Talib Kweli Finds The China Beyond Lead Toys, Great Walls
A couple of days ago I had the great experience of becoming one of the few foreign hip-hop artists to visit the People’s Republic of China.
Common and the Roots had been before, but Jay-Z and Will.i.am have been denied entry due to their artistic content. China was not the first communist country where my lyrics had to be reviewed before I got there; that would be Cuba. I do curse in my music, but it seems that ideas and intentions bother these governments more than words — a fact that’s even more interesting when you consider the ridiculous debate this country is having over words in rap songs. After spending days getting work visas together and watching CNN reports on how f—ed up Chinese toys are, I got on an 11-hour flight to the Far East, not knowing what to expect. I’m always up for a challenge, though.
The economic state of China did not hit me until I saw the shanty towns as I was flying in. The Great Leap Forward was a proud time in history for many Chinese, but revolution is painful, and you can see the effects of China’s growing pains from up in the sky. As we touched down in Beijing, I went through a surprisingly easy customs and immigration process. For those who keep score, the drug-sniffing dogs were in full effect! I was with my business partner, Corey Smyth; my tour DJ, Chaps; and my sound man, Efrem Jenkins. We settled into the hotel, drank some Tsing Tsao and headed to a local club. They were playing hip-hop, but it was mainstream, like Fatman Scoop party records, mash-ups and weird choices, like Bow Wow’s basketball record. I must’ve heard Memphis Bleek’s “It’s Like That” three times that night. It’s a shame they won’t let Jay in — they feeling Bleek in Beijing.
The next day we got up early to go check out Tiananmen Square. However you feel about Mao Tse-Tung, what he built in China is impressive. I’ve never seen so many people so proud of their country, except in Cuba. We happen to be there on October 1, which is the day Mao declared China to be free in 1949, so it was a holiday week and the Chinese were out, all billion of ‘em, it seemed. We walked from the square to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, where the Chinese emperors lived and the scene from “The Last Emperor” was filmed. We saw ancient Chinese artifacts that showed how advanced they were in arts and sciences back in the day. This took the whole day, and we went for dim sum in the early evening.
The Chinese have a saying that goes, “We will eat anything with four legs except for the table.” I don’t know if that’s derogatory, because I was told that by a Chinese girl, but it certainly seemed true. After dodging all the pork, the fish, rice and dumplings were very good. I did not like the chicken’s feet though.
I performed at a place called Star Live with Ozomatli from SoCal and Faithless, a dance band from Europe. I was looking forward to challenging myself with an all-Chinese audience, but the Chinese were not there! The audience was 75 percent foreigners who spoke English, which made it easier to rip the club apart, but it wasn’t the cultural exchange I expected. The Chinese who were there were the biggest fans because they never get to see anything like this. We have a lot of work to put in as artists. My man DJ Wordie, a three-time DMC World DJ Champ, brought his peoples MC Webber with him. Webber ripped the mic in Chinese, filling in for Jean Grae on “Say Something.” After I did my thing, Ozomatli wowed the crowd, and I jumped back on with them. We then headed to the hotel for an after party and got on that Johnnie Walker Blue Label. Wow … humble.
The next day, as my crew went with the Ozomatli crew to the Great Wall of China, I stayed behind because I had mad interviews. Plus, I was dying to get into the studio. When everyone got back, they told me I missed the chance of a lifetime. I tried to console myself by convincing myself that I was coming back soon. It was also my birthday, so I asked a Chinese girl I met at the hotel what I should do. Her answer? “Go to the Great Wall. It is said he who has not visited the Great Wall is not a man.” Oh, word?!
I did get some work done (thank you, David Banner), and I met an MC named Andreas who let me use his studio, so shout out to him too.
When I got back to the hotel, the Ozomatli crew had a huge cake for me and Chaps was spinning classics in the hotel bar. We partied till the wee hours and boarded a plane for Shanghai.
Shanghai was more metropolitan then Beijing. As soon as we got there, we met a 60-year-old Chinese gentleman with a Porsche Cayenne on dubs, working out at the gym with his diamond-encrusted watch on. He was definitely not a communist. We headed to a press conference in Pudong at a restaurant overlooking the Bund, which is a famous promenade that boasts one of the world’s greatest skylines. The Chinese architecture is crazy to me, and beautiful. The press wanted to make sure we were there for cultural reasons, not just financial gain, and we met some of the local Chinese bands we would be performing with the next day. After this, I took a nap and then headed out to the Shanghai Cotton Club to catch the end of a jazz set. You learn more about a country by just walking the streets than you can from any book.
I performed at the Yue Festival the next day with Ozomatli, Faithless and about 10 local acts. This was Shanghai’s first outdoor music festival. Imagine that! I was very proud to be a part, plus I kept running into people I knew from New York who just happened to be out there. It is becoming easier to travel there and Americans are taking advantage. The show was great, the kids asked for an encore again, and I went back out with Ozomatli, who do they thing on that stage. After the festival we went to a real loungey spot that overlooked the Bund, but it was too laid back. We found a young hip-hop club called Bling (chuckle), where they kept bringing us Grey Goose while the DJ played Nas and Wu mixed with Beyoncé and Akon.
China has been here forever, since before Jesus was born, and its history is measured in centuries, not years. As someone who loves history, it was great to see how an old-school place like that is moving forward in the 21st century. There are customs I did not understand — like leaving slits in your baby’s pants for them to go wherever, instead of using diapers (imagine a billion diapers), or drivers who stop in the driving lanes on the highway and just chill out. Also, there are people like Paul McCartney who call for boycotting China because of the government’s policies, but that don’t have nothing to do with the people. I came for the people, and they embraced me and showed me a good time. They need to see us to understand that not every American is a capitalist pig, and we have much to learn from China’s rapid growth. My son is studying Chinese because it is the language of future commerce, for real. He was able to teach me simple greetings, which was nice as well. I know I will be back someday soon, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you.
