By Chris Ly
New Organizing Project blogger
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With so many new artists out there on the radio, MTV, BET and other music outlets, why is it that none of them, or very little of them, are Asian American? Why the absence of Asian American rappers in the mainstream?
Recently, Far East Movement, an electro hop/hip hop/pop group, made it big, but what about before them? Thinking back (and I’m not that old so you have to understand the time period in which I’m thinking back on), I can only recollect one other Asian American rap group who had their 15 minutes of fame with their own hit wonder, Got Rice.
Well, for this week’s blog post, I wanted to write about my top 3 favorite Asian American rappers. Their music has rhythm and incredible lyrics that has so much depth. You may have heard of some of them, but for those who haven’t, they are definitely worth checking out.
1. Jin Au-Yeung aka MC Jin: With hits like Learn Chinese and Angels, Jin brings a mix of English and Cantonese Chinese rapping. He definitely contributes to the rap field in new and fresh ways.
2. Jonathan Park aka Dumbfounded: His fly, full-o-swag freestyles have swept the underground rap community. Hailing from Los Angeles, he mixes Asian American culture into his freestyle. He also stays active in the AAPI community. Check out his dope verse in Charlie Sheen.
3. George Quibuyen aka Prometheus Brown, Geologic: A son of two Filipino immigrants, Prometheus Brown has been rapping about his life and Filipino issues since 2002. He’s the vocalist for the duo group Blue Scholars. Although his styles aren’t fit for everyone, he’s one Asian American rapper who knows how to stay true to his Filipino roots. He’s amazing while he sings, and magic happens while he’s producing. Listen to Loyalty and become more familiar with his beautiful, melodic voice.
Well.. what do you think? Do you have a few names you want to throw in the mix?
Photo credits:
alivenotdead.com
afistfulofsoundtracks.blogspot.com
thepugetsounds.blogspot.com
