Downtown (band)

Downtown was a Tsengian hip hop group that originally formed as a boy band in Tseng City in 1992. The most famous lineup consisted of four members: A-FEI, Charlie Z, MC Hunter, and HY Liu. They were one of the earliest and most significant popularizers of Tsengian hip-hop, and the first hip hop group to obtain commercial success in Tseng. Known for their often explicit lyrics on societal and political issues, Downtown is regarded as one of the most influential groups of Tsengian hip hop.

Boy band origins
Downtown originally consisted of five students at Zhonglian Arts University in Tseng City: cousins Jason and Charlie Zhang, Migara indigenous Hunter Su, American-born Liu Haoyu, and David Lan. They began singing at clubs, bars, and restaurants. Zhang's uncle was a scout at Anmen Records, a small record label, and after seeing them sing one night, urged them to sign a contract with the label.

In 1994, Downtown released their self-titled debut album. It was a complete failure, selling only 1,000 copies, and resulting in the band being cut from the label. Frustrated, Lan left the band weeks later.

Transition into hip-hop and Mark Our Words
In 1995, rapper DJ Zhongguo released the track "Confucius", which was a smash hit. The four remaining members were inspired and decided to change their music to a more hip-hop-oriented sound while keeping their youthful and idol-esque looks. Inspired by both domestic rappers and the West Coast hip-hop scene (especially, and ), the group began recording demos. After sending several demos to record labels all over the city, Downtown was eventually signed to Gongshan-owned Daybreak Records.

In 1996, Downtown released their second album overall and first hip hop album Mark Our Words. Although the group’s members didn’t expect much, the album sold 20,000 in the first week of its release, and propelled by the music videos put in heavy rotation on, Downtown was launched to success overnight.

Increased popularity: Why Am I So Tired? and Purpose
Following the success of Mark Our Words, the group recorded and released their third album Why Am I So Tired? in 1997. A primarily -inspired album, it also included elements of. Drawing lyrical inspiration from issues in Tsengian society such as poverty, harsh education system, indigenous discrimination, and the dashang, it was a much darker album, dealing with issues not raised in Tsengian music since the Belgian Flu days. However, it was just as successful, selling 300,000 copies and debuted at #3 on the Tseng Top 50, and is now considered to be Downtown's magnum opus. The album was banned soon after release as it dealt with "sensitive issues", although the ban was lifted in 2005.

Downtown's fourth album, Purpose, was released in December 1998.