liftedasia.com, the first digital media outlet dedicated to Asian Hip Hop and RnB music has just released its first official rankings, The LiFTED 50. For the first time ever, Asian rappers and singers have been ranked for the entire region, from India to the Philippines. Just over a year old, LiFTED is headquartered between Hong Kong and Taipei, and is part of the b2 Holdings Ltd. which also publishes Mixmag Asia and Music Biz Asia.
The LiFTED 50 comes as Asian Hip Hop is exploding across the region. In just about every Asian country, Hip Hop is the fastest growing music genre. LiFTED has positioned itself as an authentic voice for the culture, covering a wide-ranging cross-section of the Hip Hop community – from Rap music, to Graffiti and Street Art, B-Boying and Turntablism. Their stories often focus on emerging artists and scenes, and not just the mega-watt names from the big markets.
The rankings, which were kept under secrecy until yesterday’s launch, featured veteran South Korean rapper, producer, dancer, director Jay Park at #1. His contributions to Asian Hip Hop are without question, as he has won awards, launched 3 separate labels and nurtured many careers. At #2 was India’s ‘Gully Boy’ phenomenon DIVINE, who is so big in India and across the diaspora that he has competed with Bollywood for hearts and minds. The top three rounds out with Indonesian sensation Rich Brian, who began as a viral YouTube star at age 17 and is now the centerpiece of the unstoppable 88 Rising music machine.
Other notable names in the Top 50 were Indonesia’s RAMENGVRL at #5, Cambodia’s breakout star VannDa at #6 and Mongolia’s international breakthrough artist Mrs M at #10. Further down the list there were plenty of budding and established stars, like China-via-the US star Bohan Phoenix (#25), Korean American Ted Park at #26 and Japan’s AWICH at #41.
LiFTED stated that their formula was a combination of YouTube views, online streaming numbers, social media stats and ‘X-factor’. Whatever the secret sauce is, they have succeeded in coming up with a very well-rounded and representational collection of pan-Asian talent.
For a full listing of the LiFTED 50 please click: https://liftedasia.com/articles/the-lifted-50