Taiwanese hip hop

Taiwanese hip hop music started in the early 1990s, popularized by the early hip hop trio L.A. Boyz.[1] A distinctive style of rap emerged using Taiwanese Hokkien as opposed to the Mandarin Chinese used in Mandopop.

Early Years: Harlem Yu

The first Mandarin rap song was done by singer-songwriter Harlem Yu in Taiwan, who is known for being one of the first artist to experiment with R&B and rap in the Mandopop music industry, in the early 80s which was parallel to the early New York 80s rap songs.

1990s: L.A. Boyz

L.A. Boyz is a Taiwanese pop/rap group composed of 2 brothers, and their cousin. They were raised in Irvine, California and met at its University High School. They first became involved in music through their interest in hip-hop dance moves learnt from parties around Orange County and Los Angeles, and fashion from Compton and South-Central LA. Their dancing, and entry into various competitions, eventually led them to be scouted by a representative of Pony Canyon, in Taiwan.[2] They released 10 albums starting from their first “SHIAM! 閃” selling more than 130,000 copies in 1992. Their second album, released in the same year, was similarly received. The group was very successful in the 1990s until their break-up. They are credited for starting the trend that would spreads into Taiwan and the rest of the Mandarin speaking world.

2000s to present day

In 2001, MC HotDog arrived in the Taiwanese market. He is known for his use of explicit lyrics in his songs. He is known for his two famous hits - "我的生活" (My Life) and "韓流來襲" (The Korean Invasion).

In 2002, Dwagie released Lotus from the Tongue (舌粲蓮花), and is described as a "pro-Taiwan rapper".

Ever since many Taiwanese rappers have emerged, this includes Jae Chong, Aziatix, Machi, Nine One One, and many more.

Artists

See also

References

  1. ↑ Dunn, Ashley (5 April 1993). "Rapping to a Bicultural Beat : Dancing Trio From Irvine--the L.A. Boyz--Scores a Hit in Taiwan". The LA Times. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  2. ↑ Wester, Michael (1994-06-01). "Trilingual Rappers". Taiwan Review. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China (Taiwan). Archived from the original on 2014-03-10. Retrieved 2013-04-21.
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