Unexpectedly, the rap circle also has its own "seven-year itch."
I recently came across a topic while surfing the Internet: Why are there fewer and fewer hit rap singles this year?
I still remember 2017, when rap was the most popular. Seven years have passed, and rap no longer has the freshness of a thunderbolt for ordinary listeners. There are fewer and fewer hit singles, and it is even more difficult to be in the circle. The harder it is.
Although in the following years, several rap shows successively took on the challenge and released hot singles to grab attention, the audience also liked to see this fierce head-banging scene.
This year, the stage where the rap show was born is not even as good as the abstract "Chengdu Disney" outside the show (a rapper wrote a song to diss the judges after being eliminated, "diss you" is homophonic to "Disney").
Obviously, it is difficult to create any new tricks in today’s rap shows.
How to pique the interest of the audience? Pure fast-talking technical rap can no longer amaze audiences, and relying solely on this abstract style is not a long-term solution.
The audience is also looking forward to it, who can be the spoiler to break the embarrassment?
Fortunately, in this year's rap show, I was also able to find a new variety show that attracted me to click and watch -
"Rap Dream Factory" produced by Youku and Zhongmeng Music.
Not much to say, let’s see how this situation got stirred up.
I believe many people are like me. When they first heard about this show, it was because of Jay Chou.
The king of the Chinese music scene is participating in a rap variety show for the first time. What people are most looking forward to is nothing more than what old material he can reveal or what guidance he can give.
Although the official title is "Music Dream Maker", he is more like a senior sharing his experience in the show.
mentioned his creative motivation. He revealed the creation story of "Huo Yuanjia" and connected Jet Li's martial arts moves into his own music video. In the latest performance of
, your love really comes.
came on the stage singing "Nunchaku" and unleashed a wave of flashbacks, which made the whole audience excited.
As you watch, you will find that to a certain extent, Jay Chou has set the tone for this program that focuses on Chinese rap.
is the leader of Chinese-style rap, and his understanding of Chinese rap provides general direction control.
Furthermore, Jay Chou's music has accompanied a generation and stimulated the creation of a group of rappers.
I have to mention that in the fourth issue, 8 label managers (gai Zhou Yan, Bridge Bridge, Ouyang Jing mc jin, Xiaogui Wang Linkai, Ai Reair, Good Morning, vava Mao Yanqi, Sheng Yu d-shine) co-created the program theme song, "龙龙".
龙loong (live),gaizhou Yan
This song pays tribute to many of Jay Chou's classic masterpieces - "Dragon Fist", "Nunchaku" and "Eight Dimensions of Space".
To be honest, I think the song "Loong" that catches my ears the most right now is the song "Loong".
is not only a collaboration between eight experienced rappers, but also because the pattern of the entire song is particularly prominent among the current rap tracks and even the creations in the rap circle.
If you look at it purely as a rap work, it has the skills and attitude that rap should have, and it also has the stage atmosphere where many hit songs are very important. What's more important about
is that the content it expresses inspires the entire rap circle today.
Especially the hooks sung by Ai Re and Gai, a few simple lines of full and high-pitched singing and an arrangement with ethnic instruments create a majestic and majestic momentum. Sometimes the charm of rap actually comes from this vitality.
The original intention of creating this theme song was to create our own oriental dragon "loong" to distinguish it from the powerful creature "dragon" in Western mythology.
The reason why this song is surprising is precisely because our stereotypes of ha circles and ha people often remain at the level of abstract art.
On the other hand, "DreamWorks" actually uses the song "Long Loong" to justify the real rap culture.
If Jay Chou painted a corner of the blueprint of Chinese rap, then "Loong" made it concrete, breaking many people's prejudices against the rap circle.
Rap is not about dissing each other with bad words, fighting each other when they don’t like each other, being full of hostility and violence, nor is rap just about being irritated and crazy and purely technical.
’s majestic “cultural rap” can still be ignited.
In the end, rap content is the key.
So you can imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I heard "Self-cultivation of a Rapper" on a rap show:
There is no use in getting high, and music is not for show.
Today’s public stereotypes and some rappers who even write the word "jie" with the wrong strokes can easily block rap culture in a dead end.
"Rap Dream Factory" can realize this, which can be considered a big step in the right direction.
Of course, there are always few rap variety shows that don’t catch people’s attention.
