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-   -   Chinatown hustler (https://thetfp.com/tfp/found-net/155051-chinatown-hustler.html)

Jetée 07-07-2010 12:15 PM

Chinatown hustler
 
CHINATOWN HUSTLER
Directed by Ken Lin & Robert Samala
Music by The Notorious MSG
Released on February 10, 2010
Distributed by Cordless Recordings





The significance of The Notorious MSG to Asian America cannot be overstated.
Though some cultural critics have already begun calling the group the “Asian American Beastie Boys,”
this descriptor does not begin to accord this bold New York Chinatown rap trio proper respect for its role in
challenging racist barriers in mainstream entertainment and revolutionizing Asian American media representation.
Indeed, the charming yet virulent rap group—comprised of front man Hong Kong Fever, heartfelt crooner Down Lo-Mein
and the silent but strong Hunan Bomb — are more accurately likened to Asian American Sidney Poitiers for our post-modern times.

-- an excerpt from an article originally appearing in HYPHEN Magazine, issue 10. Writer: Bernice Yeung

Jetée 07-07-2010 07:54 PM

I forgot I gave a cursory glance above as to the individual stage names of the trio, but here's one more in-depth
(the linked article, I mean; below is just another cursory glance, but with indentifiers):

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/3572/msgleather430.jpg
The MSG Story (left to right: The Hunan Bomb, Hong Kong Fever, Down Lo-Mein)

+ bonus(es)

http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/213/billiedwang.jpg
Billie D. Wang, Guitarist

http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/59/noodleso.jpg
Noodles, on Drums

Read more about the group on their official webpage.

Redlemon 07-08-2010 06:33 AM

Quote:

proper respect for its role in challenging racist barriers in mainstream entertainment and revolutionizing Asian American media representation
Seriously? If this song and video are an accurate representation of the group, it's just another lame gangsta rap group. This is "revolutionary"? This "challenges racism"? I don't think so.

Baraka_Guru 07-08-2010 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redlemon (Post 2804101)
Seriously? If this song and video are an accurate representation of the group, it's just another lame gangsta rap group. This is "revolutionary"? This "challenges racism"? I don't think so.

Oh, you're just saying that because they're way better than your favourite Asian American rap artists.

Redlemon 07-09-2010 06:43 AM

True, true.

IdeoFunk 07-09-2010 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redlemon (Post 2804101)
Seriously? If this song and video are an accurate representation of the group, it's just another lame gangsta rap group. This is "revolutionary"? This "challenges racism"? I don't think so.

It all seems pretty tongue-in-cheek to me. I don't think they're taking themselves too seriously, hence the Asian American Beastie Boys title.

Jetée 07-09-2010 12:57 PM

I think there is two kinds of run-around humor, here, maybe even three, but a better way to describe it is, as Manic_Skafe stated above, a tongue-in-cheek sort of band, and a unique way to promote themselves to their targeted community, via humor. I don't think anyone takes Eminem seriously, even when he debuted, because of the way he structured his particular brand of music, so I liken it sort of to that. Plus, this is only one part of the reason why I respect and love Del Tha Funkee Homosapien so much, in that he is able to very intuitively blend in humorous aspects and themes to his music, yet it still has a message to convey deeper than what is at play on the surface.

To be honest, the first two times I watched the video, I thought it was a really good practical "internet" joke, but then I started to delve deeper into the lyrics of the content, and while humorous, it is definitely very well-produced. Only after the fact did I learn this was a real band, which probably only takes itself as seriously as its audience would have it.

Redlemon 07-12-2010 10:03 AM

Sorry, I took the press release at face value.

Jetée 07-13-2010 12:13 AM

It's no problem. I did, too, kinda.

But, then, I remembered that I didn't even take the music video at first, as a serious thing, so when I found out this was an actual band, and that they had an actual publication (this is still debatable) give it a positive, even life-affirming, review and "thumbs-up" for existing, it seemed like a good way to tie it all into this bigger-than-seems-possible, tongue-in-cheek marketing machine that these guys have developed.

It's really quite ingenious. You have no idea whether this is a real thing or not, but after pondering for it after a while, you don't care, just so long as this righteous, somehow racist-wall-breaking music doesn't stop getting any less awesome.


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