“A sold-out rap concert in Beijing, by an American rapper I’ve never heard of?” I snagged an extra ticket to find out what the hype was about.
The floor of the Blue Note had been cleared of its usual dining tables for standing room only. Young people pressed together from the stage to the back wall, one hand holding a phone to film and the other in pocket. Some groups with VIP tickets watched from private booths on the balcony above with fancy bottles sitting on the tables behind them. The main advantage of these tickets, over the course of the evening, seemed to be an unblocked view to film the action on stage.
A skinny DJ named Fat John worked a turntable, cycling between easy-listening hip-hop beats at a consistently danceable tempo. As his set wrapped up, he assumed the role of hype man. “I came a long way to be here tonight. Know who else came a long way?”
“Naaiiiveee,” the crowd roared (spelled Nieve but pronounced like naïve).
“Anyone know where Nieve’s from?” An unconfident mix of “California”, “USA”, and “LAs” burbled up in response.
“What’s up, Beijiiiiing?!” The beat dropped as Nieve, decked out in a baggy white t-shirt, dark shades and a backward Dodgers hat, came swaggering from behind the curtain to rap about “Californ-I-A.” The simplistic rhymes were chock-full of decades-old clichés.
“We party like it’s ‘99 every night of the week / summer time, all the time, winter, fall or spring,” the song boasted to all the Beijing millennials.
It quickly became clear that Nieve’s popularity with foreign learners of English had little to do with verbal dexterity or fancy wordplay, and everything to do with relatability.
“Ooh yo yo” he belted out to light laughter once the first song was done. “Learned that in Korea a few nights ago.”
The transitions tied the songs into one continuous any-bro’s story, with each song coherently focused on an easily understandable topic. Nieve wasn’t done repping his hood quite yet.
“I’m from California where we like to relax and have fun, right?” he explained. “So this next song is about just chilling. Yo Fat John, let’s hit them with it.” A slow beat overlaid with uplifting organ tones kicked in as I wondered to myself what this guy would be rapping about if he’d grown up in Idaho.
“Live life like the water in the ice cube tray / I think I’ll be doing that today,” he rapped while patrolling the edge of the stage, non-mic-holding arm extended to slap out high fives with the front row.
Keeping the crowd’s interest was one thing, but getting them really moving to the music was harder.
“Let’s everybody throw your hands in the air, dance and be free a little,” he called out as the whole crowd raised their smartphone cameras even higher.
Now that his own background was well established, it was time for overtures towards the host culture.
“So I learned a new Chinese expression,” Nieve teased, having performed multiple times in Beijing. “No, that I already knew,” he responded to audience members shouting “ni hao,” deliberately toneless to preemptively imitate a foreigner speaking Chinese.
“Chile ma?” (Have you eaten?, a traditional Chinese greeting) he asked in incorrect tones, eliciting a mix of cheers and applause.
“Do you guys like eating sweet things? This next one’s called ‘Tasty.’” Nieve confided his struggles with lust over another saccharine beat.
“It doesn’t matter if I’m hungry or I’m not, I’ve got to get something / when I see this pretty girl so hot, start coming.”
The most anticipated song of the night based on crowd reaction, “Write This Down” described the aftermath of relationships gone sour.
“Uh, it’s just the same old motif / the heart never safe, pretty girl’s a cold thief.”
Having had enough of the same old motifs as well, I made an early exit. The ongoing banter assured me that my presence wouldn’t be missed.
“Thank you, Beijing. You always make me feel at home.”
2 responses to “Nieve Connects with Clichés”
Thanks much Alex. A view of Beiijng/Chinese culture, and its connection with American culture, that is unique in my experience.
Thank you, David!