With the ongoing political tension between South Korea, China, and the U.S. over the joint deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, a group of Chinese rappers is drawing attention by releasing a track titled “No THAAD.”
Hailing from the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, members of the hip-hop group, CD REV, rap in both Chinese and English to protest against the THAAD deployment, expressing their thoughts and positions about the heightened political tension that has resulted.
While they remain pro-peace in most of the lyrics, some of the verses contain demeaning comments about Korea, calling the country “colony” and “some puppet committing felonies” while condescendingly personifying the country as a “little neighbor boy.”
At the same time, the song also directly criticizes the pop nationalism expressed by a Chinese celebrity named Mu Yalan, accusing her of stealing from Korean malls. Mu Yalan, a social media celebrity, had earlier posted a video announcing a boycott of Lotte over the THAAD deployment.
Previously, CD REV has released several patriotic rap songs including “This is China,” which praises the country’s beautiful landscape and rich culture.
By Heewon Kim
