We here at RADII love an exciting musical mashup, a beat that bridges borders, a cross-cultural canción, if you will.
As such, we’ve come to love the work of Jamel Mims, a bilingual English- and Mandarin-language rapper better known as MC Tingbudong.
We spoke with the New York City-based rapper late last year about his debut EP VIRAL, which dropped last December alongside an immersive virtual world developed by Mims himself.
Now, MC Tingbudong is back in the VIRAL metaverse once again, and you’re all invited.
In celebration of Black History Month and Lunar New Year, the virtual world will play host to “VIRAL, A Virtual Lunar New Year Festival,” with a dozen live performances showcasing talented artists from the Black and Asian diaspora.
The online concert features musicians from Shanghai, Beijing, New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C., “whose sounds blur the lines between music, art, media, and culture,” Mims tells RADII.
Among the talented lineup are VIRAL featured artists Kayla Briët, Yehaiyahan, and Eddie Lu, along with Everlast Phantom, whose electronic music label Scandal is upending the gender gap in Shanghai’s club scene, and Chinese-American hip hop sensation Bohan Phoenix.
“This year, with Lunar New Year falling on the same window as Black History Month, it only felt right to throw a little festival in VIRAL, A Virtual World,” says Mims. “I’m excited to bring together this all-star lineup of friends and homies from across the Black and Asian diaspora that could only take place in virtual reality.”
For those who have yet to check it out, VIRAL is a conversation between China and Black America, “a project about a life lived at a historic crossroads in an age of pandemic and protest.”
In addition to the six genre-defying tracks, the virtual world is a journey in and of itself, and we highly recommend you experience both.
The virtual concert kicks off on Friday, February 18, at 8 PM EST and is completely free. You can register beforehand by clicking here and check out the concert via livestream on Twitch, or through VIRAL, A Virtual World at tingbudong.nyc.
Cover image via RADII