October 8th, 2007 at 8:06 pm
word… that’s an experience i think everyone would like to have
>> After dodging all the pork, the fish, rice and dumplings were very good. I did not like the chicken’s feet though.
story of my life. happy belated though
October 8th, 2007 at 8:40 pm
Hey, I’m happy you had a great time in China. I am in Beijing studying at Beida University and i wanted to go and see your show, but I was off that week from school, so i went traveling to Qingdao, Jinan, and Quefu(beautiful places). It is a sin that youdidn’t get to see the great wall. I took some amazing pics of it and put it on my facebook. It is truely the most amazaing place that one can go to on earth. A gret wonder. Your article was very impressive, but I hope that you get to come back to china and spend more than a week here. To really experience the culture, people, and politics a week does not do justice. Honestly, you barely stepped outside of your hotel. So the nest trip you plan to china should be for at least a month. But i am so happy that you shared your time here with people. Hopefully it will inspire young people(especially young black people like myself) to come and see for themselves.
October 9th, 2007 at 3:04 am
I’m next!
October 9th, 2007 at 3:27 am
Some of my friends just returned from Shanghai today and had much of the same to say. I definitely have to visit again. Its always a humbling and enriching experience when you step outside of North America and realize how much we live in a bubble. Like you said, you learn more about a country and its soul by just walking its streets than you ever could from a book.
BTW, Ear Drum is ill. Me and my people make beats too..don’t sleep!!
One
bksproductions.com
October 9th, 2007 at 4:15 am
Wow, your trip to china sounded amazing i hope one day ill be able to go there.
I don’t know if you ever read these comments but if you do I would like to express my disappointment in the location that was chosen for your Brisbane, Australia tour coming up.
The facility that you will be performing at has a minimum age of 18! I’m currently 17 and this means i wont be able to see you live possibly ever as it seems that tours in Australia are very very rare for you. Uh well i guess thats life… anyways ill always be a fan of everything you do so keep it up.
October 9th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Hey,
I was at your show in Beijing with two of my girlfriends and had the chance to meet you. It was refreshing to meet someone famous and yet down to earth. We were the girls you hung out with at the concert after you went on. What was so cool about the whole thing, and I think indicative of Beijing at the moment, was that while in the US you are a major celebrity and people would step over each other to get a chance to talk to you, here in Beijing it was just a night of really great music without all the hype.
I wrote about the experience on my blog under ‘MUSIC AND BEIJING: FROM TALIB KWELI TO MODERN SKY FESTIVAL’. Check it out and let me know what you think:
http://lafillequirit.blogspot.com
Keep doing what you do best.
October 10th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
It’s amazing. I was in China a month ago for my language practice, it wasn’t my first time in that country, but everytime I come there it surprise me over and over again.
Confucius said, Who could learn Chinese that could get everything.
October 10th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
Peace Ock,
I’m glad that you’ve had the chance to visit China and share with us your experiences. Did you have chance to engage in coversation with the youth about the American cultural, social and political landscape? How are racism, white supremacy, religion/spirituality and topics of the nature? I knew that you were a student/teacher of history from your projects. EARDRUM IS A CLASSIC MY BROTHER!! The ancestor are definitely working through you. Medasi Pa/Peace…Bro. Ruler S. Bambaataa
October 10th, 2007 at 8:35 pm
Damn! We can’t wait to rock out there. Give the people another good example of what Hip-Hop truly is. You are a proper embassador Kweli. Keep expanding the culture for real.
http://www.myspace.com/outabodies
October 11th, 2007 at 12:35 am
Glad to hear the perspective from one of my heroes. Big ups!
I was fortunate enough to visit in ‘05. It was definitely eye opening and humbling. I returned wanting to learn Mandarin too, but it’s awfully difficult in our English dominant world.
Kwe, did you get a chance to listen to the Chinese converse. They use this preposition that sounds like “ni-gga” or ji-gga.” Who are the originators. Ha!
October 11th, 2007 at 7:18 am
Ni Hao
I caught your act at the Yue Festival, you held it down, good look on coming out to the far east hooking us expats up with the real hip hop
hope your back in the area soon
October 11th, 2007 at 9:40 am
Talib, your blog was very informative. Its nice to get difference perspective instead of listening to what the media says. Sometimes you have to go and experience things for yourself and form your opinion rather than listen to a 30 second blurb you get on the 10 o’clock news. Thanks for sharing!!
October 11th, 2007 at 4:04 pm
Talib, I really enjoyed reading the wonderful experience you had in China. Its good to see that your into history and different cultures and also allowing you son to learn Chinese. I hope to be able to visit China in the future and get to see the Great Wall, its unfortunate you were unable to see it. Anyway, stay positive and keep making good music. I had a chance to catch your show at the House of Blues in Cleveland this past summer and had a wonderful time. Also, I think you have the best hip hop album out this year including Kanye and Common.
October 11th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Man I’ve been around the world myself but would love to go to China. Your blog makes me really wanna go now..Peace to BlackSmith…keep doing it..!!
October 12th, 2007 at 10:29 am
The way of the world. Everybody on the same notion. Music. I read that it was a great experience 4 u. 60-year-old Chinese gentleman with a Porsche Cayenne on dubs, working out at the gym with his diamond-encrusted watch on. Definitely not a communist. Thats that Bleek in em……………one
October 12th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
There is a contest going on right now where you can get Talib Kweli to perform at your school. My buddy just sent it my way and I am definitely going to get my campus signed up. Thought I would pass it along so all y’all could have a shot at seeing him perform. Check it http://www.mtvu.com/music/tours/talib_kweli/
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