“Spitting Spirits” will begin with a presentation by MC Yan about his transformation as an artist. Beginning with hip hop and leading to acoustic sound, MC Yan will give a closed seminar on the power of transformation and interrogating one’s method of giving voice. As the “godfather of Chinese hip hop”, this workshop builds on Under-Cover’s investigations in art publishing through sound and translation. Interpretation can be thought of as a form of experimental translation, where the process in which a city’s identity is interpreted becomes the primary site of information itself. Following the presentation, workshop participants will work with MC Yan to create lyrics that are paired to acoustic music. This workshop is about finding one’s voice.
A graffiti artist, Hong Kong rapper, and who many call the ‘godfather of Chinese hip hop’, MC Yan still spits what we think. Most recognised for co-founding Cantonese hip hop group LMF in 1993, the group quickly became the voice for the underclassed in Hong Kong. MC Yan himself grew up in the 2000s in the suburbs of the American west coast. As a seminal figure and legend in Chinese hip hop, MC Yan continues to channel the sentiment of the working class and underrepresented in Hong Kong, amplifying a narrative often overlooked in the mainstream.
