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Article Summary: Music and Culture

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Article Summary: Music and Culture

Jin Liu examines the role of locally-based language rap songs in forming novel voices

and nurturing young people identification in China in his scholarly paper, "Alternative Voice and

Local Youth Identity in Chinese Local-Language Rap Music." The article emphasizes on how

rap lyrics developed in China and how it served as an opportunity for underrepresented

perspectives and forms of cultural communication among younger generations of the nation (Liu,

2014). An outline of the history of rap songs in China is given at the beginning of the article. It

emphasizes the manner in which the influence of hip-hop from the West helped rap tunes

become popular in the 1990s, but that it subsequently developed into a unique style of artistic

manifestation founded on regional Chinese idioms and cultural backgrounds. Further, as stated

by the author, localized rap artistry in China serves as a counter-narrative that questions societal

norms and dominant ideologies. It gives underrepresented groups, including racial and linguistic

minorities, rural residents, and those from low socioeconomic status, a forum to share their

viewpoints and encounters (Liu, 2014).

The article also looks at the role local-based language rap lyrics has in Chinese teenage

identity building. It emphasizes the significance of the rap genre as a tool for young adults

navigating societal and financial obstacles in a fast evolving world. The study also explores how

local-language hip-hop contributes to the maintenance of regional customs and the promotion of

an awareness of cultural dignity. Artists are allowed to commemorate and promote their local

history by mixing indigenous languages and cultural allusions into their song. This encourages

diverse cultures and challenges the predominance of Mandarin Chinese in mainstream music.

The piece of writing also discusses the difficulties encountered by Chinese local-language

rappers, such as restrictions on speech, a lack of market options, and cultural shame (Liu, 2014).
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The development and customization of rap lyrics in China is one of the article's primary

observations and lessons. By charting the origins of rap songs in China to the 1990s and

illustrating how it developed into a regionalized type of artistic communication, this gives an

explanation for the genre's growth. Authenticity bargaining and teenage participation are two

other lessons to be learned from this text. This is relevant to the important role that local-based

language the rap genre serves in the development of young identification in China. It illustrates

the way rap lyrics gives young individuals who are dealing with societal demands and fast

changes in society a way to express themselves and negotiate their identities (Liu, 2014). The

research paper draws a strong connection connecting music and facets of culture or social

structures by showing the transforming impact of locally-based language rap songs in China. It

highlights the value of localized language rap tunes as a substitute voice, a potent vehicle for

young people to convey themselves, and a venue that promotes ethnic identity and safeguards

history (Liu, 2014).


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Bibliography

Liu, J. (2014). Alternative voice and local youth identity in Chinese local-language rap music.

Positions: Asia Critique, 22(1), 263–292. https://doi.org/10.1215/10679847-2383840

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