Featuring some of the best Chinese hip-hop artists, the Strawberry Music Festival in Shanghai was lit! Not only were there performances, but there were rap battles too. This article will attempt to answer a common question posed by hip-hop enthusiasts. Who are the best Chinese hip-hop artists?
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Candlelight dances on the walls and ceiling. The dance of light unveils Lucas’ face as he struts toward the kitchen. A vanilla aroma from the candles wafts through his apartment. He anticipates the scent will make him increasingly delicious once the night unfurls. His wife Ariel nudges the front door open, plops her bags down on the cold ceramic floor, and wobbles around untying her shoes. Lucas seats himself hastily. Ariel occupies her mind with yet another frustrating day at work, so it takes her a few seconds to realize her environment. Ariel gawks, wondering aloud what the special occasion is. “You,” replies Lucas — in a way reminiscent of T.J. Thyne, the main character in the short film “Validation”. Good riddance to Friday night takeout (外卖 wàimài, a term usually used for “takeout” over the phone), Ariel thinks.
The 圣诞 shèngdàn in 圣诞节 shèngdànjié (Christmas) sounds like 剩蛋 shèng dàn (leftover eggs). Here we have a commonly used Chinese pun for Christmas: 剩蛋节 shèngdànjié (Leftover Eggs Festival). Homophones — words that sound the same but have different meanings — often create unanticipated laugh-out-loud situations in Chinese. They have scintillated hip-hop heads for decades, yet the technical term may have remained overlooked. Here are two examples from pun-lover Jay-Z:
