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Taiwanese hip hop music started in the early 1990s, popularized by the early hip hop trio L.A. Boyz. [1] A distinctive style of rap emerged using Taiwanese Hokkien as opposed to the Mandarin Chinese used in Mandopop, which before democratization the regime actively promote the use of Mandarin and suppressing the use of Taigi.
A mid-70s movement titled the Modern Folksong Movement sought to reclaim hip hop for the Taiwanese people.[ contradictory ] Artists such as Yang Xian and Li Shuangz inspired a new generation of localization of music which strove to strip away the years of American cultural imperialism, which at the time, the United States was supporting Taiwan as Cold War ally. This movement paved the way for more Taiwan-specific music and allowed for new Taiwanese to take from local traditions and language and create their own national music. [2]
The first Mandarin rap song was performed by singer-songwriter Harlem Yu in Taiwan, who is known for being one of the first artists to experiment with R&B and rap in the Mandopop music industry in the early 1980s, which was parallel to the early New York 1980s rap songs.
L.A. Boyz is a Taiwanese pop/rap group composed of two brothers and their cousin. They were raised in Irvine, California, and met at its University High School. They first became involved in music through their interest in hip-hop dance moves learnt from parties around Orange County and Los Angeles, and fashion from Compton and South-Central LA. Their dancing, and entry into various competitions, eventually led them to be scouted by a representative of Pony Canyon, in Taiwan. [3] They released 10 albums, starting from their first, SHIAM!閃 which sold more than 130,000 copies in 1992. Their second album, released the same year, was similarly received. The group was very successful in the 1990s until their break-up. They are credited for starting the trend that would spread into Taiwan and the rest of the Mandarin-speaking world.[ citation needed ]
In 2001, MC HotDog arrived in the Taiwanese market. He is known for his use of explicit lyrics in his songs. He is known for his two famous hits, "我的生活" (My Life) and "韓流來襲" (The Korean Invasion).
In 2002, Dwagie released Lotus from the Tongue (舌粲蓮花), regarded as the first full rap album in the Chinese-speaking world. [4]
Since then, many Taiwanese rappers have emerged, including Jae Chong, Machi, Leo Wang , （蛋堡） , and Nine One One. Women are a minority in Taiwanese hip-hop. Meredith Schweig wrote in 2010 that "there are no professional female MCs on the island" other than Miss Ko, who was regarded as a "newcomer" at the time. [5]
The moment that the Golden Melody Awards granted an award to both Leo Wang and Soft Lipa announced the official arrival of Taiwanese hip-hop into the mainstream. In addition to being recognized in general pop-music circles, in 2021, MTV received a subsidy from the Ministry of Culture's Film, Television and Pop Music Industry Bureau to produce "The Rappers". The judges were Dwagie, Kumachen, Razor Jiang, and Leo Wang. This show is aiming to broaden the audience for Taiwanese hip-hop, and season 2 is set to premiere in January 2022. [6]
The future of Taiwanese hip-hop appears to be promising, and there are many talented musicians working hard in this industry. However, with the development of the Internet today, topicality and traffic-flows are no less important than whether the content of the work is high-quality, and marketing has become a new concern for rappers. [7]
Founded by Dwagie in 2003. In the beginning, it was a community of friends gathering to promote hip-hop culture. [8] Its regular members include Dwagie, JY, RPG, BR, Kumachan, and Professor H, all of whom are engaged in music production, performances, teaching, and cultural promotion.
Founded in July 2005, KAO!INK’s Founder Dila Pang, aimed to promote Chinese rap music and create a brand new rap hip-hop music label in Taiwan. KAO!INK has since cultivated many rappers through various means, including Soft Lipa, Gordon, DJ Didilong, Jerry Li, DJ JIN.
Co-founded by 911 and Right Eye in 2015. It has been successful in recruiting artists such as Monkey, 187 INK and others who have worked together in the past, but has also signed up various artists from the new generation of hip-hop groups like: Cocky Boyz, Cautun Boyz and BCW. AINOKO ENTERTAINMENT continues the "Taichung Love" inherited by the predecessor TTM, and also allows the vitality of Taichung hip-hop to continue to spread. [9]
Established in 2004, It was co-founded by George, and the singer A-Yue. True Color promotes itself as being a champion for Chinese hip-hop pop music. Some of the members which they work for include MC HotDog, and MJ116 (also individually as E.SO, Kenzy, and Muta). In 2015, True color formed a group of its artists together to begin a world tour, and after the world tour, True Color felt that it had contributed to the expansion of the influence of hip-hop within the mainstream music industry of Taiwan. [10]
The music of Taiwan reflects the diverse culture of Taiwanese people. Taiwan has undergone several economic, social, and political changes through its cultural history, and Taiwanese music reflects those issues in its way. The music of the country has adopted a mixed style. As a country rich in Chinese folk culture and with many indigenous tribes with their own distinct artistic identity, various folk music styles are appreciated in Taiwan. In addition, people in Taiwan highly appreciate various style of Western classical music and pop music. Taiwan is a major Mandopop hub.
Jolin Tsai is a Taiwanese singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen of C-pop", she is one of the most influential pop cultural figures in the Chinese-speaking world. Recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in musical style and visual image, she is regarded as a key figure in bringing dance-pop music into the mainstream in Greater China. She assumes creative control over all aspects of her career, and her works, which incorporate themes of societal issues and ideological connotations, have garnered both commercial success and critical acclaim.
