Chinese rapper Feezy on ‘woke’ hip hop and his new album The Weatherman

Feezy met Jiang Zige, aka Chuckzigga, at school, before they both went to the US for college, the former studying applied mathematics and philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles; the latter obtaining a sociology degree from Swarthmore College, in Pennsylvania, then a master’s in international relations from the University of Chicago. Feezy is part of one of the most skilled, educated and socially conscious rap groups in China. Photo: Feezy The two later looped in Feezy’s coursemate Xie Zitong, or XZT, formed Straight Fire Gang, and the trio has been on a roll ever since their 2018 album, These Kids Climbing Wall – the title a reference to the “Great Firewall” – on which the group addressed the nuances they have felt as Chinese citizens abroad. The song “udA” critiques the perceived prejudice of their American peers, who seem to assume that Chinese people are less astute or less worldly simply because their access to the internet is controlled. The trio list stereotypes about their home country and rebut them with wit. For example, in addressing the accusation that “Chinese cars are not safe enough”, they point to the fact that Swedish manufacturer Volvo, known for the safety...