- Title: UK: Bling but no sting for Chinese rappers
- Date: 24th February 2008
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (RECENT) (REUTERS) CHINESE RAP GROUP DRAGON TONGUE SQUAD PERFORMING FREESTYLE RAP IN REHEARSAL STUDIO (KIRBY LEE WEARING PINK SWEATSHIRT AND WHITE GLASSES / CRAZY CHEF WEARING RED AND YELLOW TEE-SHIRT AND WITH DREADLOCKS / J-FEVER AKA LIL' TIGER WEARING BLACK AND WHITE SWEATSHIRT) KIRBY LEE'S FEET DANCING DRAGON TONGUE SQUAD RAPPING "FROM LONDON TO BEIJING - BEIJING TO LONDON" HANDS OF DJ PHAT (EAST-ASIAN BRITISH DJ) SCRATCHING RECORDS ON TURNSTYLE AS HE FREESTYLES WITH DRAGON TONGUE SQUAD DRAGON TONGUE SQUAD RAPPING IN MANDARIN DJ PHAT SCRATCHING RECORDS SUKI MOK, (EAST-ASIAN BRITISH FLAMENCO GUITAR PLAYER) PERFORMING FREESTYLE WITH DRAGON TONGUE SQUAD / PULL BACK TO SEE DRAGON TONGUE SQUAD ENDING SONG / RAPPERS CLAP AT END OF SONG
- Embargoed: 10th March 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
- Reuters ID: LVA3RA5WN2L7TFGXP0AFXF6TLOHH
- Story Text: They're from Beijing and they've got the bling - but Chinese rappers' lyrics don't sting. Dragon Tongue Squad, visiting London as part of a cultural festival, look the epitome of Western hip hop -- but the similaritythere.
They've got the attitude, the swagger and the baggy jeans but instead of rapping about "slappin' ya bitch up," Chinese hip hop group, Dragon Blue Tongue, sing about cooking.
The Beijing band are in London as part of a festival of Chinese culture ahead of the Olympics.
They will be playing at the Royal Opera House later this week, but their first introduction to London's music scene was less salubrious -- a dingy rehearsal studio in a west-London trading estate, where they're collaborating with some East Asian British musicians.
"We rap about Chinese food, Chinese dishes, and Chinese ordinary things, daily life, daily struggle," Kirby Lee told Reuters.
While they certainly take their influence musically from the hard-edged gangsta rap born on the streets of inner city America, the similaritythere.
"We are not gansters and we do not call a woman 'bitch' or ho," Lee said of the squeaky clean lyrics, adding rather quaintly, "That's not my cup of tea."
They're looking to inject Chinese culture into the Western style of music. Their song about cooking -- in which Kirby Lee, J-Fever, aka Lil'Tiger and Crazy Chef shout out in Mandarin "stir fry....quick cook.....chop suey....steam" in celebration of the cuisine, also includes traditional Chinese sounds and instruments.
With the right to party in China still very controlled by the Party, Dragon Tongue Squad toe the line.
Lee said their record label, KKP Productions, will cut out any lyrics the authorities would deem subversive.
"For the album, maybe the company will cancel the 'bad' songs, which maybe you talk about politics, about the violence," and whilst swearing is common in China, it's still bleeped out of the young rappers' songs.
"In our chat, we will use dirty words - but on the album they will beep or mute the swear words...to make it clean - that's funny stuff I think," Lee said.
So they say they stick to what interests the youth of China - trainers, jobs and most of all - sex.
The ten-day visit to London is the first ever China-UK hip hop exchange. London's hip hop scratch DJ, Kevin Quan, aka DJ Phat and guitarist Suki Mok, don't understand a word Dragon Tongue Squad say (they speak Cantonese not Mandarin) but after their debut freestyle session they were impressed.
"Those guys have obviously got a brilliant flow. I am just really quite honoured to be working with these guys," said Mok. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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