When They Hear Us
Sean Phan
Hip-hop has become one of the most popular music genres within the last decade. It was created within the inner city communities of African Americans and Latinos but has since expanded internationally. While representation is slowly growing, Asian representation continues to lack in hip-hop. Thanks to the Wu-Tang Clan, Asian culture was briefly seen and referenced in hip-hop, but seeing an Asian face was less common. When They Hear Us is an archive that highlights prominent Asian American hip-hop artists. Through a curated tracklist of the artist’s music and interviews, the audience is able to understand the identity and stories of each artist. Some spoke out about their culture with pride while others subtly showed their culture through their music. When They Hear Us was created to not only highlight the way each artist navigated their careers as an Asian American but to show how immersing yourself in cultures different from your own can increase our understanding of each other.