Back in 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, Hong Kong rapper Haysen Cheng made the surprising move to China’s Hip Hop capital, Chengdu. It was surprising because he was building a name for himself in the Hong Kong scene, spitting gritty bars in his deep baritone voice while releasing a string of visually striking DIY music videos.

Haysen was a young kid doing it for himself while working two jobs in Hong Kong, and his hustle was real. Then he caught the attention of Chengdu by way of UK superproducer HARIKIRI, producer for Higher Brothers, Vinida Weng, and Jay Park, who invited him to join his production company/collective IRIS, and it was on.

In the three years since, Haysen, who was born in Hong Kong but also grew up in Shanghai and the Canary Islands of Spain, has released a string of successful singles and collabs while making a name for himself with over 30 million views on Douyin and 10 million streams across music platforms in Mainland China. He’s been getting particularly busy on the live circuit with his explosive stage presence commanding the growing crowds. Then this year, he dropped his debut album Hong Kong Don, which features 15 tracks as well as collabs with KIV from Digi Ghetto, Vinida Weng, and Hong Kong’s very own Novel Fergus, whom he shared a stage with for Haysen’s sold-out Guangzhou show earlier in March this year.

With over two million streams across all music platforms, Hong Kong Don garnered critical acclaim, earning co-signs from superstars across Mainland China and even CLOT founder Kevin Poon. Setting the foundation for that was ‘Tsim Sha Tsui,’ the Cantonese hit collab on KIV’s 2024 album which features not only Haysen Cheng but also all the Digi Ghetto members, and was the first Cantonese Hip Hop track to break through in Mainland China and reach hit song status, firmly establishing Haysen as the Hong Kong Don. He’s been featured in Hypebeast, and the South China Morning Post even proclaimed him a successor to Leslie Cheung.

LiFTED made him one of our ‘Next 5’ to watch as far back as 2022. He’s been filling clubs and livehouses with his rowdy live shows since that time. So what’s all the hype really about? We sat down with Haysen to find out.

I’m blessed, grateful for everything in life, and happy to talk with LiFTED again.

I’ve been living in Chengdu for the past three years, but lately I’ve been back in Hong Kong at least once a month for shows or to connect with friends.

I feel like a lot of things in life are destined to be and are out of my control, and I think we are all just vessels for God’s plan. All I know is that I’m definitely grateful for how things turned out and that more and more people are noticing and supporting me from both places where I grew up. My biggest dream is to see Chinese Hip Hop be celebrated on the world stage no matter where we are from, and I am very blessed to be a part of that.

I was still working two jobs in early 2021. It was COVID at that time, and I pretty much lost my job because of the restrictions, and my mother’s business had to shut down as well due to the economy. I was in my third gap year from this college I originally committed to in the US, and they rescinded my offer around the same time. I wanted to play semi-pro basketball in Hong Kong but twisted my ankle during the tryouts. So pretty much the only positive thing in my life at that time was that my music was getting some traction online and I was put in touch with HARIKIRI. I used to listen to the songs that he produced for the Higher Brothers every day in high school and fantasised about working with him one day so it was a crazy moment for me.

I was the main source of income for my family during those two to three years so moving to the Mainland for music was a really risky bet. I am eternally grateful that my mother saw the vision and kept encouraging me to take the chance and go meet him. I ended up taking out a HKD$80,000 loan from Hang Seng Bank to make sure she would be OK and that I had enough to survive the next few months. By the end of 2021, I had already joined HARIKIRI on very favourable terms and did multiple songs with the Higher Brothers, and my first official single dropped in May of 2022. Looking back now it was definitely a decision that changed my life and my family’s lives for the better, and I will forever be grateful to HARIKIRI for taking a chance on me.

Like I said earlier, I think some things are just destined to happen and I’m grateful that I have what it takes to make the most out of these opportunities, especially being someone from Hong Kong where I don’t really have an OG to look up to who was on the same path. Vinida is basically family to me so it never really feels like work, and GALI was very cool because we met through basketball and our collab was also a tribute to Kobe. We also recently did two new songs in the studio last month when he came to Chengdu. But working with KnowKnow was definitely surreal considering how many years I’ve listened to his music with the Higher Brothers and how much he’s inspired not just me but a generation of kids in Asia with their success worldwide. The first time we met was on Christmas Day in 2021 at his MEDM studio in Chengdu and he did his verse for our collab on the spot in front of me. I met KIV at the club and he has always been a very supportive person in my journey, especially since he is from Zhuhai and also represents the Canto area. He was the first rapper to fly me out first class to be a guest on his tour and also be my guest twice, so I will always have a lot of respect and gratitude for him.

