Why China’s hip-hop stars are staying silent on Black Lives Matter

Most are keeping quiet on the anti-racism movement that has swept the globe, in contrast to the outpouring of support from artists elsewhere

Divide highlights how the genre has been embraced by Chinese yet cut off from its African-American roots by cultural and political forces

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Canadian-Chinese hip-hop star Kris Wu has yet to comment on the protests to his millions of social media followers. Photo: Handout

Published: 5:00am, 21 Jun 2020Updated: 5:00am, 21 Jun 2020

After a 2017 rap show got a generation of China’s youth hooked on hip hop, the musical genre has created dozens of Chinese stars and, along with them, billions of streaming views.

But despite their enthusiasm for a culture that originated in the African-American community, Chinese hip-hop stars and their legions of fans have largely stayed silent on the Black Lives Matter movement, which has swept across the world after the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in Minneapolis.

Canadian-Chinese hip-hop star Kris Wu has made no comments on the anti-racism protests to his 50.9 million social media followers on Weibo and 7.3 million on Instagram. GAI, a rapping competition winner who has 8.8 million Weibo followers, has also kept quiet.

Some others, including Higher Brothers, Vava and Hong Kong pop stars Jackson Wang and Edison Chen, have voiced against racism – but only on Instagram or Twitter, which are blocked in China. On Weibo, it is business as usual; they posted their own portraits, new songs and sneakers.

Rapper Sun Bayi: “I’m not black. I haven’t lived in America. What can I say about it?” Photo: Handout

Sun Bayi, a Beijing-based rapper, said he was not in a position to comment on the Black Lives Matter movement.

“I know racism in theory, but it’s hard to empathise with it,” said the rapper, whose favourite artists are Eminem and the Notorious B.I.G. “I’m not black. I have never lived in America. What can I say about it?”

Why China’s hip-hop stars are staying silent on Black Lives Matter

Most are keeping quiet on the anti-racism movement that has swept the globe, in contrast to the outpouring of support from artists elsewhere Divide highlights how the genre has been embraced by Chinese yet cut off from its African-American roots by cultural and political forces

Most are keeping quiet on the anti-racism movement that has swept the globe, in contrast to the outpouring of support from artists elsewhere

Divide highlights how the genre has been embraced by Chinese yet cut off from its African-American roots by cultural and political forces