This artistic research project focuses on the integration of two distinct areas of music: rap music (RM) and contemporary art music (CAM). The idea stems from my own identity as both a rapper and a composer. As a rapper, I have been involved in rap music since my teenage years, producing underground albums and performing concerts with my crew L.C.T. as one of the pioneers of rapping in Mandarin Chinese in my hometown Hohhot. As a composer, I have received formal training in art music (composition, piano, and music theory) and have composed music for acoustic instruments, voices (bel canto), fixed media, and live electronics.
While the incorporation of elements of popular music into CAM is common (such as Bernhard Lang's DW-cycle, Thomas Adès's Asyla, and Du Yun's Angel's Bone), examples that specifically focus on RM and rapping voice are rare (such as Lang's Paranoia). At the same time, boundary-pushing works that incorporate rap tend to be limited by established genre norms (such as Babatunde Akinboboye's hip-hopera works and MoTrip and Jimek's collaborative concert in 2018).
Instead of emphasizing the opposition between art music and popular music, this project aims to find common ground and to explore the inclusive nature of "rap" and "composition" that challenges established norms in both the RM and CAM scenes. The project aims to answer questions such as: What distinguishes and unites the artistic practices in RM and CAM? How do these practices impact the author's aesthetic decisions during the composition and performance process? Can certain musical elements be perceived as representing a specific musical tradition? And how are these practices perceived in a broader social and cultural context?
Rap and electroacoustic stereo track