First of all, I think KIV deserves most of the credit for writing the hook and for putting me on ‘Tsim Sha Tsui’. Digi Ghetto are international superstars to begin with, so I think there was shock value to a lot of people for KIV to come out with a Cantonese banger themed around Hong Kong. I definitely feel like the song took me to a higher level of exposure and helped me get noticed more in both Hong Kong and Mainland China, but I think things like being an ambassador is up to the people and not me. There are OGs in Hong Kong that have been involved in Cantonese Hip Hop for decades and I feel like they deserve that title a lot more. I’m just making the music I want to make and I’m happy to let people know that I’m from Hong Kong wherever I go.

Fergus is kind of seen as a demigod in Cantonese Hip Hop so I’m honored that he was even interested enough to work with me on my album. Before I left Hong Kong in 2021 it felt like Hip Hop was dying in the city so I respect him a lot for everything he has done the past few years. For a HK rapper to sell out 5,000 tickets at his own show is unheard of and nothing short of legendary.

It took a bit of convincing for him to agree to come to Guangzhou with me due to obvious reasons but I felt like if someone in his position doesn’t break that door down to make a statement for future generations, no one will. Music and controversy aside, he was a real man the way he handled the situation. I think he just saw the vision I believed in, because he could see that I was really from Hong Kong and I really had a sold out show in Guangzhou as well as a thriving career in Mainland China. All I really want is for people to leave certain things in the past and just let music be music, because there’s no point in HK rappers only staying in HK for their entire careers and still having to work side jobs when their music deserves to be heard and seen in way more places.

Thank you guys for the support even from early on, we’ve got a lot more in the vault. It’s crazy because when we first met I thought she was also an underground rapper, I didn’t find out she was that big until like a month later. All I can say is that she and HARIKIRI are definitely family to me at this point and I wouldn’t have wanted this journey to go any other way. When I couldn’t go back to Hong Kong in 2022 for Chinese New Year, Vinida paid for my flights and hotel to go spend the entire holiday with her family and HARIKIRI, and there were countless other situations that just let me know this person really got my back and was definitely meant to be in my life regardless of music or fame. That’s big sis to me so the songs are really just secondary to that. I’m grateful to be part of her journey and have her be part of mine. Last week I just went to watch her sold out back-to-back stadium shows in Hangzhou with over 20k people. Super proud of her because I’ve seen the obstacles and amount of stress she’s had to overcome and I know what an amazing person she is. She’s nothing short of a living legend and a superstar.

If we are talking music, I was definitely influenced by an endless list of artists, but if we are talking about personal life stories and legacy, I was strongly influenced by Drake, 50 Cent, Kanye West, J. Cole, The Weeknd, Travis Scott, and MC Jin in particular. Jin is definitely at the top of my list for a potential collab in the future, he is an absolute legend for everything he’s carried on his shoulders for Asian Hip Hop.

Actually, huge shoutout to KnowKnow right here for inviting me to play at the All-Star basketball game that he and his brand MEDM organised earlier in January this year with a bunch of other rappers and pro-hoopers. I had a triple double with 26 points that game in front of like 3,000 people in the stadium and over 10,000 people online so it was definitely a dream come true for me basketball-wise. I think that was enough for me to brag about for a while. Next time I play basketball again that seriously will probably be at the NBA Celebrity All-Star game in a few years’ time.

It’s definitely a full circle moment for me because I’ve been listening to UK rap and specifically Michael Phantom’s music since 2019, even earlier for Skepta’s music. It means a lot that he’s willing to come support my first show in London and I’m blessed to be able to perform in the UK as a Chinese artist representing HK. I feel like Chinese Hip Hop is getting more and more undeniable on a global level and it’s only a matter of time before the world really catches on and wants to ride the wave, especially with what my boy SKAI ISYOURGOD has been doing and the attention he is receiving from the whole world. He’s already sold out back-to-back shows in London and I am excited to be opening for him in London as well, but that was supposed to be a surprise. LiFTED exclusive.