novelraw Chapter 145, "Hip Hop in China," begins its pre-release hype.
Chapter 145, "Hip Hop in China," begins its pre-release hype.
Chapter 145, "Hip Hop in China," begins its pre-release hype.
"Hip-hop is still a niche genre in the country."
People are not questioning, but simply raising reasonable questions. Faced with a variety show phenomenon like Tanglou, people may not understand, but they cannot disrespect it.
"So we need to break out of our niche." Tang Lou's eyes were sharp. "We want to bring rappers wearing gold chains and singing in dialects into every household."
Upon hearing Tang Lou's declaration, the entire "Chinese Hip Hop" project team sprang into action.
Under the arrangement of the tenement building, various specific measures began to be implemented.
As the exclusive broadcasting platform, KuMiao Video has invested unprecedented promotional resources in "The Rap of China".
The most important online:
Splash screen bombardment: A week before the show's premiere, the KuMiao APP's launch page and homepage featured a rotating trailer all day long.
Social media matrix: Weibo established the main topic #ChineseHipHop#, and launched the #DoYouHaveFreestyle# challenge in conjunction with other social media platforms, and created a viral video by editing Ouyang Jing's "Do You Have Freestyle?" clip.
Targeted delivery: Based on user listening data, deliver information to young users who like electronic, rock, and trendy music through precise Google Play feed.
Offline:
City Landmarks: Giant 3D posters were set up in trendy landmarks such as Sanlitun in Beijing, Xintiandi in Shanghai, and Taikoo Li in Chengdu, with silhouettes of contestants wearing masks arousing strong curiosity.
University outreach: The "Hip Hop Campus Tour" was held at 50 key universities across the country, with preview videos played and trendy items such as custom-made towels and baseball caps distributed.
Cross-industry collaborations: launching co-branded sneakers with a well-known sports brand, and collaborating with a trendy beverage store to release a limited-edition "Hip Hop Sparkling Water".
All these measures are in line with the core instructions of Tanglou. Coolcat is not promoting a program, but really creating a youth culture event!
In addition to their brilliant planning, Tanglou has once again demonstrated its astonishing marketing genius!
However, Tanglou's promotion of youth culture this time has made many competitors feel that the Tanglou team has deviated from its original intention.
Cat's success is based on sincerity and genuine originality, and this time, "The Rap of China" is being promoted and marketed on such a grand scale.
Do these niche cultures and underground musicians really deserve this kind of promotion?
On a societal level, unlike stand-up comedy and band culture, hip-hop culture is often associated with a stereotypical image of rebellious and academically weak students.
These hip-hop musicians are basically just people who couldn't finish their studies, vocational school graduates, technical high school graduates, or even some unemployed people who just want to pick up girls and show off.
In the music industry, hip-hop music is at the very bottom of the hierarchy of tastes.
The head of Tencent Video's variety show department scoffed at the pre-release hype data for "The Rap of China".
"Hip hop? A bunch of underground singers wearing oversized clothes and whose lyrics are all about money, cars, and girls, can they be considered mainstream?" He pointed to the report, "It's 2017, and the domestic hip hop music market accounts for less than 3%. How many of the top 100 songs on the mainstream music platform's hot song charts are pure rap? Tanglou is going to throw money into the sea this time."
The success of the two projects in a row made Tencent very unhappy, and they were all looking forward to the failure of the third program in Tanglou, which would result in a huge loss.
Kiwi fruit video.
Gong Yu is more rational, but based on his judgment, as a top student and a talented businessman, he looks down on hip-hop culture, and mainstream Chinese culture also rejects this culture originating from Black people: "The cultural soil isn't enough. American hip-hop is about grassroots narratives and street politics, but here—we can't just sing 'My Skateboard Shoes,' can we?" Moreover, the quality of the contestants varies greatly; many underground rappers are used to profanity and aggression, and bringing that to television would be a major censorship problem. Tang Lou might have overplayed their hand this time.
On industry forums, anonymous comments were even more direct: "Betting on hip-hop? Did Tanglou get carried away with their first two successes?"
"A niche culture that insists on becoming mainstream is doomed to die."
"Waiting for the premiere to flop, let's see how Coolcat handles it."
No one expected that the Cool Cat team's high-profile pre-launch promotion would instead attract a lot of criticism.
Especially those who consider themselves sophisticated, they believe that hip-hop culture should stay underground.
Those hip-hop musicians are all monsters and demons, with low moral character and chaotic relationships between men and women; they're nothing but stinking latrines.
Faced with backlash from the outside world, the core production team of "The Rap of China" became somewhat restless.
Che Zhe and Chen Wei did not expect that Tang Lou would spend so much money on promotion and marketing, but because the quality of hip-hop musicians is uneven, it was boycotted before it even started airing.
Of course, many of these haters are paid trolls hired by competitors, who just don't want Tang Lou to achieve the miracle of three consecutive successful variety shows.
Amidst this controversy and pessimism, Che Zhe and Chen Wei felt somewhat anxious.
The KuMiao "The Rap of China" project team was still brightly lit at 2 a.m.
Che Zhe stared at the edited first episode sample, his brow furrowed: "Isn't this Freestyle Battle a bit too intense? The eye contact between PGOne and GAI looks like they're about to fight."
Screenwriter Xiao Liu sighed, "Many contestants have revised their lyrics again and again, losing all the original charm. If we don't revise them, the show simply won't air."
Another assistant director rubbed his temples: "We've generated some buzz beforehand, but it's all just hype. When it actually airs, how many people will actually listen to a complete rap song?"
The most anxious group is the player management team: "GAI got into another conflict during rehearsal—and Bridge, there's a bunch of guys in the audience too," discipline is a big problem.
The meeting room was filled with smoke; this program was a do-or-die battle for Che Zhe and Chen Wei.
Tanglou has invested so much money. If they succeed, they will achieve great success. But if they fail, their future may be ruined.
Of course, the most painful thing is that they will betray Tanglou's trust.
Che Zhe and Chen Wei were under immense pressure, while Tang Lou remained calm and composed, showing no signs of tension or anxiety.
"Where does President Tang get his confidence from?" someone asked in a low voice.
No one answered.
However, this kind of scene is a routine operation for tenement buildings.
Everyone knows that Tanglou is always as immovable as a mountain, full of confidence in its project.
In the recording studio, the contestants felt uncomfortable, as well as insecure and sensitive, upon seeing the negative comments and stereotypes circulating online.
Backstage at the recording studio, a group of young people dressed in hip-hop style, wearing various gold chains and baseball caps, seemed somewhat out of place in the glamorous studio.
GAI (Zhou Yan), from Chongqing, exudes a strong sense of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and chivalry). He squats in a corner smoking, his eyes wary.
"I've been singing underground for over a decade, and I never imagined I'd be smiling in front of a camera. Can this show really make us famous?"
PGOne (Wang Hao), a boy from Northeast China, is a representative of the technical style. He repeatedly practices complex flow, his fingers moving rhythmically while he mutters incantations.
"We can't lose face. We have to show those who look down on hip-hop what real skill is."