PO8 Essentials
Playlist - 21 Songs
Hailing from Chengdu in southwestern China, indie hip-hop artist PO8 got his start in rap as an international student in California. As implied by a stage name that alludes to both “poet” and the Luger pistol, the rapper uses his verses as weapons of protest and pride on tracks like “Poet with a Pistol” and “诗人说梦” [“Poet’s Dream”], both from his breakout 2017 EP Insomnia. A stylistic through-line in PO8’s work is an affinity for jazz-flavoured melodic cuts like the impressionistic “静安碎碎念” [“Jing’an Thoughts”], a collab with jazz vocalist Voision Xi from the city-focused 2023 album 热岛 [Heat Island]—and he even finds room for chill, soulful vibes on 2019’s SPACE CAPSULE and alt-R&B tracks like “1 cigarette.”. But he’s no slouch when it comes to harder-edged hip-hop—under the cascade of classical allusions and traditional instruments on the 2019 EP 惊堂木 [Gavel Block] are fiery beats and a fierce tongue.
PO8 Essentials
PO8 Essentials
Hailing from Chengdu in southwestern China, indie hip-hop artist PO8 got his start in rap as an international student in California. As implied by a stage name that alludes to both “poet” and the Luger pistol, the rapper uses his verses as weapons of protest and pride on tracks like “Poet with a Pistol” and “诗人说梦” [“Poet’s Dream”], both from his breakout 2017 EP Insomnia. A stylistic through-line in PO8’s work is an affinity for jazz-flavoured melodic cuts like the impressionistic “静安碎碎念” [“Jing’an Thoughts”], a collab with jazz vocalist Voision Xi from the city-focused 2023 album 热岛 [Heat Island]—and he even finds room for chill, soulful vibes on 2019’s SPACE CAPSULE and alt-R&B tracks like “1 cigarette.”. But he’s no slouch when it comes to harder-edged hip-hop—under the cascade of classical allusions and traditional instruments on the 2019 EP 惊堂木 [Gavel Block] are fiery beats and a fierce tongue.
