China wants no part of hip hop culture.
The Chinese government has no interest in supporting hip hop culture, and is doing everything in their power to remove it from television. In addition, television broadcast stations have been advised not to feature any artist with tattoos.
According to TIME Magazine, the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television of the People’s Republic of China (SAPPRFT), “specifically requires that programs should not feature actors with tattoos [or depict] hip hop culture, sub-culture (non-mainstream culture) and dispirited culture (decadent culture).” SAPPRFT has referred to hip hop music as “vulgar” and “low taste.”
On Friday, the group’s publicity director, Gao Changli, announced a set of rules that the media must abide, “Absolutely do not use actors whose heart and morality are not aligned with the party and whose morality is not noble. Absolutely do not use actors who are tasteless, vulgar and obscene.”
“Absolutely do not use actors whose ideological level is low and have no class. Absolutely do not use actors with stains, scandals and problematic moral integrity.”
Unfortunately, hip hop music isn’t the only genre targeted in China. Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, Maroon 5, and Justin Bieber have all been banned from performing in the country.
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