Busy Gang 800 ranked Top 20 albums from China in 2014

No crew ruled Shanghai hip hop like the Busy Gang. Since teaming up on the club hit ‘Turnt Up,’ Hong Kong born rhymer Al Rocco and notorious hometown duo Busy Kidz have landed songs across the city’s Adidas stores, at the top of country’s online charts and into the playlists of China’s celebrities. They’ve stolen shows at Arkham from international stalwarts like Hucci & Ozzie and their debut mixtape captures their hard-hitting blueprint of ignorant trap beats and authoritative bilingual flows. Recent hits ‘Work Out, Cash Out’ and ‘Red Money’ are included with the latter remixed with verses from Shanghai OGs Daddy Chang and Tang King, while new tracks like ‘The Game’ commemorate what’s been a celebratory year for the trio. For more on the group, check out our interview with Al Rocco. - That's Magazine

File this one under yes there is gangster rap in Shanghai and it comes in the form of Busy Gang, a crew comprised of three rappers: Al Rocco, Koz, and Blow Fever. Proving its trending power the 800 album has reached the top 10 of Bandcamp’s Chinese music charts. While they make sure to let you know they are a purely Chinese rap trio it’s obvious that Busy Gang take heavy influences from the American hip hop scene. The album is a whopping 19 tracks and while much is that formulaic trap sound, the bulk of it drudges up some original sounding Chinese hip hop that could go toe to toe with crews from around the world. Definitely one of the most interesting finds of 2014. - Smart Shanghai