Sup. You guys can call me Royal. I'm from Vancouver, Canada. I started this blog called Asian Rap Worldwide. This is a site where you can read about Asian rappers, listen to Asian rap songs, watch Asian hip hop music videos.
If you want to be featured send in your MP3s, YouTube videos, and mixtapes. For all other inquiries by all means hit me up through email.
Today is August 31st, 2009 and I want to wish all my Malaysians friends from all ethnicities, all creeds and all walks of life a Happy 52nd Merdeka Day! Merdeka Day or Hari Merdeka celebrates Malaysia's independence from British rule in 1957 and it marks the anniversary when Malaysia officially became a country.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA oh man I almost pissed out laughing watching this video!! I think the guy in the background is by far a better dancer though....
Here's the latest freestyle from Jin entitled Welcome to the Light Club which is Jin's testimonial freestyle rap about his Christian faith. The instrumental that Jin uses here is Kanye West's Amazing instrumental.
Lyrics:
I got a session booked for 7 and it's 6:35 so I got 25 minutes to conjure up this rhyme its been a long time right stepped away from the limelight but the breaks over Holy Spirit takeover they say the truth will set you free if you so believe Jesus is the truth with Him freedom can be achieved I feel the need to let loose right at this instance confession booth vocal booth really what's the difference see when I use to battle I declared I'm the boss I couldn't be defeated.. until I lost not once not twice my opponents were killin' me ego crushed but it also taught me humility was once on the top sent straight to the bottom some thought double r dropped him others straight forgot him I used to hear the side commentary and get upset with it until I realized what was said had some sense in it no excuses for the stupid records that I made would I still be sayin' this if those records had got me paid? I can't call it either way I'm tryin' to save what's left of my soul and not just what's goin inside my wallet the beat was the canvas the paint was my rhymes never thought that I could use my art to infiltrate ya minds i used the mic to express how I possessed a lota skills my lust for the opposite sex and 100 dolla bills Common said He Used To Love H.E.R. yo she still my baby so it's only right I learn to treat H.E.R. like a lady you want raps about pimpin' killin' snitchin' ballin'? you won't get 'em from me naw that's not my callin' God Almighty reached out I mean this sincerely He spoke to me like Morgan Freeman did to Jim Carey it's no coincidence he got me out in Hong Kong that I'd get it poppin' out here He knew it all along listen to have much faith requires practice they'll probably say I'm trippin' they did it to John the Baptist this is not a rumor God is so great I'm a late bloomer got baptized in '08 better late than never that's how the saying goes all my brothers and sisters that are praying knows Mark chapter 10 the 31st verse the first shall be last and the last shall be first
Kaz-Well is a Japanese-American rapper that was born and raised in San Francisco, California. He has just released his newest album Fish Outta Water which is available for download. Most of the tracks from Fish Outta Water are about love, loss, and heartbreak as they were written by Kaz-Well when he first met his fiance. The production of the album is shared by DJ Scotty Doo, Rhythm Defense and Da Evangelist.
Track listing:
1. Krazy Glue 2. Whisper of the Godz 3. Take Me Home 4. Three Words 5. Ain't So Far Away 6. Another Day 7. The Beach 8. Right Here 9. Let Me In
Ellie from seoulbeats interviews both SOS and Knewdles from Misnomer(s). In the interview, Misnomer(s) talk about their commercial with Converse and their upcoming album American Eyes scheduled to be released in September 2009. Check out the original article from seoulbeats.
Susan and Emily Hsu, two Taiwanese-American sisters from the band Exit Clov, were featured on China Times for their fundraising efforts for Typhoon Morakot victims in Taiwan with their YouTube acoustic guitar/violin rendition of the Taiwanese folk song Ai-Biahnh Jah-eh Eah(Chinese: 愛拼才會贏) which means "you have to work really hard to succeed". Ai-Biahnh Jah-eh Eah is about persevering and overcoming the hardships that life sometimes throws at us -- which is very fitting especially for those who have lost everything because of Typhoon Morakot.
