Taipei has always been treated as the creative focal point of Taiwan, whereas places like Taichung, Tainan, and Taoyuan fly under the radar. To bring the spotlight elsewhere, Taiwan Hip Hop media 龍虎門 teamed up with Kaohsiung-based Hip Hop label Broya Icebox to celebrate the ambitious Hip Hop dreams of Kaohsiung.

Featuring a stellar lineup of rappers ranging from renowned veterans to feisty newcomers, the ‘高傲GAOAO Kaohsiung Cypher’ is a glamorous video in its own way because it does the gangster thing in many different ways. The six-minute cypher lures you in with a triumphant horn on a victorious beat produced by Shawn Chen and HeinzPassOut.

Savage.M/馬克 takes the lead with a metaphorical verse, saying that Kaohsiung is a tight ship and the rappers are the gears that keep Hip Hop culture afloat down south. FRαNKIE阿法 follows with a lyrical bomb while flipping between Taiwanese and Mandarin, emphasizing his loyalty to his home turf. ANBA joins the party as the third contributor, and his verse goes all-in with slightly Auto-Tuned cheeky rhymes. ZeoWater水 is intense yet smooth, especially with Auto-Tuned vocals bigging up K Town and Kevin Durant.

After a brief musical interlude, DripO comes around spitting his gangster-inspired bars which sound really good in Mandarin. The same can be said for Tommy Whipping, who comes right after with a silky smooth verse. Gil G brings the house down with her sultry R&B singing and then dropping a hard verse as the only female in the cypher.

SiNNERMOON does his own thing with his melodic mumble-rap accentuated by a dyed-red mullet that is so unHip Hop that it is Hip Hop. DREW incorporates a sense of warfare aggressiveness in his storytelling rap, elevating the cypher to new heights. Veteran SOWUT wraps up the cypher with his bravado while embracing his Kaohsiung roots.

The production value for the ‘高傲GAOAO Kaohsiung Cypher’ music video is staggering. The 10 rappers are all dressed to the nines in formal attire as they participate in this glamorous, MET Ball-like gangster gala. All 10 rappers are wicked in their unique ways, and it is obvious they all share the same love and respect for their hometown of Kaohsiung. Hopefully ‘高傲GAOAO Kaohsiung Cypher’ will get others to recognize the talent in K Town.

Watch the ‘高傲GAOAO Kaohsiung Cypher’ below.