Asian hip-hop crossover?

[MikeHunt]

The phrase, almost a cliche in the cult of American hip-hop music, whips the crowd listening to Malaysian rap duo Too Phat into a frenzy.

The staccato beats and displays of urban ghetto fashion could place the scene in any of hundreds of U.S. or European clubs.

"Too Phat's really good but they need to be exposed more outside of Malaysia," gushed Anna Hazlett, a 19-year-old British student. "But I think they could be popular in the U.K."

The increasingly global appeal and popularity of hip-hop could thrust Asian acts such as Too Phat before a wider audience, music industry executives say -- possibly even into the tough North American market.

EMI Group Plc signed Too Phat in 1998 -- through its "Positive Tone" label -- and Singapore hip-hop group "Urban Xchange" in February. Both could find appeal at home and abroad, said Caroline Qwek of EMI Music South East Asia.

"Asian hip-hop music has come a long way and I think Too Phat certainly has the potential to do a lot more," Qwek, an international marketing director, told Reuters.

In China, a new "Generation Y" has embraced hip-hop as an emblem of free-spirited expression while the sound has been a dominating influence in Tokyo sub-culture since the late 1980s.

Artists such as Taiwan's Machi and South Korea's Drunken Tiger also have strong local followings although their appeal is limited somewhat by lyrics written in their native language (read more)

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