Live Review: 24 Karat Kev goes viral in 'Chinatown Champs'

When he's not interviewing the likes of DJ Khaled, Kendrick Lamar, Ice Cube and Kim Kardashian, 24 Karat Kev has been busy prepping for the release of his first single. Now, those efforts have come to fruition and we are presented with 'Chinatown Champs' - a thought provoking hip-hop song that offers Kev's own perspective as an Asian Australian in today's tense political climate.

With a trill beat thanks to DJ Chardonnay, 24 Karat Kev shows he means business here, and has paired the release of the single to a #viral video. Starting off with a sample of the infamous speech from Pauline Hanson on her beliefs of Australia "Being swamped by Asians" in the 90s, the production has a strong Asian sound. Plucked shamisen-ish sounding strings paired with sampled oriental singing over the top, 24 Karat Kev begins his self-assertion that is this song.

Lacing his braggadocio raps about sipping soy milk while hanging in the spa bath, 24 Karat Kev takes back his culture and intertwines his cultural influences with his #internet aesthetic to create a video that is both thought-provoking and hilarious (see 2:35 for a soy milk shoey). Owning who he is, where he's from and what he's all about, 24 Karat Kev refuses to take a backseat - and that speaks volumes here.

24 Karat Kev talks about the song:

“This song is obviously written from the perspective of growing up Asian, but I hope that others can listen to this song and find pride in who they are, this is for any minority who has been made to feel worthless because of the colour of their skin. I hope to fly the Asian flag with pride, just like Jin, Jet Li and Jeff from The Wiggles have done in the past.”

'Chinatown Champs' is a song with a good heart to it, it's apart of 24 Karat Kev's upcoming EP The Eulogy: Looking Pho Revenge which is set to drop next year.

Words by Aiden Benavides

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