Have you heard any Chinese songs in the United States, Canada, Europe, or anywhere else in the world aside from China? Do you know any? If you don’t know any, that’s common. Unlike countries funding entertainment contributions like South Korea with K-pop and Japan with anime, China has failed to gain the world’s attention in terms of entertainment, and thus most Chinese entertainment, like movies, TV series, and music is only popular there. There’s an emerging rapper, though, who is changing that.
Chen Xukai, also known as SKAI ISYOURGOD, was born in Guangdong Province in China, near Hong Kong. He has impressed the international world with two songs, “Blueprint Supreme” and “Stacks From All Sides.” These songs have found popularity worldwide, especially in the West, helping promote Chinese culture to the world. Let’s examine these two songs.
In 2025, “Blueprint Supreme” was a viral song. If you watched any Reels, Shorts, or other social media, you may have heard this song a couple times. The song samples “Preface: Autumn Thoughts At The Dressing Table,” a song from The Flower Princess, a Cantonese opera, and the artist does not start rapping until about twenty seconds into the song, when a beat is applied and the bars come in. The music is played fast and is driving, with “Preface” still audible throughout the entire song. This song also includes an impressive speed-rapping section towards the final restatement of the chorus, and in that same verse some English is heard. The song is mostly self-praising, using lyrics to put the artist seemingly ahead of others in life. Having been born near Hong Kong, SKAI ISYOURGOD even includes some Cantonese in the song. In terms of the music video, it takes place in a restaurant with a horse race going on at the same time, with the rappers in it being shown on a balcony, seemingly watching the race. This song has boasted international popularity, and it is currently the most viral Chinese song out there.
SKAI ISYOURGOD has another song that has also claimed international fame. “Stacks From All Sides” is a completely contrasting song from “Blueprint Supreme”—very slow and delicate. It is also not as long as “Blueprint Supreme.” The song begins with an original melody sample, which is a song in Korean. The beat gets slapped onto the song, but rapping doesn’t begin until a few seconds later. The song mostly explores, seemingly, lines from ancient Chinese poems, but can also be considered self-praising, with the Mandarin lyrics lái cái, lái, or “Come, wealth, come.” According to YouTuber Yugene Lee, before listening, take caution that the song contains a possibly derogatory slur in Mandarin targeted at the Hakka ethnic group, which migrated to Southeastern China from Northern China in the twelfth century. SKAI ISYOURGOD claims it’s used as a way to lightheartedly insult the people he’s close with; however, the slur itself could be considered wrong to use.
As much as he is popular in the Western world, he’s not quite popular back at home. He has received hate on social media, with one Chinese user stating that they don’t know why “Blueprint Supreme” became viral, saying it was too “tacky.” Adding on, some Chinese people think that SKAI ISYOURGOD talks about fame, money, and having a high status—topics they don’t find inspiring in a song.
Despite SKAI ISYOURGOD not being looked upon as a positive figure in China, he has spread Chinese culture to the Western world and tried to promote Chinese entertainment. You can expect to hear more Chinese songs in popular culture in the near future, because this rapper is paving the way. He has many other songs, but these two songs are especially popular. I listen to both regularly; how upbeat the songs are keeps me going. Try listening to one of these songs and see what you think!
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