Rapper Bohan Phoenix stands in a park in Chinatown, Manhattan.
Bohan Phoenix in 2021 in Chinatown, Manhattan.

Leng Bohan (born 1992 or 1993), better known by his stage name Bohan Phoenix, is a Chinese-American rapper.

Early life

Leng was born in Hubei, China, in 1992 or 1993.[1] His mother worked in Shenzhen, and his grandparents took care of him.[2] Leng at the age of 11 immigrated with his mother to Newton, Massachusetts, where he heard hip hop for the first time.[2] In high school, he joined the choir, where the director encouraged him to rap.[3] Leng studied at New York University.

Career

In 2017, having lived in New York for seven years, he moved back to China after learning there was a strong desire for live hip hop music while going on tour.[4] He released a short film detailing his reasons for returning to Chengdu in China called 3 Days in Chengdu produced by Roni Shao.[5] After the Chinese rap competition show The Rap of China popularized hip hop in China, Leng experienced a huge increase in performance invitations, earning him enough funds to remain financially secure living in China.[2] The show's producers asked him to compete on its first two seasons.[2] Wary of how the show would edit his appearances, he declined to join the competition.[2] A November 2021 article said that he was based in New York and had spent the last half decade traveling between New York and China to do shows.[3]

To show his support for Black Lives Matter, he published the song "Unconditional" in September 2021 as part of EMPIRE Presents: Voices For Change: Vol. 1.[3] Around 2021, he signed with Warner Music China's hip hop label JUUICE and planned to publish an album in 2022 that he had begun creating in 2018.[6] The 2022 Pirelli Calendar included Leng, making him the "first Chinese musician" showcased in the trade calendar.[7]

Artistry

Leng's music fuses together Chinese and Western elements through singing in Mandarin and English as well as combining hip hop rhythms with Asian instruments.[2] Olivia Wycech of MixMag said, Leng's work demonstrates a "syncopated harmony of the two transnational cultures he grew up in: rapid fire lyrics riffing in English and Mandarin with stories centred around his cultural identity and experiences as an immigrant — altogether challenging western stereotypes about hip hop".[4]

He cites American rapper Eminem as his inspiration. Leng was captivated by Eminem's film debut 8 Mile, saying in an interview, he was "impressed by how Eminem was able to stand out, especially in an all-black environment back then. He is the gateway for so many people."[8]

References

  1. ↑ Deng, Jireh (9 May 2022). "Bohan Phoenix, 'New York Made Me'". NPR. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Siu, Joyce (31 March 2018). "The Chinese-American hip-hop star who won't go on The Rap of China". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Guanzon, Sofia (25 November 2021). "How Chinese-American Rapper Bohan Phoenix Makes Homecoming An Art With His Music". HipHopDX. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  4. 1 2 Wycech, Olivia (14 September 2020). "Why rapper Bohan Phoenix left the birthplace of hip hop for China". Mixmag. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  5. ↑ Billboard Radio China (15 March 2019). "Rapper Bohan Phoenix Releases Short Film, '3 Days in Chengdu': Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
  6. ↑ Davis, Rebecca (3 June 2021). "Warner Music China Signs Rapper Bohan Phoenix, Expands JUUICE Hip-Hop Imprint". Variety. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  7. ↑ Lanigan, Roisin (6 August 2021). "These are the stars of the 2022 Pirelli calendar". i-D. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
  8. ↑ Billboard Radio China (20 December 2018). "Chinese-American Rapper Bohan Phoenix Talks Balancing East and West Hip-Hop". Billboard. Archived from the original on 13 October 2022. Retrieved 22 October 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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