孙八一的“商务说唱”成名之路 | Bayi's hip-hop dream

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Surrounded by tens of thousands, Sun Bayi is performing at the Workers' Gymnasium, one of Beijing's most prestigious live venues, which has hosted concerts by Kanye West, Bob Dylan and other musical legends. The space now echoes with excited fans chanting the chorus of Sun's hit track.

这是孙八一第一次登上工人体育馆的舞台。这里是北京最具代表性的演出场馆之一，KanyeWest, Bob Dylan等国际一线明星都曾经在这个舞台上献声。今天，成千上万的粉丝在一起合唱着孙八一的成名曲《还钱》。

Sun shot to stardom on the "The Rap ofChina," the country’s first hip-hop reality show that launched in June 2017. The show was a huge success and generated 2.7 billion views online, bringing underground rappers to the center of public attention.

今年6月，中国第一档说唱真人秀《中国有嘻哈》开播。节目在播出后取得了空前的反响，在国内掀起了一股说唱热潮。孙八一正是凭借自己扎实的说唱功力征服观众，一战成名。

"Before joining the show, I was just a small celebrity in my hometown. Now I've got 10 times, probably even 100 times more fans nationwide," Sun said. "That makes a huge difference."

“我之前可能就是在我们凯里，贵州那边略有一点名气。但这个节目是全国性的。原来可能10个人认识我，现在可能100个，1000个认识我。区别肯定大。”

Sun became a rapper in 2009 and gained early success by winning regional freestyle rap battles. But making music wasn't enough tosustain a living. To make ends meet, Sun ran a variety of small businesses: selling air bricks, firecrackers and later running a small hotel.

孙八一在2009年开始说唱，并在地区性的说唱battle比赛中崭露头角。然而，嘻哈在当时的中国属于小众文化，仅靠做说唱音乐很难维持生计。为了养家糊口，孙八一做起了小生意。他开过空心砖厂，卖过炮竹，还开过一间小宾馆。

But all of that is changing as he becomes a highly sought-after rapper, known for performing in business attire. His surging popularity also brings endorsements and commercial deals that help Sun focus entirely on music.

然而，参加综艺节目改变了他的生活。他凭借自己的商人经历打出了“商务说唱”的招牌，并以独特的风格不断圈粉，成为了炙手可热的说唱明星。广告代言，商务合作的机会纷至沓来，让孙八一不用再为生计发愁，可以全身心的投入到音乐创作当中。

Sun is one of many benefiting from the rise of hip-hop in China. And some are bringing their influence to the world.

孙八一只是这股热潮中的其中一位受益者。现在，来自中国的说唱正在走向世界，甚至席卷说唱的发源地：美国。

Kris Wu, one of the celebrity judges on "The Rap of China," topped the US iTunes chart in October with his single "Deserve," a collaboration with American rapper Travis Scott.

今年十月，华裔明星吴亦凡凭借与美国说唱歌手Travis Scott的合作登上了美国iTunes榜单的首位。

Higher Brothers, a hip-hop group based in China’s southwestern Chengdu province, created a sensation on YouTube with their hit "Made in China," generating more than 7.5 million views. The group has just wrapped up their events in Asia and is now planning to tour the US and Canada early next year.

海尔兄弟，一个来自成都的说唱团队凭借作品“Made in China” 在视频网站Youtube上创下750多万的点击量。他们刚刚结束在亚洲的活动，并计划明年初在美国和加拿大巡演。

But while the hip-hop business is booming in China, there's also concern that the genre will become over-commercialized and end up as just another way to make a quick profit. As for Sun, he’s still optimistic that Chinesehip-hop will continue its momentum long-term.

但是随着嘻哈经济在中国的快速发展，也有人担心这种艺术手段会被过度商业化，沦为一种挣快钱的手段。孙八一并不为此担忧，他认为说唱在中国一定会有长足的发展。

"(Before "The Rap of China") Reality shows were dominated by pop artists. And all of a sudden, hip-hop has come out of nowhere and grabbed people’s attention."

"This is only the start, who knows how many more talents will be discovered?"

“我们在电视节目上看到的歌唱选手都是通俗、流行的居多。突然出现一个说唱的，大家就会很期待：它会是什么样呢?”

“这才刚刚开始，谁知道会不会有更多的惊喜。”

Cameraman: Zhang Dayu, Qi Jianqiang

Film editor: Zhang Dayu

Story written by: Zhang Dayu

English editor: Matthew Arrington Watson

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