The Rise of Asian Rap Culture with Rich Brian, 88rising, and $tupid Young ─ VICE

A growing number of Asian artists have burst onto the hip-hop scene over the past few years, thanks, in large part, to 88rising—a multimedia company that specializes in signing and amplifying Asian talent.

Founder Sean Miyashiro has helped artists like Joji, Higher Brothers, and Rich Brian (formerly known as Rich Chigga) build massive followings and net millions of views on YouTube, where the rappers upload a steady stream of music videos. But even as their popularity skyrockets, some in the hip-hop community take issue with their lyrics—raising questions about the line between self-expression and cultural appropriation.

For this episode of 'MINORITY REPORTS,' VICE's Lee Adams met up with Miyashiro and a handful of high-profile Asian rappers—including $tupid Young, an Asian Crip unaffiliated with 88rising—to hear why they got into hip-hop, and what challenges they've faced while creating space for themselves as hip-hop's newest minorities.

He also sat down with Ebro Darden—a Hot 97 morning host and Apple Music's global editorial head of hip-hop and R&B;—to hear his take on the cultural movement, exploring what separates contributing to hip-hop culture from misappropriating it.

Watch Season 1 of Minority Reports: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccZk_...

Click here to subscribe to VICE: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE

Check out our full video catalog: http://bit.ly/VICE-Videos
Videos, daily editorial and more: http://vice.com
More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo
Click here to get the best of VICE daily: http://bit.ly/1SquZ6v
Like VICE on Facebook: http://fb.com/vice
Follow VICE on Twitter: http://twitter.com/vice
Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/vice
Download VICE on iOS: http://apple.co/28Vgmqz
Download VICE on Android: http://bit.ly/28S8Et0


<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }</style><div class="embed-container"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iLVvdbrXYkw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

Watch Video on YouTube Watch Full-Window Video