Video: Bohan Phoenix – “OVERSEAS”
Pigeons & Planes Premieres the Interactive, Multi-Angle Video for the Title Track From the Chinese-Born Rapper’s Recent OVERSEAS Project
3.22.2018
Critical Praise:
The Chinese Rap Stars About To Go Global – DAZED
“The Chinese-American rapper is uniting cultures through music” – The FADER
“Bohan is an anomaly in music, pursuing his career in both China and the U.S. simultaneously… A fixture in both the NYC and Chinese underground scenes” – REVOLT
“Bohan Phoenix is a unique prospect in that he represents a cultural bridge between east and west… doing his part in trying to redefine the mainland’s indie scene” – TimeOut
“Amidst news that his native country is banning ‘hip-hop culture’ from being depicted in mainstream media, the world has never needed an artist like Bohan Phoenix more.” – Highsnobiety
“a musical act to watch” – DJBooth
The Video:
Building bridges and breaking boundaries, China-born Bohan Phoenix combines elements of Chinese and American cultures into a distinctively raw blend of hip-hop. Today, Bohan shares the innovative video for “OVERSEAS,” an interactive experience featuring multiple camera angles. Delivering his mission statement over a piano-led beat by Ryan Hemsworth, Bohan raps in Mandarin in the first verse and in English on the hook and second verse. “OVERSEAS” finds Bohan discussing his commitment to hip-hop in the face of confusion and disbelief from his family in China and expressing gratitude for what he’s been able to accomplish. In the video, filmed in a single continuous take, Bohan rocks on an upright piano, plunking out the song’s beat until the piano bursts into flame and choreographed dancers flood the scene. Filmed from four different angles, the interactive new video allows fans to view the spectacle from every angle. Premiered by Pigeons & Planes, “OVERSEAS” is the title track from OVERSEAS, Bohan’s latest project, which came out early in March.
With innovative production from Ryan Hemsworth, Harikiri, Mike Gao, and Yllis, OVERSEAS boasts a wide variety of sonics, ranging from doomy trap, to spritely piano, to wavy electronics. Arriving amidst a Chinese government crackdown on hip-hop culture, including a ban on rappers and tattooed artists performing on television, OVERSEAS is not merely a passion project, but a revolutionary act. Distributed by EMPIRE, OVERSEAS furthers Bohan’s unifying mission while satisfying listeners with a wide array of borderless bangers.
Born in China’s Hubei province, Bohan immigrated to the United States at the age of 11. Though he did not speak a word of English, Bohan quickly gravitated to hip-hop culture, learning the language by rapping along to all the hip-hop he could find. Bohan took his largest steps forward as an artist in 2017, partnering with Beats By Dre, teaming up with notable Chinese streetwear companies, and releasing the JALA EP, with videos premiered by The FADER and 88Rising, and touring all primary and secondary markets in China on the JALA Tour. JALA catapulted Bohan into recognition in the broader hip-hop community, earning a placement on Spotifyʼs Fresh Finds and Apple Musicʼs Hot Tracks, garnered a spotlight on REVOLT, interviews on Bandcamp Daily, Magnetic Mag and a Boiler Room and Fendi performance during New York Fashion Week alongside Migos, 21 Savage and Metro Boomin. Earlier this month, DAZED hailed Bohan as one of four “Chinese Rap Stars About to Go Global,” alongside Vava and frequent collaborators Higher Brothers and Howie Lee.
Watch the interactive video for “OVERSEAS”: http://bohanoverseas.resnchina.net // https://youtu.be/YTUmEFdutTY
Watch Bohan’s instructional video that explains the interactive aspects of “OVERSEAS”: https://youtu.be/B6SfO7kqJPc
Check out the Pigeons & Planes premiere: http://pigeonsandplanes.com/music/2018/03/bohan-phoenix-overseas-video
Listen to OVERSEAS: http://hyperurl.co/yy55r4 // https://soundcloud.com/bohanphoenix/sets/overseas-ep-1
Please contact Michelle or Dharmic for more info.
The Background:
Bohan Phoenix was born in a Chinaʼs Hubei province and immigrated to the US at 11, unable to speak a word of English. He took a liking to hip hop instantly and learned the language quickly by rapping along with just about anything he could get his hands on. Today, Bohan is an anomaly in music- a fixture in both the US and Chinese music scenes, whose lyrical blend of Mandarin and English reflects his dual identity and aim to bridge the gap between the two cultures he calls his own.
Links:
instagram | twitter | facebook | spotify | soundcloud
“OVERSEAS (Interactive Video)”: http://bohanoverseas.resnchina.net // https://youtu.be/B6SfO7kqJPc (How to Guide)
OVERSEAS: http://hyperurl.co/yy55r4 // https://soundcloud.com/bohanphoenix/sets/overseas-ep-1
“OVERSEAS” (Prod. by Ryan Hemsworth): http://hyperurl.co/vqayq5 // https://soundcloud.com/bohanphoenix/overseas-prod-ryan-hemsworth-1 // https://youtu.be/YTUmEFdutTY
“PARTY NO MORE”: http://hyperurl.co/qr9khd // https://soundcloud.com/bohanphoenix/party-no-more-prod-yllis
Jala EP: https://bohanphoenix.bandcamp.com/album/jala-ep // https://soundcloud.com/bohanphoenix/sets/jalala-ep
“Jala”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLP8z3c76K0
“Foreign” (prod. by Howie Lee): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWJ4Lt1xeng