“Honestly, I don’t understand the mindset of the wealthy because I’m personally not one of them. So, I wrote a song using my identity as a performer and as an ordinary person like myself” — Novel Fergus.

Hong Kong rapper Novel Fergus, also the founder of record label Yack Studio, grew up in the working class neighborhood of Sham Shui Po, where he immersed himself in the city’s culture, from grassroots communities to local cinema. Spitting lyrical rhymes with authenticity and style, he makes music that combines his personal stories with the aesthetics of the Chinese language.

Novel Fergus’s sound has resonated with listeners, taking him from the underground music scene to the stage of AsiaWorld-Expo, one of Hong Kong’s major venues. Hong Kong’s hip hop poet sat down with RADII to share his lyrics and outlook before he performed at “852FES – Yu Lan Festival” on Saturday, August 17, 2024. Check out our written interview with him here.