BEIJING, May 30, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- iQIYI,
Inc. (NASDAQ:IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company"), an innovative
market-leading online entertainment service in China,
announced that The Rap of China, its hit rap competition reality
show, has expanded its scope beyond China with more than 10,000 hopeful
contestants signing up from across
Asia, North America and Australia, attracting attention from
international media and social platforms.
The show's North America round
of competition, which was taped in Los
Angeles earlier in May, was judged by Grammy Award-winning
American rap trio Migos as guest producers as well as China's pop singer Kris Wu and Chinese American rapper MC Jin as
producers. It welcomed a variety of Chinese-language rappers,
including North Americans of Chinese heritage, Chinese university
students, and even foreigners who speak Chinese.
While many contestants rapped in Mandarin, some performed in
Southwestern Chinese dialects or ethnic minority languages, each
bringing their own distinctive flavor. Aside from technical skill,
contestants were judged based on their ability to convey a youthful
voice and fresh ideas through their lyrics.
Images featuring the star producers and candidates in the
Los Angeles competition were
circulated widely on Twitter, Instagram and other social platforms,
and attracted no shortage of attention from mainstream foreign
media.
The social media hype has also spread rapidly from overseas to
domestic online communities, with the hashtags #MeetKrisWu and
#TheRapofChina shooting to the top of Weibo's list of trending
topics. The show's North America
round has also been covered by a variety of high profile
Weibo KOLs, including those catering
to overseas Chinese and focusing on entertainment and music.
"We're delighted to see The Rap of China generate such a huge reaction in
America, which shows the bright prospects for Chinese-language
rap's first attempt to break into the international market," said
Chen Wei, senior vice president of
iQIYI and executive producer of The Rap of China. "The youthfulness and vigor of the
contestants in the North America
round are showcasing the appeal and power of Chinese rap, allowing
Chinese culture to spread abroad and enjoy mainstream success."
One of iQIYI's most popular reality shows with young viewers,
The Rap of China features
an all-star team of producers, including heartthrob Kris Wu, Taiwanese musician Chang Chen-yue, rap artist MC Hotdog, and pop
singers Wilber Pan and Gloria Tang
Tsz-Kei. With the theme of "I'm young and I rap," the show seeks to
bring the charm of Chinese language rap to an international
audience. In addition to its North
America competition round, the show also held preliminary
competition rounds in Malaysia and
Australia.
About iQIYI, Inc.
iQIYI, Inc. (NASDAQ:IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company") is an
innovative market-leading online entertainment service
in China. Its corporate DNA combines creative talent with
technology, fostering an environment for continuous innovation and
the production of blockbuster content. iQIYI's platform features
highly popular original content, as well as a comprehensive library
of other professionally-produced content, partner-generated content
and user-generated content. The Company distinguishes itself in the
online entertainment industry by its leading technology platform
powered by advanced AI, big data analytics and other core
proprietary technologies. iQIYI attracts a massive user base with
tremendous user engagement, and has developed a diversified
monetization model including membership services, online
advertising services, content distribution, live broadcasting,
online games, IP licensing, online literature and e-commerce etc.
For more information on iQIYI, please
visit http://ir.iqiyi.com.
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SOURCE iQIYI