Just a lil shout out to to the “King of the Beijing Freestyle”: Nasty Ray aka BlackSound aka Lil Ray.
If you can read Chinese then check out his blog
He hasn’t updated in a while but there are some good links and references on their if you want to find info on Beijing hip hop.
Bizzle!
In their better years
I still remember my first hip hop experience in Beijing (China for that matter) and it was at a Section 6 party at the original Yugong Yishan. I remember seeing XIV (Lao Zheng 老郑）of Yin Tsang in a wife beater screaming barely comprehensible Chinese lyrics and skinny ass Sbazzo flowing like nothing I’d ever heard before…and Young Keezy was selling CD’s at the door…haha! Look at em now.
Needless to say from that experience, I was hooked.
Yin T’sang along with the many other OG’s of Beijing hip hop scene like Lil Ray, Webber and IN3 still got the best hip hop party going (in China), and its happening again this Saturday night at 9pm. Just so you know its happening on the last saturday of every month at Yugong Yishan and officially “features freestyle rap performances from the voices of Beijing youth, street dancers from all over China”
I’ve dropped some flows here, its a great place to get your feet wet in the hip hop scene. Battles, new song releases, dance off’s, and certainly some hot babes…its a partay its a partay its a partay its a partaaaaaaaay.
Go.
Saturday June 25th, 9pm-late
50rmb ticket
West courtyard former site of Duan Qirui Government,
3-2 Zhangzizhong Lu,张自忠路3-2号段祺瑞执政府旧址西院
Bizzle!
Ray rockin it right
Hungry? Mmmmm….food.
just hit me off with this new ish, the Lord Finesse beat is soooo old school and the end product is pure Lil’ Ray. He gets all lyrical and goes through all the types of spots, different foods and crazy local ish you find in Beijing, and then spits it all around over the beat again. Golden Era hip hop coming straight out of Beijing in ’10. 牛B!!!!
Bizzle!
I came across some photos taken at a shoot in 2008 for ABD‘s album called “Made in China” by Made in China Records. Thought I would share this with my You Call That Hip Hop family.
03 In My Zone (Featuring ABD) In My Zone- XIV and Lil Ray (Feat ABD) <<Dirty North Mixtape>>
04 Gettin Dat (Featuring ABD) Gettin Dat – XIV and Lil Ray (Feat ABD) <<Dirty North Mixtape>>
01 Track 01 I’m Still- M2 and Skeewe <<Minority Report>>
Here are few tracks to listen on and some photos to check out! M2 aka El Maya and Skeewe, representing Texas and Guatemala, were both holding it down in China for years, and while Skee has moved on to Indonesia where he is doing tours and shows, M2 is still in Beijing and will put out his solo album later this year.
Bizzle, XIV, ABD, Skeewe, M2
Album Cover (raw photo)
ABD's Birthday Dinner (Lil Ray, ABD, Bizzle, DJ Wes, Sbazzo, WangSong & Relevant Hunnies)
All lookin crazy...except the statue of Skeewe in the back
in the Whites! (raw photo）
Bizzle!
You can find me…
But here are some songs to listen to while I am gone:
- Brandenburg (not Chinese hip hop but tight) 01 – Brandenburg
Tokill and Alon - Say Hello 07 Say Hello
Bizzle!
Just some random stuff to toss up here… recently I’ve seen some hip-hop’stas in Beijing rocking the NC gear… even though we are not playing that well this season, I gotsta support my Tar Heels.
Lil Ray in the UNC Sweats and Beanie
ABD in the Carolina Jacket
Whooooo, that might be the freshest Ram in the world... I think
Xiao Bizzle reps the Heels, thats NO DOUBT. (Star Live show)
Bizzle!
OK OK OK… i took WAY to long to get back on this blogging game, but as you see from the categories…blogging is hard.