Even Jay Chou, who was saluted by everyone at the beginning, joked that he was afraid of being too peaceful.
Ouyang Jing's prophecy was true: There will be many such (gunpowder scenes) in the future, so you don't have to worry.
Just as he predicted, at the first collaboration performance of the fourth period, Taotao and Chen Sirui had a quarrel because of their different musical concepts.
Because of his past experience in chasing dreams, Chen Sirui knows that the stage is not easy to come by, so he insists on innovating on the stage.
But Taotao believed that the collaborative song should not be spliced together randomly by the creations of two people, and he was not willing to let him join the entire team to experiment with his own stuff on the stage.
Later, the two even quarreled and gave up cooperation.
's scene is catchy enough, but it's not too explosive, because it's all out of the sincerity and integration of rap itself, rather than an eye-catching script for the sake of making noise.
Just like Liu Genghong said, "Competition is not about comparison, but about using competitive challenges to stimulate potential. You must identify with what you are doing. You must not be proud, but you must have confidence."
"DreamWorks" is not a rap variety show with only the smell of gunpowder, but a space that tolerates different expressions. The
program is aimed at ordinary people in different cities, different industries, and different personalities across the country. From more than 2,000 application resumes, more than 600 contestants were interviewed in the audition, so that everyone can rap.
The so-called meaningful rap that the program wants is actually to draw different voices from Chinese folk culture and life stories.
For example, ponygo Xiaoma, who is currently working as a video editor in Chengdu, writes life into lyrics and then sings it into songs.
is only 24 years old this year, but he has worked as an online ride-hailing driver and delivered food, but he has encountered pitfalls in contracts. He wanted to seek legal advice to protect his rights, but was persuaded to quit due to legal fees.
, who loves rap, wrote these experiences into his first stage "Run Tu". The bitterness in the lyrics and the dark atmosphere of drill style hit the heart directly.
Some contestants are right. This is a rare earthy Chinese rap that can sing into the hearts of everyone who has experienced the hardships of life.
There are also contestants from the Northeast, who created "Shake" that integrates Northeastern niche culture.
uses Northeastern people's humor to dispel the seriousness and shame of "spiritual guys".
Innersa, a music label from Inner Mongolia, used Inner Mongolia wine culture as the theme for its first stage, singing about the feelings of hometown.
Because in Inner Mongolia, drinking because of happiness is a daily life of the locals. Sometimes after drinking for a day, there is still wine to sober up the next morning.
This heroic and passionate quality has also been integrated into the music style. The hook part (the most melodic part in rap) sung by Yihe in Mongolian dialect, even drew people to the prairie and almost caused them to be barraged. It's like sending the "Singer" live next door.
In the past, we always thought that the "coolness" of rap was sunglasses welded to the face, various fashionable and rheumatic outfits, or a self-proclaimed attitude.
But as long as you put the lens on ordinary people, you will find that coolness is not exclusive to hipsters, but everyone’s attitude towards life.
Rap is not a carnival for a small number of people, which makes "hipster phobia patients" daunted, but "everyone can rap, and I can do what I do."
President Wen, who was wearing daily work clothes (principal), gave an "executive rap".
On the first stage, the song "Graduation Ceremony" written for graduates dominated the audience.
There is a full-time mother named Dawan who is wearing casual clothes, and she still makes everyone respect her when she comes on stage.
Rap is not cool because it is about being arrogant and arrogant. Rap can also be a way of life, expressing oneself through accusations, records, self-certifications, and wishes.
These voices from ordinary people are also quite cool.
In competitive programs, the aspects of scoring, promotion, and selection often cause a bloody storm.
"DreamWorks" has also been controversial since its launch.
The audience was unhappy with some contestants, and they were also puzzled by the fact that some contestants made mistakes but were promoted, pointing out that the program had "double standards" in selecting candidates.
’s biggest controversy comes from a 20-year-old new rap star Red Finger.
His first stage performance was very good, but because he was accused of being like another rapper Wang Yitai in many ways, he was not selected by the label manager in the end. This became a problem for many viewers, and also caused a huge quarrel between the barrage and the contestants. .
Some people complained on his behalf, thinking that this was suppressing education and turning the dream factory into a dream-crushing factory.
