Hip-hop Between State And Market

From the late 1990’s to the beginning of the 21st century,as a result of the introduction of "Hip-hop culture" into Beijing and Shanghai foreign expatriates and Chinese Americans,the first generation of rappers emerged in mainland China.Through the promotion of hip-hop parties,Rap music radio stations,and freestyle Rap battle competitions,Rap music in mainland China gradually developed.Although its indigenization can be clearly viewed as an authentic addition to the rap genre,it is however,carried out under the constraints of the political field.Therefore,until 2017 and the advent of the TV show "The Rap of China",which brought hiphop culture and rap music to the public eyes,mainland China’s rap music was always underground.According to the research of the Birmingham School,hip-hop as a subculture,can be characterized as resistant and stylized.Due to these two attributes,embedded within hip-hop culture are several social functions,including the symbolic attempt to resolve society’s structural problems and contradictions;it provides an opportunity of critical thinking and expression;it is an attempt to solve an "identity crisis",and helps satisfy what Georg Simmel called the "need of imitation" and the"need of distinction".Regarding these social functions,the hegemonic culture will try to contain them,frame them,and incorporate them.The market will incorporate them as commodities and the government,the mainstream media,and academia will incorporate them ideologically.The Chinese hip-hop culture and rap music that were entangled in popular culture by the capital market in 2017 are experiencing this process.According to the theory of space,the problems faced by Chinese underground rap are mainly due to the lack of existing space;the changes to the concept of "real",and the decline of "experience".Through interviews and questionnaire surveys with twelve Chinese rappers,asking their views on their own rap,on the situation of the Chinese rap industry,their opinion on hip-hop variety shows such as "The Rap of China",and the influence of foreign rap on their own music,we can see the emergence of the new era for Chinese hip-hop has brought various situations and challenges to underground rap in China.First,there are cultural gaps between the new and old generations of rappers,and the tradition and spirit of underground rap seems to be increasingly unsustainable.Second,there is conflict between maintaining an underground style and defining one’s identity in society.Underground rap has yet to find an independent and professional path to follow.Although the diversity of rap music has been limited,there are still some positive factors that can promote the future development of underground rap in China.