Moving to the beat

Chinese-American rapper Christine Ko will perform at the MDSK event, among many other singers and bands. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Chengdu, as a city boasting many local hip-hop groups and devoted supporters, is certainly suitable as the first host of the music festival, says Shen.

"Most of the groups rap in the Sichuan dialect, which is very creative and original," says Shen, adding that about 20,000 people are expected to attend the festival. "Young people enjoy hip-hop because it allows them to speak for themselves."

Female rappers are also featured in the festival, including 22-year-old Chinese rapper Vinida, who rose to fame after performing at Sing! China, a popular variety show aired by Zhejiang Satellite TV in 2016, and signed with Modernsky after that.

Chinese-American rapper Christine Ko, better known by her stage name Miss Ko, will also perform during the festival.

Born and raised in Queens, New York, Ko started rhyming words in high school to memorize her test materials and rapping soon came naturally to her. So far, she has released three studio albums and won the best new artist for her debut album, Knock Out, at the 24th annual Golden Melody Awards in 2013, which is considered the Grammy Awards in Mandarin music.

"Growing up, I was really pushed to focus on my studies, which was stressful and tough because I wasn't a good student at all. But music became my outlet to escape all that and express the different emotions I experienced: anger, pain, joy, injustice and so on," says Ko, who moved to Taiwan to learn Chinese after college and was later discovered by local rapper Soft Lipa and record label owner Dela Chang.

"Anything and everything can inspire me. Sometimes it's the beat. Sometimes it's an experience. Sometimes it's just what I feel and want to communicate at that moment," says Ko. "I once had some horrible pizza and turned that experience into a song.

"Hip-hop is all about attitude and believing in yourself, even when no one else does. I encourage anyone with an interest in hip-hop to explore the culture and become a part of it."

Chinese-American rapper Christine Ko will perform at the MDSK event, among many other singers and bands. [Photo provided to China Daily]