Chinese label kicks off first UK hip-hop show

Kafe Hu [Photo provided to China Daily]

Three groups of Chinese hip-hop singers — Guangzhou-born rapper Tizzy T, jazz-hip hop singer Kafe Hu and hip-hop group of twin brothers, OB03 — will perform in a show at the O2 Ritz Manchester in the United Kingdom on Nov 9.

Titled MDSK Rush Party, the show is the first hip-hop performance brought by artists of Modern Sky, one of the largest indie music labels of China, after the company set up its UK office in Liverpool earlier this year.

In 2016, Shen Lihui, founder and CEO of Modern Sky, set up a branch hip-hop record company, MDSK, with the aim of supporting local hip-hop talent. This September, the company organized a two-day hip-hop music festival in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, on Sept 2-3.

The UK venture is the second overseas office by Modern Sky. In 2006, the label opened its first overseas office in New York. In collaboration with David Pichilingi, who has over 25 years experience in the international music business and is the founder of Sound City, an annual music festival and industry conference in Liverpool which has been held since 2008, Modern Sky UK has signed UK bands such as Catholic Action, Fuss and Violet Youth, as well as English singer-songwriter Victoria Louise "Pixie" Lott.