The YouTube description for their original video only anticipated 500 views through September 1st but because of news coverage, social media networks and internet forums, the video has gone viral and currently sits 88,286 hits (I'm sure it will have more by the time you are reading this) and there are plenty more days before September 1st. Here is the original YouTube video:
If you guys are moved by their song to help, by all means, check out their at site at: http://mousybabe.com/ and that is where you can find more details to help.
And because I really like the song, here are the Chinese, phoneticized Chinese & English translation lyrics of Ai-Biahnh Jah-eh Eah.
一時失志不免怨嘆 jit si sit ji mmm mehn wan tan When you suffer a setback it is hard not to sigh,
一時落魄不免膽寒 jit si lou pek mmm mehn dam han When you are down on your luck it is hard not to get discouraged.
那怕失去希望 la tong sit ki hi bbang But When you lose hope,
每日醉茫茫 mui lit zui bbang bbang And be in a drunken stupor all day,
無魂有体親像稻草人 bbo hun wu tay cin ciu dio cao lang Then you are souless with a body, like a scarecrow.
人生可比是海上的波浪 lin sing ko bi si hai siong ey pou long Life can be compared to waves on the sea,
有時起有時落 wu si kee - wu si lou Sometimes it rises, and sometimes fall.
好運歹運 hoh oon pai oon Good luck, bad luck -
總嗎要照起工來行 zong ma (jiao) ki gang lai gia We still have to work.
三分天注定七分靠打拼 sa hun tin zu dia cit hun ko pa pia For 30% is determined by heaven, while 70% is how much you strive for.
愛拼才會贏 ai pia a jia ey yia Only those who work hard can succeed.
In this battle, A-Class takes on D. Wiggins who flew in all the way from Fairfax, California. This battle was on some east coast vs west coast shiet. A-Class was declared the winner after the end of the 3rd round.
Summertime is a summer single from Laidback featuring the Filipina rapper Bebe Riz from New Zealand. The song is an R&B track with a dirty south flavor.
Laidback is a French artist and hip hop producer that travels every summer to Asia to work with Asian hip hop artists mainly to help them with mixing, mastering and overall production. One of Laidback's future projects is to produce a mixtape or compilation with rappers from every country in Asia.
This another rare joint for all of y'all. Some of you might not know this but the person you all know as "Unco Chin" from JustKiddingFilms is also a pretty decent rapper who raps under the name "Cobra Con". And his song Roll Real Slow reflects a more serious side of Unco Chin that many of you might not have seen. The song talks about the issue that many of the youth today face which is-- the dilemma of choosing to live the life of illegal fast money or the legit life. Roll Real Slow was released in December, 2006.
Check out this song by Doc Whisper called Negativity Remix which was produced by LuPah. In this song Doc Whisper is addressing people who do nothing but spread negativity around. Doc Whisper is a Korean rapper from Fullerton, California.
Eazy is the newest rapper signed to Thaitanium Entertainment label. He has released a music video last month for two of his songs: Ooh & Eazy Eazy which are from the Thaitanium Compilation Vol 1 album.
Here is Malaysia's Joe Flizzow performing All Around My World with Terry Tye Lee live at the 8TV Shout! Awards. Joe Flizzow was bringin that HEAT!!! I gotta ask though, who choreographed that AWFUL dance for the dancers in the background?? Their dance routine looked so.....awkward. *SMH*
In the second half of the video Sean Kingston comes on stage and presents an award... not really sure for what award though. Then Sean Kingston reveals that Joe Flizzow is the winner of the award and then Joe Flizzow comes back on stage to accept it. In his acceptance speech Joe Flizzow said there will be a new Too Phat album coming up. SWEEEEET!!
This is JimmyBoi's latest mixtape released this month called I Do It For The Hustlaz. One of the tracks in the album JD Watch Froze, features Paul Wall, Fat Joe, Lil Keke and Slim Thug.
