88rising strikes again, bringing together Migos, Lil Yachty, Playboi Carti, KYLE and more from hip-hop’s A-Team for a roundtable on Higher Brothers –China’s biggest rap group– and their music video for single, “Made in China.” Watch 88rising’s “Rappers React to Higher Brothers” here. The newest addition to sign to 88rising’s roster, “Higher Brothers are proving that language barriers aren't an issue anymore and all that matters is that the music is good.” (Pigeons & Planes) They recently released their debut album, Black Cab, and their “Made in China” video is at 1.1M plus views. With their newfound endorsement from the biggest names in hip-hop, Higher Brothers are fulfilling their destiny as ‘Chinese Migos.’
The first Chinese rap act to make it past “the Great Firewall of China” and pop-off globally, Higher Brothers is MaSiWei, Psy.P, DZ and Melo. Hailing from the southwestern city of Chengdu in mainland China, Higher Brothers is the culture, like Migos in America or Skepta in the UK: their permissive, flashy lifestyle withstands China’s conservative, communist society. Overcoming the Chinese government’s incessant censorship of the Internet, where every major website, including Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Soundcloud is banned, Higher Brother’s influence, both socially and musically, was recognized by Pigeons & Planes as one of the driving forces spreading rap music around the world. And as further detailed by The Huffington Post and The New York Times, Higher Brothers’ ability to translate the vibrant youth culture of their city into a much larger movement for free expression is an inspirational talking point. Released on May 31st, 2017, the 14-track Black Cab album features Higher Brothers’ Internet-breaking singles, “Made in China” and “Bitch Don’t Kill My Dab.” Surpassing six figure play counts for nearly all of their releases, the guys broke onto the scene with their early singles, which included the album’s title-track and “Isabellae,” garnering support from music tastemakers, including Mass Appeal and Hypebeast. From “Made In China,” their tongue-in-cheek look into provincial China, to their literal homages to the store, “711” and the app, “WeChat,” Higher Brothers’ bold statement pieces have lead them to become “China’s most exciting rap group.” (Highsnobiety) “Rappers React to Higher Brothers,” the sequel to the viral “Rappers React to Rich Chigga,” is released by 88rising, the pioneering multimedia powerhouse and music collective led by an award-winning team of creative visionaries all over the world. 88rising is “clearly filling a void, which is a pan-Asian, East-meets-West,” (Forbes) celebrating the unique cultural landscapes of Asia and beyond.
