Vietnamese-American rapper also known as YoungBoiTrunks who would join a music collective called Members Only. Singles of his have included 'Flex!' 'Jack Frost!' 'Underwater Trunks' and 'Mustard Gold.' He was a young teenager when he began to.
When people think of Asian musicians, they typically think about two things: ' and classical music. But no longer.Asians face crippling stereotypes in many different, but in music especially they've long been pigeon-holed as strictly classical musicians or exotic dance pop producers.That was always ridiculous, but these days it's gotten pretty hard to overlook the ingenious, often incredibly socially-conscious Asian musicians the world over. From a rapper bringing some of the most badass female hardcore rap in music to a Korean-American doing Mumford & Sons better than even Mumford can, here are 11 Asian and Asian-American musicians who are shattering stereotypes. Queens rapper has titles guaranteed to make the entire Upper East Side cringe. With songs like ',' ',' ' and ',' she tackles sexuality, race and negative stereotypes.She's still relatively unknown, but not for long. Her music videos have big numbers on YouTube both because they're badass and because they're hilarious.
Her satire is like the X-rated version of The Daily Show, and you'll find yourself laughing and memorizing the lyrics all in one go. Her first dropped this month, and with a slew of live performances lined up, Awkwafina is on the verge of hitting it big. Malaysian singer-songwriter is acclaimed by critics, has worked with the likes of Pharrell Williams and performed on Conan, Last Call With Carson Daly and Jimmy Kimmel Live.She basically sounds like a cross between Coldplay and Bon Iver. Her haunting lyrics come from a personal place, but they address life and love from a global and universal perspective.
The Muslim singer is also not afraid of: While she doesn't proselytize, she also wears a hijab head scarf when she performs. Yuna proves as she wins over legions of fans that music transcends religious prejudice. Born to an African-American father, a Zainichi-Korean Mother and raised in Japan, Crystal Kay has been paving the way for interracial mainstream acts in Japan (and abroad) since her debut in 1999. With a sound rooted in R&B and pop, her U.S. Debut video was released via on Valentine's Day of this year.With a long and extremely successful career in Japan, Kay has, 'I consider myself a Japanese artist because I was born and raised here, but nationality-wise I look, and am, foreign.' Andy Suzuki and The Method.
This Californian Korean-American band is like an infinitely cooler Mumford & Sons. 's group of classically trained musicians makes indie folk rock about the Asian-American experience — challenging the stereotype of Asians being 'model' immigrants with much better and more complex stories.In the song 'Monsters Calling Home,' lead vocalist Alex Hwang sings, 'They're walking heavy to the beat of a broken drum / Digging for worth in the land of a strange sun / Their children call, bitter words of a strange tongue / Hearts down, they're walking heavy till the dying's done.' With their potent harmonies and subject matter, it's no wonder Run River North has started to break into the mainstream, including an on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2013. Blue Scholars. Hip-hop duo take on some serious socio-economic class struggles, immigration and racism in their incredible songs. Often, they draw on the experiences of vocalist MC Geologic's experience as a Filippino-American activist.Geologic and music partner DJ Sabzi (Iranian-American Saba Mohajerjasbi) use their music to create real change, too.
In 2007, Geologic teamed up with on the Stop the Killings Tour, which worked to bring awareness to the human rights violations and extra-judicial deaths in the Philippines. Bambu used to be a gang member before he turned into a hip-hop MC and activist.
The Filippino-American started his music career as a member of social justice-conscious hip-hop group, which also included Filipino American rapper Kiwi and Chinese American DJ Phatrick.Not afraid to court controversy, his 2007 second album dropped on the anniversary of the L.A. Race riots, while the album cover featured a Ku Klux member being hanged in the background. His newest release, Exact Change dropped on Sept. 11, and mixes personal introspection with compassionate political activism.Correction: Feb.
28, 2014An earlier version of this article misidentified the drummer for Andy Suzuki and the Method as Babatunde Olatunji. That is the drummer's grandfather — the drummer's name is Kozza Olatunji-Babumba.