Zhong Xian (Chinese: 鍾賢/钟贤; born June 4, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Zhongguo (DJ中國) is a Chinese-born Tsengian rapper, singer, record producer, and manager. He is widely regarded as the pioneer of hip-hop and rap in Tseng. As a result, he is called the "Father of Tsengian hip-hop".
Early life[]
Zhong Xian was born on June 4, 1972, to a family of seven in the city of Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China. The family moved to Taihua, Tseng in his infancy, to escape the Cultural Revolution. At the time, travel between the PRC and Tseng was illegal, so the Zhong family found a loophole by staying in Japan for a few months, then finally going to Tseng.
During his teenage years, Zhong became known for being a delinquent and truant. At age 16, he was involved in a fight that got him expelled from school.
Career[]
Early years[]
While working at a club, Zhong worked as a disc jockey and adopted the name DJ Zhongguo (which is the romanization of "China"). Zhong started rapping at age 17 and released his first track in December 1989, called "Tiananmen" (天安門). He started performing at small nightclubs in Taihua. He was signed by ECN Records in 1990. However, many of his songs failed to chart, due to rap being an underground genre in Tseng.
Breakthrough: 1995-1999[]
In 1995, Zhong released the song "Confucius" (孔子), which launched him onto the charts, reaching a high of #10 in the Tseng Top 50, and inspiring more artists to take up rapping. Zhong also experimented with singing and pop music, releasing his first album "DJ's Quotations" (DJ的引述) on January 17, 1996. He embarked on a tour in 1998-99, going to cities across Tseng, China, and Taiwan.
In 1999, Zhong announced that he would be retiring. He then took a job as a record producer for Zenghe Inc. Zhong also worked as a manager for other singers and rappers like Serpentine, Queen Chou, and Asian Collective.
Return: 2018-present[]
Zhong joined the supergroup Yuanfen in 2018, along with pop singers George Kuang, Li Meng, and Hong Kong singer Jack Suen. They released their first album, "High Mountain" (高山) in 2019.
Discography[]
For his works with Yuanfen, see Yuanfen#Discography
Studio albums[]
- 1996: DJ's Quotations (DJ的引述)
- 1998: East Is Blue (東方藍)
- 1999: No One Cares (沒人在乎)
EPs[]
- 1999: Eyes