To celebrate Mandarin-language hip hop artists, record label Drink Entertainment will host an annual music event titled Sinmahui (新马会, which means ‘Singapore meets Malaysia’) Hip Hop Night, allegedly the “first of its kind” in Singapore. Sinmahui 2023 will go down on February 3 at Esplanade Annexe Studio and feature eight Singaporean and Malaysian hip hop acts: ShiGGa Shay, Tosh Rock, Zadon, J.M3, Cykko, Dato’ Maw, S.A.C, and Ringgit Mob.

The hip hop showcase is part of this year’s Huayi — Chinese Festival of Arts, an annual celebration of Singapore’s multicultural heritage. The festival was launched in 2003 during Chinese New Year and will run from January 27 to February 5 this year.

The 2023 edition of Huayi — Chinese Festival of Arts will feature a slew of events, such as dance performances, film screenings, and comedy shows, in addition to the hip hop night.

As one of the forerunners of Singapore’s hip hop music scene, rapper ShiGGa Shay will headline Sinmahui. His songs are often a mash-up of English, Hokkien dialect, and Mandarin, reflecting his culturally mixed upbringing. His most recent EP, I am u, has been streamed millions of times across all platforms.

Singaporean actor and musician Tosh Rock is best known for his catchy tracks that generate millions of YouTube views. He also acted in Singaporean actor and director Jack Neo’s movie series Ah Boys to Men.

Zadon is a Singaporean hip hop singer, producer, and songwriter who incorporates elements of R&B into his sound. He’s composed songs for many movies and other musicians, including the aforementioned Tosh Rock.

Zadon released his debut single ‘Adios’ in July 2017 and will drop a new single ‘If Only (feat. Cykko)’ on January 27.

Rising stars J.M3 and Cykko will also join the show. J.M3 boasts a strong vocal presence and was selected to represent Singapore at the inaugural Asean Music Festival 2020.

Meanwhile, emo rapper Cykko only started his rap career in 2019. He has released 14 singles and a debut EP.

Malaysian Chinese rapper Dato’ Maw has played a crucial part in promoting ‘Cina Music,’ which utilizes Malaysian Chinese slang in rap songs. He raps in multiple languages — English, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese, and the Penang Hokkien dialect.

In 2019, Dato’ Maw competed in the Chinese rap competition show The Rap of China.

Rounding out the list of performers at Sinmahui are young Malaysian hip hop groups S.A.C and Ringgit Mob.

S.A.C, an acronym for ‘Southeast Asia Cina,’ is a quartet that also uses Malaysian slang and language in music to express their own identity as Malaysian Chinese people.

With the Malaysian currency ‘ringgit’ in their name, Ringgit Mob is a four-person group that hopes to represent Malaysia in the global hip hop scene.

Tickets to Sinmahui Hip Hop Night are available for purchase here.

All images courtesy of Drink Entertainment