Ancient Chinese Rap

BEIJING _ Of all the things China has invented, it has yet to lay claim to rap music. But "Shandong clapper talk," with its rhyming recited to the clapping of bamboo boards has been popular since the Qing Dynasty.

Rap is emerging, but it`s influenced not by China`s own oral traditions nor even by American culture. Rather, it`s South Korea, where hip-hop is a rage, that has the biggest impact on what is hot among the mainland`s urban youth. "I don`t doubt it will grow," said Jerry Chan, a music critic in Beijing. "The fashion thing has definitely caught on _ the baggy clothes and chain wallets."

Mostkids like the look, Chan said, because they think it comes from Korea. Only a few know that it originated in black urban America. He believes the lack of exposure to African-American culture has inhibited the development of hip-hop in China.

Still, he has met a few Chinese teens who can rap.

"Some of them weren`t so good," he said. "Some of them I was impressed with. A bad one will just swear every other word." One kid, he said, "can sit there and rap to you in English, but he can`t speak English, but he knows what it means."

Chan, who is also marketing director for a local expat magazine called That`s Beijing, said another constraining factor is lack of access to good rap CDs. What`s popular is largely determined by what`s pirated, and these days, the bootleggers have more Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys than they do OutKast and Ludacris.

Meanwhile, most performances of Shandong clapper talk, which features exaggerated poses and seven-word sentences, have been relegated to small-town shows, television ads and occasional competitions where the talkers, instead of telling ancient stories, sing the praises of China`s leaders.