Track listing:
01. Ain’t I Freestyle (1:52) 02. Don’t See You (3:13) 03. Dunn Dunn Freestyle (2:55) 04. I’m The Man Freestyle (2:41) 05. No Hook (2:24) 06. Ima Block Star (2:58) 07. JD Watch Froze (ft. Paul Wall, Fat Joe, Lil Keke, Slim Thug) (6:19) 08. Know About A G (ft. T Double) (3:18) 09. Time Is Money (ft. T Double) (3:29) 10. Pill Flippa (2:58) 11. Other Shit (3:19) 12. Down 4 My Block (2:07) 13. I Got It (ft. Parlae & Boo Man) (4:25) 14. Whip Game Proper (ft. T Double & TK) (4:16) 15. This Is 4 Ma (ft. Young Buck) (4:17) 16. You Know What It Is (2:15) 17. Whatchu Lookin’ At (2:18) 18. How U Like Me Now (ft. T Double) (2:45) 19. Live 2 Hustle Thang Remix (ft. T Double) (3:36)
JimmyBoi also released a music video for I Got It which features Parlae & Boo Man. When they say "I Got It", they are referring to their narcotic hookups as you can see one of the guys doing some "cooking" in the kitchen. JimmyBoi's verse in I Got It is about how he's a big-time ecstasy dealer called "Pill Gates" lol. This music video/song is a little too grimey for my tatste.
Soft Lipa's 收斂水 (Lotion) LP & 打包 Pack I got in the mail
I've been following Taiwan's Soft Lipa since last year after seeing his catchy music video about smoking weed and getting high called 煙霧瀰漫 (Haziness). It wasn't the subject matter of the song that really drawn me to Soft Lipa (believe me, I had my days...lol), but rather his rapping style which I thought was really dope! Since then I found some other music videos from Soft Lipa that he released over time and I started to like his music more and more. When I read online that he released his album last month, I had to get it. So flash forward to a couple of days ago, I got a parcel in the mail with these two goodies inside: Soft Lipa's 收斂水 (Lotion) LP & 打包 Pack Single, all the way from from Taiwan! Shout outs to Lo-Wei and Soft Lipa from KAO!Inc for hooking a brother up!!
Back to the album. So when I got my hands on the 收斂水 (Lotion) album (no pun intended), it turns out that the album is actually a small hardcover book mainly of various photos of Soft Lipa, lyrics and a CD attached to the back of the book. As for the music, Soft Lipa is known for rapping over jazz hip hop beats. The jazzy hip hop instrumentals combined with Soft Lipa's rapping creates a very chill and laid-back feeling when you listen to it. As far as Soft Lipa's rap style, he's a very fluid rapper and he flows very well in Mandarin Chinese. His rapping style and enunciation is more "soothing" to listen to than MC Hotdog's, who prefers to rap more harshly. My favourite tracks from 收斂水 (Lotion) are: Hit The Rhyme, Bamboo Holla, 關於小熊 (About Little Bear), 遇見 (Meet), 收斂水 (Lotion) and 煙霧瀰漫 (Haziness). I wish I can give a more in-depth review about the lyrical content of the album but my Chinese is not at the level of a native speaker. But to sum up everything, this is a great album to show case how they do hip hop in Taiwan. I highly recommend Soft Lipa's 收斂水 (Lotion) album.
Here are some of the "newer" music videos from Soft Lipa's new album.
This is the music video for 關於小熊 (About little bear). It's a song about a green plush bear that witnesses the unfolding of a love story between a boy and a girl.
This is the music video for 遇見 (Meet), which is an introspective song about how and where you meet people even when you are the least conscious about it. The music video features Taiwanese girls looking cute and posing for the camera.
This is a live performance of Soft Lipa's title track 收斂水 (Lotion). The song talks about lotion as a metaphor for chillaxing and unwinding from the busy/noisy life.
Check out this live performance of the Far East Movement rockin it at the Powerhouse 2009 concert in Anaheim, Calif with their hit single Girls on the Dance Floor. The astronaut helmets were a nice touch. This is my first time seeing a clip of the Far East Movement live in concert and I gotta say, I'm impressed. They definitely know how to rock the crowd and know how to fuck shit up!! By the way....is it just me or do the Far East Movement remind you of the Asian version of the Beastie Boys? What do you guys think?
