Pop into any hip hop show and you’re more than lately going to find a crowd of hungry fans and rappers soaking in the humid beats and free styling antics of Beijing’s many seasoned rappers. Simply put, hip-hop sells like gangbusters today here in China. I was able to get my first taste in some time of the Beijing hip hop scene with the Ran Music showcase at Omni Space spotlighting one of the genre’s most respected artists, j-fever, whose free wheeling, playful, philosophical and sometimes downright surreal spin on the genre has made him stand out among the rest. Dude compares his taking of a whizz to Beethoven’s symphony for crying out loud. Yeah, j-fever’s a bit of a freak and all the better for it. However, while the show was positioned as a hip hop event in support of j-fever’s latest release, it was also a killer showcase for Ran Music’s diverse and sexy slate of producers and electronic musicians – from the guqin-infused L+R, the breakbeat speed of thruoutin, the techno heatwaves of Another Van, and the funky fun of Hielektromen, to finally the assured soulful hip hop production of Major. A lot of tunes to take in on a stormy Sunday afternoon but proof once again that Ran Music knows how to throw a party. More pictures and video below.
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