Alternative rap? Time to give Guandii a rest

There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to face the facts — that not every (alpha) dog has his day; that haters gon hate; that open bar doesn’t always mean what you think it means. And that all ABCs just looove Guandii. Well, not this ABC. Sure, one could chalk it up to difference in opinion, or taste in hip-hop, or a simple case of sour grapes (not picking up enough ladies, for instance). But let’s not consider all that. Let’s just nip it right in the bud: In order for the hip-hop “scene” in Shanghai to truly thrive, and blossom into the NBT (Next Big Thing) it so richly deserves to be, ABCs — and everyone else, for that matter — need to stop jocking Guandii so hard.

In a word: Diversity. We're tired of wannabe thugs and thugettes mad-dogging and huffing and puffing and sealing off the dance floor with yet another not-at-all improvised, not-as-slick-as-you-think dance routine. We're tired of top-40 hip-hop from last year being used as the measuring stick — note to DJs: it's high time you put the Black Eyed Peas’ “Where is the Love” out to pasture — for what constitutes off-the-chainness. Most of all though, we're tired of seeing the same faces over and over and over again. In a way, hip-hop culture is a microcosm of Shanghai; at its best, it's multicultural and all-inclusive, at its worst, there's a whole lot of macho posturing and broken bottles, if not worse. We'd like to think of the former as the rule and the latter the exception, but then, we've been wrong before (about the Black Eyed Peas not having any staying power, for instance). Or that the indomitable (or so we thought) Jay-Z would find a way to perform in Shanghai. (Can't you tell we're still bitter?)

Anyways, here’s Shanghaiist’s question to true hip-hop heads in the city (and don’t worry if you’re not an ABC ... chime in with your two cents ... or five): Where is the love for clubs not named Guandii? Or for that matter, not named BonBon (don't like the layout), Fabrique (everyone looks pouty), Babyface (too crowded), or The Lab (too small). Don’t make us say it again (though we kinda already did): Can we get a hip-hop revolution in the SH already? Preferably, one that doesn't involve the Black Eyed Peas.

Photo courtesy of www.itsablackthang.com.