This freestyle battle is from King of the Dot rap battle leauge from Toronto, Canada. In this battle Korean rapper Syco from Guelph takes on edWORDS from St. Catherines. edWORDS takes the win in 3 rounds. This battle is kinda weird IMHO. When I say weird I mean that its not Grind Time which I'm really used to watching. But hey, I gotta show love to Asians steppin it up in Canada!!
Cashinova is a rapper/producer from Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Here's a track from Cashinova called Space Ship. The song is about this dude is trying to holla at a girl. He's letting her know that he's different than these "average" guys that take you average places. He tells her that he made a space ship to go to space because he's been to every place on earth you can take a vacation.
Tiger JK from Drunken Tiger was interviewed on Arirang's Heart to Heart show. This interview is conducted all in english. In the interview Tiger JK talks about his latest double CD album: Feel gHood Muzik: The 8th Wonder, talks a bit about Rakim who's also featured on the album, the controversy he caused in the Korean music industry when he was first started rapping in Korea and his personal battles with myelitis. Tiger JK was little slow in the interview because he it was revealed at the end of the interview he had little sleep in the past couple of days.
Rite Vs Right is a short film released in 2007 by the Kaleidoscope program about Asian youth and gangs in Vancouver. The production team of Rite Vs Right consisted primarily of the at-risk youth from the Kaleidoscope program. This short film gives the audience a glimpse of what (misguided) Asian youth culture is like in Vancouver. "Don't worry man, this is the best shit in BC!"
Description:
In search of a better life, 16 year old Long left everything behind and crossed the ocean with his Mom. Craving friendship and a sense of belonging, he looks to those who will offer him brotherhood and protection. But at what cost? Long discovers a new life, but is it really better than what he left behind? Filmed entirely on location in Richmond and Vancouver by the participants in the Kaleidoscope program.
This is the latest music video release from Nah and [B.0.7] from Saigon, Vietnam called Doi (which means "waiting" in Vietnamese). The song Doi, is a story about a prostitute trying to feed a dope fiend. The two were in love when they were younger and things got worst when she found out she got AIDS. Suicide seems to be her only escape. Thus the song is called Doi is because the song deals with the theme of waiting: a prostitute waiting for customers, waiting for something to change and waiting for death. Doi is based on a true story about two people from Nah's hood.
Here's the translation for the chorus I got directly from Nah:
oh oh oh, look at this don't be disgusted that way, she cannn.. have a peaceful day..
What's up readership!!!!! Asian Rap Worldwide is now on Myspace and Twitter. I'm completely new to these websites and I'm still learning about them on the go. I've been on MySpace for almost a month now and I started using Twitter about 2 weeks ago. Just to let you guys in on something, the last social networking website I used and felt comfortable with was Friendster haha. Add me to your MySpace and Twitter and let's BEE friends (no homo) !!!
This just in! The Far East Movement have just leaked out their latest single on YouTube called 2 Is Better featuring Ya Boy and Lil Eddie. 2 Is Better is a dance/trance/hip hop song produced by the Stereotypes, who also produced the hit-single Girls on the Dance Floor for the Far East Movement. 2 Is Better is a sneak peak from Far East Movement's upcoming album Electro.
Jin will be in another Hong Kong movie that will be released by the end of this year. This time Jin leaked out some pics of himself in character. What I know is that Jin will be playing as the role of "Mr. Chan". His role on this movie is smaller than his first Hong Kong movie. From what I gather, it looks like it will be an 80's-retro-themed movie. My guess its going be a comedy film.
Jackie Chain - Core DJs Rollin Wit Jackie Chain front
Jackie Chain - Core DJs Rollin Wit Jackie Chain back
Core DJs Rollin Wit Jackie Chain hosted by DJ Joski Luv and DJ Illie Ill is Jackie Chain's latest mixtape released in late July. Download it for free!