Tseng Kuan-jung, professionally known as Dwagie, is a Taiwanese rapper, best known for using Taiwanese in his performances. His first solo album, Lotus from the Tongue, was billed as the first full rap album in the Chinese-speaking world. He has also collaborated with fellow rapper MC HotDog.
MCHotDog is a Taiwanese rap artist and best known as “The Father of Taiwanese Hip Hop Music”. He also known for his use of explicit lyrics in his songs.
L.A. Boyz was a Taiwanese pop/rap group composed of brothers Jeff Huang and Stanley Huang, and their cousin Steven Lin (林智文) formed circa 1991. They are considered to be the first rap group in Taiwanese popular music. They released 13 albums starting from their first "SHIAM! 閃" in 1992.
Jerry Lo also known as DJ Jerry, is a singer, songwriter and DJ of hands up, hard trance, hip-hop and house, who was very popular in Taiwan in the 1990s and the 2000s.
Stanley Huang is a Taiwanese-American singer and actor.
Tanya Chua is a Singaporean singer-songwriter. She launched her singing career by releasing her debut studio album Bored in 1997. She was part of the trio that sang Moments of Magic (1999), Singapore's official millennium song. Her albums, Amphibian (2005), Goodbye & Hello (2007), Sing It Out of Love (2011) and Depart (2021), each won her a Golden Melody Award for Best Mandarin Female Singer award.
Hokkien pop, also known as Taiwanese Hokkien popular music, T-pop, Tai-pop, Minnan Pop and Taiwanese folk, is a popular music genre sung in Hokkien, especially Taiwanese Hokkien and produced mainly in Taiwan and sometimes in Fujian in Mainland China or Hong Kong or even Singapore in Southeast Asia. Hokkien pop is most popular amongst Hoklo people in Taiwan, Mainland China, Hong Kong, and the Overseas Chinese and Overseas Taiwanese in Southeast Asia, such as Chinese Singaporeans, Chinese Malaysians, Chinese Filipinos, Chinese Indonesians, etc.
Expert Show is Taiwanese Mandopop artist Show Lo's second Mandarin studio album. It was released on 22 October 2004 by Avex Taiwan. A second collectible edition, Expert Show (CD+VCD) was released on 25 November 2004 with a bonus VCD containing four music videos.
Show Time is Taiwanese Mandopop artist Show Lo's debut Mandarin solo studio album. It was released on 5 December 2003 by Avex Taiwan. The album sold 50,000 copies within two weeks of release. Avex Taiwan announced at the album's celebration party, on 12 January 2004, that over 80,000 copies were sold leading to a celebration version to be published, which included Show's directorial debut of a 30-minute music drama.
Jutoupi is a Taiwanese pop artist who brought a new musical style to Asia in 1994. Through his Funny Rap album series, Jutoupi focused on difficult topics, such as sex and political issues, through a mixture of Mandarin, Taiwanese, and English. His subsequent switch to dance/aboriginal music mixes was not well received by his fan base.
Gloria Tang Sze-wing, known professionally as G.E.M. or Tang Tsz-kei, is a Chinese-born Hong Kong singer-songwriter and producer. Born in Shanghai and raised in Hong Kong, G.E.M. made her debut in 2008 with the release of her self-titled Cantonese extended play G.E.M. The release won her the gold award for best newcomer at three major music awards ceremonies in Hong Kong. Her debut studio album, 18... (2009), was named one of the top ten best-selling records in the territory in 2009.
Muse is the twelfth studio album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It was released on September 14, 2012, by Warner and Mars. Produced by Michael Lin, Peggy Hsu, JJ Lin, and Tanya Chua, Muse is a pop record spanning both mainstream and indie music styles. Music videos were produced for nearly all the tracks on the record, including for the single "The Great Artist".
Play is the thirteenth studio album by Taiwanese singer Jolin Tsai. It was released on November 15, 2014, by Warner and Eternal. Produced by Starr Chen, Andrew Chen, Tiger Chung, JJ Lin, and Michael Lin, Play is primarily a pop and dance record with lyrics consisting of themes related to societal issues.
Be With You is a 2015 Taiwanese romance, family drama television series produced by Sanlih E-Television, starring Bobby Dou, Huang Pei Jia, Nylon Chen, and Vivi Lee as the main cast. The Chinese title literally translates to "Want To Love". Filming began on March 18, 2015 and the series was aired while filming continued. First original broadcast began April 14, 2015 on SETTV channel, airing weekly from Monday till Friday at 8:00-9:00 pm.
Miss Ko is a Taiwanese-American singer-songwriter and rapper signed to Universal Music Group. Ko has released three studio albums and is the winner of Best New Artist of 24th Golden Melody Award in Taiwan, the first rapper/hip-hop artist to win the award.
Chang and Lee(Chinese: 張三李四) is a Taiwanese band formed in 2010. Their style is generally rock and folk, but they combine elements from other genres such as hip hop, country, electronics, and jazz.
GorDoN ), known in Chinese as Guodan (國蛋), is a Taiwanese hip-hop artist from Tainan. He graduated from National Tainan First Senior High School, before attending National Taiwan University, studying chemistry. In 2011, he moved to the US, to read for his master's degree. His vocal ability is typically characterized by a sort of lethargic or laid-back tone, and this style is said to have been deeply influenced by the works of the American rapper, Nas.
With the exception of one artist—Miss KO, a Taiwanese-American newcomer to the scene—there are no professional female MCs on the island, and only a handful of professional female hip-hop DJs.Note: Although the article was published in 2016, it covers events that took place shortly after the 2010 Taiwanese local elections.
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