So this might not be the freshest video I’ve ever posted, but it’s been a favourite of mine since I found it a year ago. MC Yan does some slam poetry in this video called One Take Slam Jam in Hong Kong, and comments on the island as he sees it. It has a turbulent past and shows in MC Yan’s words.
What I as a westerner see and hear about Hong Kong will always be something different from the population’s own perspective. To me it’s exotic and mystifying. To MC Yan it’s just life, and it’s nice to have a solid reminder of the fact that even though we may try and remain objective and open-minded – our past will always colour our future.
The English subtitles for MC Yan’s Slam poetry by Thomas Lee, is what brings this video together for me. I speak no Cantonese at all; heck my linguistic skills are pretty slim to begin with– so when Thomas manages to make it rhyme in English and also be poignant- is really impressive to me. I can still appreciate the rhythm and the delivery from MC Yan, the subs and context just makes it that extra bit special.
You can find more of Thomas Lee’s videos and photos @ thomaslee.us
