Research and Other Investigations from China

Nasty Ray and Crew Whiling Out at Section Six

Nasty Ray is easily one of my favorite rappers in China – a true, homegrown, Beijing-back-alley freestlyer. First drawn to hip hop when he heard a Naughty by Nature track on an NBA videogame in 1998, he‘s now a battler who never shies from the mic. Nasty Ray is best known for his Dirty North CD released on the YinEnt label with Lao Zheng, but continues to collaborate with Aidge Rock of the Aesthetics Crew based in Los Angeles. A big fan of the Wu-Tang Clan, he also got to fulfill a dream by opening up for Ghostface Killah when he rolled through Beijing last year. The video above was taken at last month’s Section Six hip hop party. It showcases Nasty Ray whiling out with his crew followed by a song featuring heavyweight MC Daxiao. Also, as part of the upcoming Jue Festival, Nasty Ray will perform at the “Slam, Rap, Words” event held at 2 Kolegas. I’ll end the post with a rhyme he wrote for me when I took his portrait last September:

从我嘴里说的词, 到唐宋念的诗, 这跨越的是五千年文化的历史, 我代表团结湖讲着老北京的话, 欢迎来到我的家和我一起岔

The words from my mouth to poems of Tang and Song / Stretch over history 5,000 years long / I represent community, spit real Beijinghua /Come over to my house and we’ll cha (battle)

Nasty Ray Portrait - Beijing MCsNasty Ray Portrait - Beijing MCsNasty Ray Portrait - Beijing MCs

2010 Iron Mic Freestyle Battle Finals: Xinjiang Rises Up

Youngsters step up to the mic at the Iron Mic freestyle battle competition at Yugong Yishan in Beijing

The finals for the China Iron Mic freestyle battle competition took place to a packed house at Yugong Yishan this weekend. Winners of three preliminary rounds in Beijing, Guangzhou and Wuhan faced off with MC Majun/马俊 from Xinjiang who earned his slot in the final four through a knockout tournament earlier in the evening. Iron Mic is the oldest and most recognized freestyle battle competition in the country. Some of the greatest MCs in China have battled on stage seeking its crown including MC Webber who won the first three in a row and now oversees the proceedings. This year the man to beat was the Beijing hometown favorite MC Dawei/大卫. I documented his skills in a previous post covering the Beijing preliminary round. He is only sixteen years old, and his rhyming is precocious to say the least. However, the man of the hour turned out to be MC Majun. In one evening he battled his way through a host of characters from all over China with his machine-gun-like flow to clinch a coveted spot in the semifinals where he tore apart MC JV from Wuhan. Before facing off with MC Dawei in the finals the entire place went crazy, and despite MC Dawei’s home field advantage, MC Majun won the crowd over and had them chanting Xinjiang when he spit his final verse.

Ma Jun captures the 2010 Iron Mic freestyle battle crownMa Jun captures the 2010 Iron Mic freestyle battle crown

Young bucks form all over China step up to the Iron Mic freestyle battle finals at Yugong Yishan in BeijingYoung bucks form all over China step up to the Iron Mic freestyle battle finals at Yugong Yishan in BeijingYoung bucks form all over China step up to the Iron Mic freestyle battle finals at Yugong Yishan in Beijing

Young bucks form all over China step up to the Iron Mic freestyle battle finals at Yugong Yishan in BeijingYoung bucks form all over China step up to the Iron Mic freestyle battle finals at Yugong Yishan in BeijingYoung bucks form all over China step up to the Iron Mic freestyle battle finals at Yugong Yishan in Beijing

Vans Skateboarding and Freestyle BMX Riding Night at Woodward Beijing

Two buses full of kids packed into Woodward Beijing for a night of skating and freestyle BMX riding thanks to Vans

I just had the pleasure of visiting the newly-minted Woodward Beijing skateboard and freestyle BMX park that opened its doors to China this summer. Although it is a pain in the ass to get down to the southern sixth ring road, Woodward Beijing truly is a state of the art facility and will hopefully nurture a new wave of talented skateboarders and freestyle BMX riders in China. These sports are just taking hold in cities and major brands like Vans, who sponsored the evening by driving down two busloads of kids for free, can only see rising interest amongst the growing pool of urban hipsters and punks around the country. Even though I didn’t get in on the action myself, I was greatly intrigued by the possibilities of the giant foam box pit that freestyle BMX riders used for practicing aerials. Next time I might find myself rocketing skyward on a bike. For now the only problem I can foresee is consistently getting kids that far outside the city to partake in everything Woodward Beijing has to offer. On the up side, large-scale summer camps are being planned which is the real bread and butter for Woodward in other locations around the world.

Skateboarders take to the ramps and bowls of Woodward BeijingSkateboarders take to the ramps and bowls of Woodward Beijing

Freestyle BMX riders crash-land into pit of foam cubes to cushion their practice aerials at Woodward Beijing
Freestyle BMX riders crash-land into pit of foam cubes to cushion their practice aerials at Woodward Beijing
Freestyle BMX riders crash-land into pit of foam cubes to cushion their practice aerials at Woodward Beijing

Freestyle BMX riders crash-land into pit of foam cubes to cushion their practice aerials at Woodward Beijing
Freestyle BMX riders crash-land into pit of foam cubes to cushion their practice aerials at Woodward Beijing
Freestyle BMX riders crash-land into pit of foam cubes to cushion their practice aerials at Woodward Beijing

Iron Mic Competition: Beijing Kickoff Party

The opening party for the China-wide Iron Mic competition kicked off this past weekend at Yugongyishan. The festivities also joined hands with Section Six, the longest-standing freestyle hip hop party in Beijing. Overall it was a great night and included an appearance by Damon Dash who is supposedly trying to break into the China market with some new bands and supposedly even here to poach some talent to take back to the America – all hearsay for now. The highlight of the evening was definitely MC Davey. He came out early for a few numbers, but truly shined when the freestyle battles ensued. Although most of the old school Beijing MCs were taking a seat to make room for some of the young bucks, it was obvious that MC Davey’s rhyming skills were some of the best in the house. He easily took the opening competition and got the crowd riled up at the beginning of every set. It’s going to be interesting to see where MC Davey goes in the future, and whether or not he could be a new hope for Beijing’s street hip hop to break into the wider market currently dominated by studio-groomed, pop-flavored hip hop. The attached video highlights some of MC Davey’s skills.

The MCs line up at the end of the opening Iron Mic freestyle battleSpazzo lays down a track during the Iron Mic kickoff party

MCs do battle at the Iron Mic kickoff partyMC Davey gets the crowd riled up at the Iron Mic kickoff party