Beijing’s latest move to tighten its grip on the country’s popular karaoke industry is a sign of nervousness and insecurity, say China experts about the plan to ensure only ‘healthy’ songs are sung.

Some younger rappers with Tibetan roots are nudging boundaries by expressing cultural pride and Buddhist identity in coded lyrics.

Chinese hip hop star and The Rap of China winner Gai was once infamous for his numerous tattoos and rapping about the Chinese mafia, but now his songs are full of patriotic imagery and traditional Chinese elements.

Korean-American K-pop star Jay Park will join the judging panel of The Rap of China for its fourth season, but the announcement was met with much criticism from fans of the Chinese hip hop reality show.

Response to the anti-racism movement highlights how the genre has been embraced by Chinese yet cut off from its African-American roots by cultural and political forces.

Chinese hip-hop artists Vava and Higher Brothers have this week shown their support for the Black Lives Matter protests in the US despite slamming Hong Kong’s anti-government demonstrations last year.

When he first started rapping, Rich Brian was just an Indonesian teen looking to make waves on SoundCloud. He caused controversy with a persona that some felt mocked hip-hop culture, but, now in the US, he’s gained the rap world’s respect.

One-off sneaker designs and ‘hypebeast’ brand collaborations can command five-figure sums on resale platforms like Goat and StockX

Established live favourites such as post-punk group David Boring and singer-songwriter Kevin Kaho Tsui will perform on Central Harbourfront, along with 50 other Hong Kong acts. These are the nine you shouldn’t miss.

China’s top female hip-hop star posted video captioned ‘Rolling Loud in Hong Kong … see ya’. Then she shared People’s Daily meme saying ‘I support Hong Kong police’. Was she dropped from line-up? Organisers won’t say.

Raise My Fist, by rapper Dwagie, contains lines such as ‘They want Hong Kong but not its people’, and comes after mainland Chinese rap acts such as Higher Brothers, Vava, PG One and CD Rev came out in support of Hong Kong police action against protesters.

Chinese state media broadcast a remix of Donald Trump telling people to avoid condemning China’s activities in Hong Kong, in the form of a music video by Chinese rappers designed to undermine the protest movement.

A compilation showing the history of Asian-American hip-hop through 46 music videos is inspiring the next generation. It shows that, far from being a neglected musical genre, a thriving community of Asian-American rap artists exists.

After Chinese streaming giant iQiyi struck gold with The Rap of China it launched a number of similar music contest series. Its latest, The Big Band, hopes to push Chinese indie music into the mainstream.

With Season Three of The Rap of China approaching, here are five rappers who found fame and fortune (or misfortune) after appearing on the show. Rappers include PG One, who lost his street cred after an apology for his misogynistic lyrics, and Lexie Liu, who was signed to US label 88 Rising.

The reality-TV show was an instant success when it launched, and put Chinese hip hop on the map, but lost ground after rappers started self-censoring. It is holding auditions overseas to find new talent.

Higher Brothers, who rap about daily life and culture in China, will tour the US and Europe after visiting Hong Kong.

88rising, home to rappers Rich Brian, Higher Brothers and Keith Ape, has conquered the US and now finds itself a powerhouse in Asia thanks to giving struggling Asian talent, neglected by America, a platform to perform.

Amy Zhu’s dance videos have a crazy number of views and the Chengdu native has already travelled the world to perform. But critics decry the sexualisation of a little girl and say a child has no place in the world of hip hop dancing.

Criticism is more effective when it is turned inside as well as outside, when it opens the doors to taking a look at residual attitudes towards other cultures.

Rap has a very rich and fluid lexicography, not all of which is politically correct.

Vancouver-raised, China-born Wu has a string of hit songs behind him and screen roles in films such as xXx: Return of Xander Cage and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. And he's just 28. Happy Birthday, Kris

Sometimes described as the Rihanna of China, rapper Vava is receiving global exposure thanks to the Crazy Rich Asians film. The former Rap of China contestant’s single, My New Swag, features on the film’s soundtrack.

The proliferation of Asian hip hop stars wearing ‘urban’ clothing could be a symptom of Asia’s lack of sensitivity toward other cultures. Or are they just dressing up and emulating their musical heroes?

Hip-hop singer-songwriter is the first ethnic Chinese artist to join the famous label, whose recording artists include Kanye West, Eminem, and Lady Gaga

A recent televised rap competition drew three billion viewers in its three-month run, but some rappers, and hip hop as a whole, have faced official scrutiny. New shows are still being released, though, with apparent approval

Bohan Phoenix turned down the chance to appear on hit reality show The Rap of China twice, saying he is focused on forging his own unique bilingual sound from his new base in Chengdu, where he moved to from Brooklyn last year