Rappers fusing cultures

"One of the essential aspects of hip-hop music is expressing your identity, where you're from, and the culture you grew up in," said Laurence, noting that having been brought up in various cultures can be an advantage for the group to stand out.

As much as the young rap artist describes his music as an exploration and an expression of his own identity of being half Chinese and half American, Laurence had not realized that he could utilize the Asian element in music until he got inspired by Scovv, a popular American rap artist formerly based in Beijing. In 2019, Laurence, a fledgling filmmaker directed Scovv's music video Shank! which features Beijing's ancient architecture and street scenes.

Cognizant of a long-standing interest in Asian culture in the West, the group realized Chinese culture, particularly kungfu, can help set them apart from hip-hop artists in the West.

Meanwhile, Chinese youths have also been embracing hip-hop culture ever since the 2017 viral reality TV show The Rap of China thrust hip-hop music into the country's mainstream pop culture.

The show, with a staggering 2.68 billion views, catapulted many hip-hop artists such as Zhou Yan and Mao Yanqi (whose stage names are GAI and VaVa, respectively) into stardom. Young people are seen sporting hip-hop fashion en masse, and a slew of words and phrases used by hip-hop stars like "diss", "freestyle", and "keep real" have entered the popular lexicon.

That the East and the West share mutual interest in each other's culture pumps great confidence in the group. "We're kind of standing in the middle, uniting both sides," Laurence said, with pride.

Furthermore, highlighting the fusion of cultures within music is crucial in this increasingly divided world, said Laurence. "We need that more than anything in terms of bringing the world together."