Anyway without wasting much time, I want to give you a few tracks I am listening to right now. Next up after this post, I will talk about meeting Stretch Armstrong, DJ Wordy’s crazy set with DJ Krush at YuGong, me looking ridiculous at a house party, and Lil Ray getting robbed again (of the title, not physically jacked) at the Iron Mic finals.
Here is some ish I listened to today at work (yeah I got a job, so what GET MONEY, GET PAID):
Young Kin is one of Beijing’s premier MC’s and one of the guys who helped me get involved here in Beijing. I suggest everyone visit and keep eyes/ears open for this dude, def one of the Kings of Beijing. (Tomorrow look out for pictures from Young Kin and Sbazzo‘s music video shoot this weekend.)
01 Made In China – Made In China from <Kinetic Raw Mixtape>
14 IN MY DREAMS-YOUNG KIN,SBAZZO – In My Dreams (feat Sbazzo) from <King of Beijing>
yeah buddy, i like those two tracks right now!
And ALWAYS in my play list, some of that good old Dirty North Mixtape
Look at the grill!!!!!! Don't hurt em XIV.
06 Pounds Of Green – Pounds of Green by XIV and Lil Ray from <Dirty North Mixtape>
And on this next one, XIV and ABD aka 太多词 dropped two of the illest verses on the album… IMO, i cant decide which is better. Even if your Chinese isn’t that good, listen to this and tell me you dont feel the heat:
XIV：好挣 or （郑） ， 更好花 (hao zheng, geng hao hua) …
that line right there…hit me the right way!. To me, it could mean good at making money but better at spending it… or since the similar/same pronounciation means 老郑 which is XIV’s Chinese rap name so with 更好花 it would mean “XIV is better at getting lifted than you!” Ahhh Chinese.
Anyway LISTEN TO THE TRACK.
04 Gettin Dat (Featuring ABD) – Gettin Dat (feat ABD) from <Dirty North>
Bizzle!
Battle Battle Battle!!!
China’s premier MC Battle Competition ” Iron Mic” will be held this Saturday night at Star Live and the MC line-up is just crazy! Last year winner Big Dog 大狗 and Lil’ Ray had a battle for the ages at Vics followed by a performance by Royce da 5’9, hopefully this years show can live up to that!
Sbazzo, Webber, Raph, and DJ Wordy and more will be heading up the judge panel to pick Beijing’s hottest new battle MC…and you might see Bizzle up there as well, not battling, but you know, gettin’ the low down for my YouCallThatHipHop family! Holla!
Prizes for winning the battle include a trip to Shanghai to compete in the national Iron Mic competition, 8000rmb and merchandise from Nike (who is sponsoring the event). Winners of these Iron Mic competitions are top candidates for future (rare) record deals, and sometimes winners can win that opportunity directly, so, in other words…ITS A BIG DEAL.
Tons of MC’s, lots of B.boys and DJ’s like DJ Doc J , DJ Wesley, and DJ Jiaming will be spinnin’ heads with the craziest battle beats and breaks. It is going to be Beijing hip hop at its finest! Don’t miss it!
Time: Saturday 12/5 , 10pm
Tickets: 50rmb (40rmb advance)
Location: 3/F, 79 Hepingli Xijie 北京市东城区和平里西街79号
Bizzle!
Different directions, but were all going the same way...
I recently got my hands on a copy of AKA Naughty Ray‘s new single, recording with LA Local Legend Aidge Rock of The Aesthetics Crew. There is an original track and a remix, and both are fiiiiiire.
See below for more on and keep an eye out this week for my upcoming biography and interview with Lil’ Ray, Beijing’s premier Battle MC. In the mean time, enjoy this taste of Beijing’s finest going global.
