Nation's fading tongues find voice in rap revival

Feeling like a hero

Consisting of "Kungfu-Pen" Shi Yifan,"D-Shine" Sheng Yu and "Key. L" Liu Cong, C-Block is one of the most popular rap groups in China and this year celebrates its 20th anniversary. Drawing inspiration from traditional culture and urban life, the trio focuses on a mixture of Hunan culture and street narratives to craft a bold and unique rap style under the Sup Music label.

Shi, 34, said it was the movie 8 Mile — that follows the exploits of a young rapper in Detroit — that changed the life of a "soulless boy" when a music teacher played it to him in middle school.

"I completely knew what I would like to do after that day," said Shi. "What attracted me most about rap and hip-hop music was that it made me believe that anyone can be a hero. And I want to be a hero too," he said.

Shi started writing his own rap songs. The Changsha dialect he uses in everyday life naturally became part of his rap creations, helping him develop a distinctive style with local cultural roots.

It was shortly after C-Block began writing rap music in the local dialect that they made the hit song Talk About Changsha. With the whole track performed in the Changsha dialect, it presents the diverse local culture and lively everyday scenes of the city, such as landmarks, food delicacies, social conventions, traditional operas, nursery rhymes and more. "The dialect words just came together so intuitively and smoothly, without deliberate efforts to think about them," said Shi.

With lyrics that resonate and catchy rhythms, the song went viral after being released online in 2007. It also became the theme song of a popular TV show, reaching a wider national audience.