Project: Bohan Phoenix – OVERSEAS
The Bilingual Phenom Shares a Personal and Eclectic Seven-Track Project with Production from Ryan Hemsworth and Others
3.5.2018
Critical Praise:
The Chinese Rap Stars About To Go Global – DAZED
“The Chinese-American rapper is uniting cultures through music” – The FADER
“Bohan is an anomaly in music, pursuing his career in both China and the U.S. simultaneously… A fixture in both the NYC and Chinese underground scenes” – REVOLT
“Bohan Phoenix is a unique prospect in that he represents a cultural bridge between east and west… doing his part in trying to redefine the mainland’s indie scene” – TimeOut
“Amidst news that his native country is banning ‘hip-hop culture’ from being depicted in mainstream media, the world has never needed an artist like Bohan Phoenix more.” – Highsnobiety
“a musical act to watch” – DJBooth
The Project:
Effortlessly spitting fire in both English and Mandarin, Bohan Phoenix builds bridges and breaks boundaries with his multicultural flex. Stepping up with a seven-track treatise on his binational experience, Bohan serves OVERSEAS, a personal and party-starting new project. Featuring an appearance from MaSiWei of China’s breakthrough rap group Higher Brothers, OVERSEAS finds the rapper digging deep into his personal life, relaying stories about his childhood in China and as a young immigrant, while opening up about the challenges of being an independent musician in China’s highly commercial music industry. Buttressed with crisp drums, deep bass, infectious piano lines, and the occasional traditional Asian instrument, OVERSEAS is an addictive and compelling soundscape, with production from the likes of Ryan Hemsworth, Yllis, and others with instrumentals ranging from doomy trap, to spritely piano, to wavy electronics.
Arriving amidst a Chinese government crackdown on hip-hop culture, including a ban on rappers and tattooed artists performing on television, the mere existence of OVERSEAS is an act of protest, re-establishing hip-hop as a vehicle for positivity and social change while challenging prevailing American notions about rappers of Asian descent. Distributed by EMPIRE, OVERSEAS furthers Bohan’s unifying mission while satisfying listeners with a wide array of borderless bangers.
Born in China’s Hubei province, Bohan immigrated to the United States at the age of 11. Though he did not speak a word of English, Bohan quickly gravitated to hip-hop culture, learning the language by rapping along to all the hip-hop he could find. A rare independent artist in a challenging Chinese music environment, Bohan took his largest steps forward as an artist in 2017, partnering with Beats By Dre, teaming up with notable Chinese streetwear companies, and releasing the JALA EP, with videos premiered by The FADER and 88Rising, and touring all primary and secondary markets in China on the JALA Tour. JALA catapulted Bohan into recognition in the broader hip-hop community, earning a placement on Spotifyʼs Fresh Finds and Apple Musicʼs Hot Tracks, garnered a spotlight on REVOLT, interviews on Bandcamp Daily, Magnetic Mag and a Boiler Room and Fendi performance during New York Fashion Week alongside Migos, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin. Earlier this month, DAZED hailed Bohan as one of four “Chinese Rap Stars About to Go Global,” alongside Vava and frequent collaborators Higher Brothers and Howie Lee. In January, Highsnobiety premiered the Ryan Hemsworth-produced “Overseas,” the project’s title track, which acts as the mission statement for the project and for Bohan’s career. Most recently, DJBooth premiered Bohan’s slyly defiant “PARTY NO MORE” along with a revealing interview.
Listen to OVERSEAS: http://hyperurl.co/yy55r4 // https://soundcloud.com/bohanphoenix/sets/overseas-ep-1
Please contact Michelle or Isabel if interested in talking with Bohan Phoenix.
The Background:
Bohan Phoenix was born in a Chinaʼs Hubei province and immigrated to the US at 11, unable to speak a word of English. He took a liking to hip hop instantly and learned the language quickly by rapping along with just about anything he could get his hands on. Today, Bohan is an anomaly in music- a fixture in both the US and Chinese music scenes, whose lyrical blend of Mandarin and English reflects his dual identity and aim to bridge the gap between the two cultures he calls his own.
Links:
instagram | twitter | facebook | spotify | soundcloud
OVERSEAS: http://hyperurl.co/yy55r4 // https://soundcloud.com/bohanphoenix/sets/overseas-ep-1
“PARTY NO MORE”: http://hyperurl.co/qr9khd // https://soundcloud.com/bohanphoenix/party-no-more-prod-yllis
“OVERSEAS”: http://hyperurl.co/vqayq5 // https://soundcloud.com/bohanphoenix/overseas-prod-ryan-hemsworth-1
Jala EP: https://bohanphoenix.bandcamp.com/album/jala-ep // https://soundcloud.com/bohanphoenix/sets/jalala-ep
“Jala”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLP8z3c76K0
“Foreign” (prod. by Howie Lee): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWJ4Lt1xeng