Rap, the ego of the youth of Vinh City.

(Baonghean.vn) - Rap, a street art form and "outsider music genre" expressing the individuality of young people, is gradually "reviving" in Vinh City.

"The 'unconventional music genre' expresses the strong individuality of youth."

Rapper Den Vau once visited and interacted with the Rap37 group from Nghe An province.

Appearing in Nghe An province in 2007 and 2008, rap has been conquering a significant portion of young people. The Vietnamese rap scene once featured Nghe An rap with songs like "Thuong Lam Mien Trung" (I Love Central Vietnam), written by MagicTK and Loi Emo, about the lives of people in Central Vietnam struggling against storms and floods. However, it wasn't until October 2015 that the Nghe An rap community began to grow stronger with the emergence of the Rap37 group, allowing fans of this genre to exchange information and perform their own rap songs.

Typically, on Saturday and Sunday evenings, at sidewalk cafes or coffee shops, stylishly dressed young people gather to perform or have small, impromptu competitions to electronic music. Against a backdrop of not-too-loud music, the lyrics, devoid of sentimentality and with their rhyming rhythms, combined with the carefree spirit of youth and energetic dance moves, leave a strong impression and much enjoyment on those around them.

A snippet of the rap song "Come Back Home, My Dear" by Bonz Ft. Sun

With 20-30 self-composed works, Mai Xuan Trung, often known by his stage name Bonz, one of the quite famous rappers in the Rap community and co-founder of the Rap37 group, said that currently, the rap community in Nghe An has about 200-300 members. The members of the group are mainly students, but also include working professionals. Typically, the group members compose around three main themes: thoughts and self-identity, love, and life.

Becoming a rapper isn't something everyone can do, as it requires both talent and sometimes patience in the face of disapproving glances from many people.

The controversial art form

The members of Rap37 meet up on Saturday or Sunday evenings.

Ngoc Minh, a female member of Rap37, said that when she first started learning rap, her parents didn't like the idea. In their eyes, it was street music, rebellious in nature. Especially for a girl like Minh, the constant muttering of nonsensical words or shouting "oh, yeah"... It took her a considerable amount of time to explain and prove her passion to her parents.

It's an undeniable fact that rap is not currently considered a genuine art form and is often stigmatized by many. Many reasons are given, but primarily it's because the lyrics are often quite "crude," containing street language and expressing strong youth ideologies. Not to mention the "dirty rap" genres that contain obscene content, deny positive values, or promote reckless and impulsive lifestyles, further discouraging many people, especially older generations, from enjoying this genre.

For this reason, the founders of Rap37 want to create a healthy platform for the rap community in Vinh City in particular and Nghe An in general, both to rebuild the rap movement in Nghe An and to push back against negative aspects, helping rap become an interesting genre that brings many new spiritual values ​​to listeners.

Chu Thanh