Photojournalist and filmmaker Matthew Niederhauser speaks to AsiaSociety about the past, present and future of the Chinese underground hip hop scene. more ›

This time at Hiphop Hijack at Zeal, it's DJ ND of Belgium. ND has won the Benelux DMC Championship, and also placed 4th in the DMC World Championship in 2009. On top of that, he's also worked with artists like Nas, Rihanna, Kelis, Trey Songz and DJ Qbert. We picked ND's brain on what it's like to share the stage with hip-hop heavyweights, the secret to becoming an international jet-setting DJ, and whether he prefers long walks on the beach or picnics in the park. more ›

Manning the decks at the Hiphop Hijack party at Zeal this Friday night will be DJ Mystakal Kut (France), who's opened for Sean Paul and spun at parties for Usher, Gucci Mane, and Tony Parker. We caught up with the Miami-based DJ to get his thoughts on China, the perfect hypothetical music, and the relative merits of Beyonce and Rihanna. more ›

We thought this was another average breakdancing video, until things get kind of hilarious at 0:33 in the video. Calling themselves the "Snake Men" (人间蛇男), we have to give the duo credit for being a pretty tight unit, and for incorporating a plastic deck chair into their act at 1:40 in the clip. more ›

Hip hop and basketball, two items firmly linked in American culture, made a resounding splash at Hip Hop Hijack's 1 year Anniversary party at Zeal this past Friday. more ›

Midweek Music Preview is our weekly rundown of everything happening on stages across the city. On the docket this week: Klaxons and Two Gallants schlep it out east, Illumin8tors get freaky, Rom and Boys Climbing Ropes/X is Y drop their new albums, plus Japanese psychobilly, Moscow post-punk, and Beijing hardcore! Read on for all the details, or check out our calendar for more. more ›

"Word! My flow's bizarre like Japan, my raps be tight like Saran. Your flow be wicked sleep-inducing like turkey tryptophan." Now, we would never be able to come up with such a lyrical lashing given mere seconds of preparation in a freestyle battle, but the MC's who showed up to the Freestyle Battle at Paramount last Sunday night made it their business to do exactly that. more ›

Got plans for tonight? If not, we suggest heading down to Dada to check out two crews battle it out. See The Rhythm (tech-house and minimal) go up against Love Bang (neon crunk, dubstep, and gutter house). Dada promises us that it's going to be a big night and a few MCs and breakers may be coming through too. more ›

For those of you looking to take part in a Shanghai flash mob, don't forget the one happening this Sunday -- and you won't need to be able to dance. more ›

Tonight, take it back to the old-school with British DJ Andy Smith at The Shelter. Since 1998 Andy Smith has been releasing multi-genre mix albums, segueing vintage funk, R&B, and soul with doses of contemporary hip-hop . When his mix-CD The Document hit the streets back in 1998, it became the soundtrack for a generation who had heard Coldcut's Journeys By DJs but needed to hear more - The Document filled the void. He was also the touring DJ for Portishead some time ago and worked on their first two albums with them. more ›

Looking for a dose of Shanghainese culture immersion? You will do well to skip Zhou Libo and those yappy middle-aged ladies at the neighborhood market. Check out what we'd stumbled upon last weekend at Club G+. Homeboys rappin' up a storm in the Shanghainese dialect, complete with bubble machines, gorilla suits, confetti and cardboard props. more ›

Blaxploitation was a film genre which especially addressed an audience of urban black people and became popular in America during the 1970s. These films were the first to feature soundtracks of funk and soul music, which makes it a perfect fit for art/music bar/lounge Dada's Tuesday SubCinema. This time, they offer up a free screening of The Mack, the biggest grossing blaxploitation film of its time. more ›

Tucker is a DJ/musician well known for his use of a wide range of instruments, including an electone. more ›

Another week, another great spat of live music here in Shanghai - and this time around, there's a good mix of electro indiepop, hip hop, synthy stuff and some punk on the side. YYT, like usual, dominates the weekend with Yuguo on Friday and a rock-filled Sexy Animal Party on Saturday. more ›

If, as Chuck D said, "Rap music is CNN for black people," then Yo! MTV Raps was the unofficial News at Ten. more ›

Or at least Shanghai. The story of live hip hop in our city (MC Hotdog aside) is generally one of rumour and disappointment. Remember when Nas tore ish up at Racks? Or when Jay Z wowed a packed crowd at Hongkou Stadium? No, us neither. That's largely because it didn't happen. Sure, we had Kanye go through the motions in a half empty stadium last year, but that's been pretty much it. This weekend though, might just make up for all the hurt. more ›

We remember how psyched we were when we first got our hands on Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), so we're absolutely thrilled at this piece of news: Ghostface Killah is coming to Shanghai on June 14 (after stopping over in Beijing the day before)! And even better, he wants local talent to share his bill with him. So if you're an MC or DJ or singer with aspirations to open for one of the biggest acts in hip hop, head to the Douban/Splitworks contest site. Competition begins on May 14 and will end on June 9. more ›

The Lab, a non-profit, non-cost DJ Hip-Hop workshop studio, is throwing its Third Anniversary Party tonight at the Shelter. Debuting two new talents, DJ Freeze and DJ Sense, the lineup features ten total DJs including founding member DJ V-Nutz (a.k.a: Gary Wang). more ›