Some people think that questioning him when he is young is responsible for him and allows him to find his position in time.
can understand the dissatisfaction of the audience, because if we put this matter into a workplace environment, label managers are the ones in power who can decide life and death. After all, this sense of powerlessness is something people at the bottom have regurgitated countless times.
But if you look at it in a school setting, the brand manager, with his or her identity and experience, first points out the risks so that you can avoid them, which is also sincere advice and encouragement.
So this controversy is actually a conflict between the label managers' suggestions for its future development and the simple emotions of the audience.
The premise that everyone agrees on is: Red Finger is a very talented rap painter, but some people think that immediate recognition and encouragement must be given, while others firmly believe that guiding him in the right direction can help him go further.
But judging from the results, the controversy ultimately brought more gains than blows to the red finger at the center of the topic.
Based on his own passion for rap, the encouragement of the audience and the suggestions and resources of label managers will be beneficial to him in trying new works in the future.
This is like a reflection of reality. After all, the cruelty in life is even worse than the cruelty on stage.
So the further you look back, these doubts will gradually be eliminated.
Because the program respects all voices and choices, it restores a part of reality.
At the same time, you can also see a kind of tolerance that intentionally breaks the traditional "black fear spirit".
President Wen was so nervous on stage at the beginning that he forgot the lyrics during the song. He stopped and bowed to everyone to apologize. At this time, a barrage passed by: It's not dark at all.
But gai proposed to let him finish singing, which was seconded by the audience.
Bridge chose Chen Xi, a top student and new rap artist, because he wanted to see her achieve a breakthrough from 0 to 100 in this show.
A truly open rap program does not need to gather sounds of the same frequency to play a perfect but monotonous melody, but allows different rappers to speak and argue on their own.
As Jay Chou said, creators are very subjective and should have their own persistence.
is like Lazy and the popular contestant Sundae who won the rap championship. After their debut, both of them were questioned about their rap ability due to their relatively high starting point and faced higher expectations.
But in the fourth issue, these doubts spurred them to create "The Uncrowned King", which aroused Jay Chou's approval.
Sister Dawan, who represents ordinary people's heroic dreams, including members of her "Dark Horse" group, also successfully counterattacked and became the first place in the multi-person stage during her first performance.
As long as you are confident enough in the content, you are not afraid of questioning. This is also the encouragement conveyed by the program's "leading by example" to the contestants and our audience. The confidence of
contestants lies in not being inactive because of "low voice", nor being deterred by doubts. The confidence of the
program is to "push out" the Chinese rap culture. In Gai's words, it means that more people who love rap can eat on the table, and they will be mentally satisfied and have full pockets. This is also the pattern that is different from similar programs. .
So if you look at the stories of the players chasing their dreams, they don’t rely on being miserable at all, but they dare to face their own demands.
Some people are willing to live at the lowest level of consumption in order to pursue their dreams, and then they can achieve the process of going from wild to regular.
Now I have the opportunity to stand on the stage to show my results, and I dare to show my naked true desires in public:
We are here to improve our lives
I feel so worthy. What is rare for
is that behind the glory of promotion, the camera is also focused on the frustrated people who were not selected.
In the midst of feelings of loss, confusion and self-doubt, the words "go back to live, go to work and make money, and then make an album" rekindled the flame of hope.
Musicians are all persistent, but I believe dream chasers who have not yet succeeded are more persistent than successful musicians. President Wen of
said that people who really make music will not be easily persuaded to quit. At first glance, this sentence seems to be a "kidnapping of faith" for musicians. It seems that to pursue dreams, one must pursue fame. But if you think about it carefully, love itself is the source of motivation for dreamers.
But facts have also proved that in addition to self-driving force, sometimes external forces are still needed to help.
Why does rap need a stage?
In addition to the rappers themselves who need to establish their own self-identity, external feedback also allows them to further process and refine themselves. Professional affirmation and public applause encourage them to express bravely.
This is not necessarily a vanity mentality, but it is definitely an exploration process of constantly discovering and reaffirming oneself.
However, success and failure are often regarded as two bifurcated roads that are either/or. People regard it as bigger than the sky, but regard their own abilities as smaller than sand, but each stage can only be a stage performance. , after all, it cannot become a foregone conclusion that will hinder us.
On the stage, they compose life into music and put it on the stage. Off stage, we can also put the stage into our lives. Regardless of success or failure, we can express ourselves bravely.
