The German Hip Hop band "Massive Tone" gave a China debut last week at Peking University Concert Hall. Upon their arrival, the trio and their new drummer were confident of providing the beats for a good party in Beijing.

The evening did indeed produce the outcome they had hoped for, despite a few hang-ups. About one thousand rap fans met at Peking University for the show, half of which were Chinese. Initially, the audience remained seated in their chairs, listening motionless, but when rappers Showi and Ju welcomed the crowd with a "Nimen hao Beijing!" the ice was instantly broken. Soon even the Chinese spectators were waving their hands in step and their nodding their heads in true hip hop style.

One hour and 23 tracks later, the band was seen off with standing ovations, bouquets of flowers and screaming girls.

Massive Tone has been a well-known act in the German hip hop scene for over 10 years. Their fourth album will be released this September.

The Beijing gig was part of a tour through South Korea and China with further stops in Seoul and Shanghai organized by the local Goethe Institute. After the concert in Beijing, the four band members were spotted dancing with fans at Beijing-based hip hop club Propaganda until the break of dawn.

"There's a great potential for hip hop music in China", said MC Showi after the concert. "Though people still behave and dance differently than in Western countries, we believe in the power of hip hop, which knows no ethnic boundaries. There's no reason why people shouldn't be rapping more in Chinese." His advice: If you want to be the next Eminem, step into a karaoke box and watch out for the song "Ice Ice Baby" by US singer Vanilla Ice and start there.

(China Daily 05/26/2005 page6)