YSYS online documentaries: Performing authenticity in Chinese hip hop

Hip Hop has become one of the most popular cultural phenomena in China due to commodification as well as to the broadcast of Hip Hop related variety shows. The unique path of Chinese Hip Hop has raised questions about the contextualization of its authenticity. This paper collected 9 episodes of documentaries concerning Chinese Hip Hop produced by the niche media “YISHIYISE” from which five themes were generated through deductive thematic analysis. The concept of hybridization provided a perspective that views Chinese Hip Hop as mixed product with both local and global features. Meanwhile, in facing commercial assimilation, the perception of defining underground as a necessity to authentic Hip Hop is becoming fluid and dynamic among Chinese artists. More importantly, as competition among artists is increasing, the core value of Hip Hop, “Peace and Love,” has been brought up frequently as a means to reconstruct authenticity within the Chinese Hip Hop community