Track listing:
1. Intro 2. Go Live ft.6 tre Gangsta & Cp 3. Hold On ft. Webbie & Money Mo 4. I Bet 5. Money & The Power ft. 6 tre Gangs 6. Whats Poppin ft. Assasyn 7. Don't think I aint Ready ft. Assa 8. What went Wrong 9. Poppin Bottles ft Assasyn 10. You Tube It ft. Attitude 11. I'm here Now ft. Mike Fresh 12. I just want to Ball ft. Chris Lam 13. Front me a Zone ft. Marquis 14. Pacman ft. Shamrock 15. Private Show ft. 6 tre Gangsta & 16. Wheels fall Off ft. Shamrock 17. Ed Hardy ft. JAY 18. Day an Nite remix ft. Kid Cudi
Grade A Muzik gets up close and personal with Huntsville's very own Jackie Chain. In the interview, Jackie Chain talks about the Huntsville's hip hop scene, his accomplishments in the rap game and his new projects coming up. Dude looks really faded behind those shades...or maybe it's his Asian side showin up haha. Shout outs to Jackie Chain!
This just in! As promised, here is the music video from Gloc-9's Upuan freshly uploaded yesterday on YouTube. What a gloomy video! But I think that's the point of it. The entire music video of Upuan is allegorical, depicting how the Filipino government abuses its powers. Watch for the part at 2:45 where Jeazell, the singer of the chorus, does a beautiful slap on the aristocratic-looking guy's face.
Here's a new track by the Hong Kong rap group 85Up2 featuring Ghost Style from 24Herbs called So Far to Go. It's a smooth, laid back love song to hip hop in both Cantonese and English. I'm really diggin this cut! Props to 85Up2!!! So Far To Go is from the 85Up2 Mixtape.
I always love hearing the come-up stories from successful people. I find their stories very inspirational and I thought I should share this particular interview with you guys. Here is a video of Riz Khan, from AlJazeera's One on One, interviewing the Korean-American OG, Jhoon Rhee. Jhoon Rhee is credited as the "father of American taekwondo" as he popularized Korea's national sport in the United States. Jhoon Rhee was a contemporary and a friend of Bruce Lee and in the interview Jhoon Rhee says he taught Bruce Lee how to kick while Bruce taught him how to punch. Jhoon Rhee became such a popular martial arts instructor that he even taught taekwondo to over 300 United States Congress members in Washington, D.C. and noted personalities such as Tony Robbins, Jack Valenti, Bob Livingston, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Nick Smith and Mike Espy.
Part 2:
This is the television commercial that advertised Jhoon Rhee's taekwondo class. The commercial and the jingle was hugely popular in its heyday.
At age 75, Grandmaster Jhoon Rhee demonstrates his speed punch and 100 pushups at Columbia, Maryland school. Mind you, this was less than a year after he had a stroke!
Japanese-Hawaiian rapper Everybody Knows from Kapahulu, Hawaii takes on Dizaster for the Battle of the Bay 3 on February 28, 2009. Its funny to watch two ethnic minorities diss each other. There's also a lot of great rebuttals from both sides in this freestyle battle. Dizaster takes the win in 3 rounds because he had better lines, better delivery and better crowd reaction. I see a lot of potential though in the young Padawan Everybody Knows. The Force strong in him.
In this freestyle battle, Tantrum takes on D-Lor for the Battle of the Bay 4. Both rappers have very similar rapping styles and it was a really close battle. Tantrum edges out and in the end and takes win in the OT.
