From a garbageman to a famous artist.
This is no common story in the drama-filled showbiz, but a story which breathes an inspiration to the lives of many Vietnamese by a now A-rated rapper in my home country.
I usually wouldn’t recommend a Vietnamese artist to international friends, with the sole reason being most artistic meanings and values are lost in translation. Đen Vâu is a rare exception, however. A composer and rapper born in 1989, Đen is a one in a million underground hip hop artist making a name for himself in the Vietnamese music industry.
Financial hurdles made it impossible for Đen to continue higher education, so he became a waste collected after completing high school. Seemingly unrelated to music, this difficult period of time has allowed the artist to truly understand life’s challenges, hence his exceptional ability to draw colors of life with his own palette. It was also in this testing phase in life that Đen gained the precious opportunity to perfect his artistry, sending all his hope and prayers into rap verses he wrote.
Đen’s rap music, packed with meaningful messages shared from his experience with a challenging life, breathes fresh air into a rap pool mostly pertaining only to sex, drugs and money. His music seems to mirror hidden aspects of life, resonating with many people’s deepest thoughts they know exist at the back of their mind but are often unable to express into words.
Most recently, Đen captured the public’s attention with “dongvui harmony”, a one-of-a-kind music product blending modern rap with orchestral music. A long-form 40-minute music video did not prevent Đen from garnering huge interests, with over two million view counts achieved over just a week. A musical ensemble of over 100 instrumental performers, vocalists and Đen cooperated to feature eight hit songs unique to his career.
I invite you to immerse yourself in heartfelt and peaceful threads of a lifetime from a respectable Viet artist not to be missed.