This Way by Lil’ Ray featuring Aidge Rock (The Aesthetics Crew)
Naughty Ray feat. Aidge Rock – This Way (Original Version)
This Way (Petenut Remix) by Lil’ Ray featuring Aidge Rock (The Aesthetics Crew)
Naughty Ray feat. Aidge Rock – This Way (Petenut Remix)
From :
In the hallowed brew-school tradition of cup-in-hand rhyming at backyard house parties, the Los Angeles-based Aesthetics crew is here to put the fun back in the funk. Somewhere in between “too jiggy for my diamond studded toothbrush” and “so underground it hurts to take off my backpack,” they are simply committed to saying whatever is on their minds. From Jazz champions to Hungarian comedians, they have mastered the art of flipping old samples to deliver an entirely unique and personal feeling in their music. The heavyweight combination of Indi’s MPC 3000, DJ Props’ SP1200, and a warehouse full of records is truly a force to be reckoned with.
Firm believers that an MC’s delivery should rock like Donald Byrd’s horns over his rhythm section, Aidge & Indi’s vocals are distinct and powerful. Unlike many artists who separate their lyrics from the instrumental side of the art, the Aesthetics Crew considers their vocals to be part of the music, much like a single instrument amongst the rest of the band. Their lyrics will make you think, laugh, and more than likely, crack a brew.
The Aesthetics Crew is exactly what their name implies; they represent everything beautiful about this art form, and won’t stop until their names are synonymous with the forefathers they grew up listening to. Let Aesthetics into your eardrum once, and they’ll be in your brain for a lifetime.
Bizzle!
Go DJ!
Diggin‘: The act of looking for vinyl records (wax) in a non-corporate, non-chain-retail establishment. It may mean mom & pop independent record shops, but could also refer to thrift stores, flea markets, estate sales, record shows, or any other sort of second-hand place for vinyl. (
American Hip Hop’s most famous ‘Diggaz’ gotta be D.I.T.C (Diggin In The Crates) crew led by the late Big L. (For more on the D.I.T.C click ) Regarded as one of the most beloved hip-hop crews in rap music [of its time], D.I.T.C. was made up of several veteran rappers, DJs, and producers “dedicated to the true essence of rap music: original lyrics and strong beat-savvy productions sampling dusty vinyl.” Members and associates include Showbiz & A.G. (Andre the Giant), DJ Premier, Diamond D, Lord Finesse, Fat Joe, O.C., and Buckwild. Other than Fat Joe, most members have never reached the “success” of other multi-platinum artists, but still, Xiao Bizzle thinks they represent the best parts of hip hop.
Lil' Ray and Ghostface
One of Beijing’s most notorious Diggaz‘ is Lil’ Ray aka Nasty Ray aka Naughty Ray aka Blacksound aka aka aka…sorry got stuck there for a second.. Ray is also Beijing’s top up-and-coming force in the chip-chop circuit and China’s preeminent Freestyle and Battle rapper. (Click for more on Lil’ Ray) He and his crew have put together a really tight website called (D.I.B.C) where they post rare and hard to find CD’s and mixtapes they find around Beijing and online.
(Click to visit their site and upgrade your Chip- Chop knowledge)
Here is a Lil’ Ray song to let you know how he does things…he and XIV rap the song almost entirely in Beijing Dialect…see if you can hear the difference!
我们都在这儿－We All in Here by Lil’ Ray and XIV (Dirty North Mixtape)
I myself have taken a few trips to old NvRenJie market with Lil’ Ray to go through vinyl, and his collection is by far Beijing’s best.When I was buying my tables and equipment, Lil Ray and DJ Zoubin were life savers; first, keeping me from getting ripped off and later, after my first attempt to set the equipment up, they showed me how stupid an American college grad can be (Me) when it comes to connecting red to red, white to white…
One recent D.I.B.C. post I also want to highlight is the album feature for 阴三儿 （IN3 pronounced Yin San’r) which most mainland’ers regard as Chip-Chop’s #1 rap crew right now. I will give more details and a bio for IN3 in the future, but for now, click and download some of their music to get acquainted with IN3‘s 地道(dìdào- Authentic) Dirty North style!
Bizzle = IN3 fan
Bizzle!
