Rapper GAI suddenly dropped from contest as aspersions continue to fly
BEIJING: When you’re ranked third in an on-going song contest and suddenly disappear, tongues will wag.
And they did when rapper GAI vanished from an on-going Hunan TV song contest, with some fans presuming that he had offended moral policing officers in Beijing.
Show producer Hong Tao told newsmen they were behind schedule “because the replacement singer (Chinese mainland singer Li Quan) had only been informed last night (that he would be joining the show).”
The original Jan 12 episode featuring GAI that was available for streaming on Hunan TV’s website was replaced by an edited version in which all footage of GAI has been removed.
Douban user Chenmo Ruhai posted a screenshot of what he claimed was a WeChat message from GAI saying “please pass this on to the heads of my fan groups so they can deal with fans’ reactions… We respect the studio’s decision and I am happy because my first performance was amazing…”
The post was later deleted, but screenshots of the post continue to circulate around Chinese social media.
Some netizens suspect that GAI’s apparent removal from the show may be tied to the recent negative press around hip-hop in China which started with Chinese rapper PG One. Earlier this month, PG One’s songs were removed from Chinese streaming platforms after complaints that his hip-hop song Christmas Eve insulted women and promoted drug use.