Director "C" and Scriptwriter "D" (source: ayojin.com)
The two guys in the photo above are director "C" and scriptwriter "D" from Jin's very first HK film. That's right! Jin will be in his very first HK film! There's no word from Jin yet on what kind of character he plays in the movie or what is the title of the movie, or even who's co-starring in the movie. The only thing he revealed about the movie is that "It [the movie] should be out before the end of the year…". That's one thing about the Hong Kong entertainment industry. Hong Kong singers don't just stay in the music industry. A large majority of singers/musicians also act in TV dramas series, movies and also commercials to make themselves well-rounded entertainers. That's a part of the Hong Kong entertainment culture. If you guys remember way back, Jin had a small acting role as "Jimmy" the mechanic in the 2003 street racing film 2 Fast 2 Furious. Just for kicks, here's a throwback pic from 2 Fast 2 Furious:
This is MC Yan doing an accapella freestyle of a rap he originally did back in 2003 for SARS at the Hong Kong Book Fair on July 23rd. The guy on the right is MC Jin.
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!! I found some RARE tracks from Styles Infinite for you guys!! I LOVE IT when I come across rarities like these! It feels like I have uncovered a lost part of Asian rap history. You guys don't know how ecstatic I am to have found these tracks!! Styles Infinite was part of the now disbanded Philadelphia rap trio the Mountain Brothers. These two singles, Fresh Air / Aquarian Mind and Easy on the Ears, were released circa 2000-2001 before the release of the Mountain Brothers' sophomore album Triple Crown in 2003. According to the Mountain Brothers wikipedia page, it says that Styles Infinite is now a doctor. Now this is a longshot but, STYLES INFINITE if you happen to come across this blog, hit me up!!!!!!!!!!!
Tie a yellow ribbon This is the color of Freedom Une Grande Dame Thanks for the democracy Cory our dear Madame! ---madshock (c) 2009
Just like the other Filipinos, I join them as the nation mourns and deeply saddened by the death of the Mother of Philippine Democracy. She was brave just like her beloved husband Ninoy. She was also a hero and a freedom fighter, a mother to us all. As you cross the road to heaven, may you please send my regards to the Father of Philippine Hiphop. Goodbye Madame Cory. Thanks for Freedom and Democracy. --- madshock
Few days ago, DJ MOD sent his concerns and wishes for a speedy recovery for the former president. Touched and greatful, Ms. Kris Aquino asked him to remake this song "Yellow Ribbon" before TITA CORY passed away.
Calling upon the talents of Kix of Saia to sing the song, D-Coy and J.O.L.O. to drop a few bars and Pikaso to co-produce the track.
With a gut feeling friday night (July 31, 2009) DJ MOD felt there was a need of urgency to get the song recorded and finished. DCOY and JOLO got into the recording both at PIKASO's studio, that very same night and got the vocals to DJ MOD. Once the song was finished,in the early hours of Saturday Morning, DJ MOD got word our Nation's greatest president had passed.
Please keep TITA CORY in your prayers and enjoy the song.
"Throw your L's up, get it hella high/ yellow ribbons gettin' tied, doves already set to fly// this is for our people, this ain't for AUTHORITY/ this is for our freedom, this is for DEMOCRACY...J.O.L.O
please excuse the video. we just wanted to get the song out there on the www. we have a much more meaningful video up soon. We would like to also thank to Calavera Comics for the people power art work.
REST IS PARADISE!
Corazon C. Aquino January 25, 1933 - August 1, 2009
Posted by madshock (Founder/CEO, Blogger of Rapista – www.rapista.blogspot.com). Madshock is blogging from the Philippines. Props to Royal of Asian Rap Worldwide for giving me the opportunity to share what is happening in the Philippine Hiphop Scene. Thanks.
Drunken Tiger rocks the crowd with his latest hit-single Monster for the Korean live concert TV show Yoo HeeYeol’s Sketchbook. Yoon Do Hyun from the rock band YB does a crazy guitar solo at 2:54. This live concert was held on July 31st.
Justin Heard a.k.a BigMastadon eats 40 pizza rolls in this video clip. His goal was to eat all 40 of them in under 2 minutes but he ended up finishing in 4 minutes and 10 seconds. You can hear BigMastadon's heavy breathing while eating the pizza rolls. OM NOM NOM NOM.
And for his next challenge, this groupie challenges BigMastadon to eat her in under 2 minutes. Hahahaha!!!