang Lu. I first learned of Tang Hui from a Swedish journalist named Ola Wong who plays electric bass for the country band Shanghai Cowboys and used to play in a punk band back in Sweden. Then, after I posted my Top 25 Albums of 2004 a reader commented that I should DJ at Tang Hui. And then at brunch on Saturday with Cecil and Bliss at Zentral, Bliss stumbled upon an article about Tang Hui in one of Shanghai’s 107 English-language magazines. We decided to finally check the place out. (Cecil couldn’t go, having purchased an RMB 700 (!) ticket to attend the black-tie St. Patrick’s Day Ball at the Pudong Shangri-La. Tickets included dinner and “free” flow of Jameson and Guinness — but they also reportedly included river dancing and Bee Gees covers by one of Shanghai’s 107 Filipino bands.)
03.14.2005, 1:10 AM · Audio, Bars, Music, Observations, Video · Comments (8)
THE YEAR’S BEST MUSICit’s real good
good friends. good food. kick-ass southern rock. big-ass tattoos. a newpaper-reading cow. and a statue of a confederate soldier who is really a rough rider from the spanish-american war.
what more could a person ask for from four days in georgia?
click here and you will see:
07.21.2003, 1:25 AM · Audio, Music, Photos, Summer Tour 2003 · Comments (2)
taxi driver: “no psychos”
make this photo your desktop image!
Dazhong Taxi Co., Shanghai
Passenger Notice
Rule No. 2: “Passengers are not allowed to carry with them any contraband goods, smoke, spit, or to dump inside taxis. Psychos or drunkards without guardians are prohibited to take taxis. Be sure to check your belongings when you get off.”
Standard Service Process
“A. Pasengers get on — ask for the destination — choose the roads — open the taxi meter
B. Reach the destination — pause — quote — print
C. Settle the taxi fare — declare the amount received from the passenger — give back change — give receipt
D. Passengers get off — remind — check — say goodbye”
Click here to hear the recorded voice you hear when you enter a Jinjiang taxi — the nice white ones — in Shanghai. The English part starts after 16 seconds and says: "Hello passenge. Welcome to take Jinjiang taxi. We will provide service for you with all my heart. Our call number is 62155555 (inaudible). Wish you have a pleasant journey."
audiophiles: the sounds of shanghai … and beyond
| • A teenage girl plays the erhu, a traditional Chinese string instrument, on a street in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded February 7, 2003. | |
| • A blind man is a one-man-band on a street in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded February 7, 2003. | |
| • Two guys jamming with a banjo and an erhu in an open room off the main drag in Ningming, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded February 2, 2003. | |
| • A guy playing a leaf like a harmonica at the Huashan Hotel’s nightly performance of traditional singing and dancing. Recorded January 31, 2003 in Panlong in the Zuo Jiang Scenic Area in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. | |
| • The staff of the Huashan Hotel during its nightly performance of traditional singing and dancing. Recorded January 31, 2003 in Panlong in the Zuo Jiang Scenic Area in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. | |
| • The first female soloist during a Beijing Opera production in Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded January 28, 2003 in Beibuwan Square. | |
| • The opening music for a Beijing Opera production in Beihai, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded January 28, 2003 in Beibuwan Square. | |
| • A big guy holding flowers singing at an outdoor video karaoke booth in Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded January 26, 2003. | |
| • A guy with a harmonica on the streets of Nanning, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Recorded January 26, 2003. | |
| • The call of the final point of the Australian Open women’s final between Serena Williams and Venus Williams as heard on CCTV-5. Recorded January 25, 2003 in Room 512 of the Le Hu Guesthouse. | |
| • The recorded voice you hear when you enter a Jinjiang taxi — the nice white ones — in Shanghai. The English part starts after 16 seconds and says: "Hello passenge. Welcome to take Jinjiang taxi. We will provide service for you with all my heart. Our call number is 62155555 (inaudible). Wish you have a pleasant journey." Recorded January 21, 2003 on Hegnshan Lu. | |
| • Dan and his Chinese instructor Peter sing the Chinese children’s song "Zhao Peng You," or "Looking for a Friend." Recorded Jan. 1, 2003. | |
| • New music from Heather Shayne Blakeslee. Recorded in Room C319 at Shanghai University on Dec. 12, 2002. The song is called "I’m All Right." To learn more about Heather, visit www.heathershayneblakeslee.com. | |
| • The chants of Buddhist monks during a prayer service at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, China. Recorded Dec. 10, 2002. | |
| • The odd high-pitched call of "Georgie Bush," a Turkish guy who cooks lamb kebabs in front of AFanti Delicious Food Public Place Entertainment, a Xinjiang restaurant in Shanghai. Recorded in December 2002. I forget the day. |
02.15.2003, 1:51 PM · Audio, Multimedia
