Warner Music Group is expanding its mainland China hip-hop imprint JUUICE to the Greater China region of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau, the firm said Thursday. Rapper Bohan Phoenix, one of the few bilingual, bicultural artists to find crossover success on both sides of the Pacific, has signed to the expanded imprint.
Bohan Phoenix said he was “thrilled” to join JUUICE. “I can’t wait to continue my work building bridges between East and West through music in the months and years to come,” he said.
The Hubei-born artist grew up in the U.S., attended New York University, and then moved back to Chengdu, where he has been instrumental in building up the local hip-hop scene and collaborated with top local names like Higher Brothers and Vava.
Jonathan Serbin, Warner Music Asia’s CEO of Greater China called him “a true original… [with] one of the most exciting voices of the Chinese diaspora.”
“He brings to the art his experiences from both the East and the West, capturing the dichotomy of his multi-cultural, bilingual upbringing. It is a great privilege to be able to work with him as he prepares to launch and showcase his music to the world,” he said.
Of the imprint expansion, Serbin said: “We are now leveraging the resources of our other affiliates, Hong Kong and Taiwan, to fuel JUUICE’s ability to promote its roster across a wider network in Asia.”
Warner Music’s president of international and recorded music Simon Robson stated that hip-hop and rap are among the fastest growing segments in the Asian music markets.
“JUUICE is already a respected and credible label in China. Now we want to support the best talent throughout Greater China, as well as Chinese-speaking artists from around the world, and raise their profile globally.”