MC Hotdog: 4 Fun Facts About The Taiwanese Rap Artist

China’s TV show “Call Me By Fire (披荆斩棘的哥哥)” is a dream come true for many older artists. Although they have made names for themselves, the show gives them a chance to debut as a group.

While that is the main aim of the show, the show inadvertently re-introduces some of these older artists to the younger generation. That includes Taiwanese rap artist MC Hotdog (姚中仁)!

MC Hotdog’s participation in the show had been well received, especially in the more recent episodes. He’s been blowing fans away with his performances and impressing them with how he moulds rap to fit the various genre of songs. His latest duet with Terry Lin left many with goosebumps on their skin and moved them to tears.

How did he get to be this impressive? Well, here’s what we know about him so far:

1. Rap artist with an aim

MC Hotdog’s real name is Yao Zhongren (姚中仁). MC Hotdog is (to no one’s surprise) his stage name and people often simply refer to him as Hotdog. He was born in Taipei on 10th April 1987 and made a career for himself as a Taiwanese rap artist. He is best known for using explicit lyrics to discuss various on-going social phenomena at the time.

2. First underground rap artist

MC Hotdog arrived on the hip hop scene in 1999. He was soon hailed as the “first underground rap artist” in Taiwan. With that introduction, his career took off among the rap circles. His first full album “Wake Up” was released in 2006. His style caught on and in April that year, he held his first concert. His tickets sold out in two weeks and in June, he performed at the Golden Melody Awards in June. “Wake Up” also won the Best Mandarin Album Award during the 18th Golden Melody Awards. So far, he’s released a total of four albums: “Wake Up”, “Mr. Almost (差不多先生)”, “Poverty Million Star (贫民百万歌星)”, and “Waste (废物)”.

3. Interested in helping rappers grow

Aside from his musical career, Hotdog was also busy with the other side of the entertainment industry. In 2017 and 2018, the rapper was the star producer and appraiser of the show “The Rap of China (中国新说唱)”. He has also participated in “I’m a Singer-Songwriter (我是唱作人)”, “Rap for Youth (说唱新世代)” and “Youth Rap Project (少年说唱企划)”.

4. Was once a drug addict

In August 2014, the rapper admitted he had taken drugs for two years. Hotdog claimed he tried drugs as he was curious and his college friends encouraged him to explore his curiosity. He got hooked on Cannabis and Ketamine, but later regretted it. Hotdog shared that the drugs left his mind empty and he was less energetic than usual. It also stole his appetite and his face became thin and yellowish. He managed to break away from his addiction when he deleted his drug suppliers’ contacts from his phone. “It’s boring to take drugs and (it) costs money, there is no need to keep playing (with it),” he said.

MC Hotdog has certainly led a wild life! Maybe that is what inspires him to rap the way he does. Either way, his performances in “Call Me By Fire” are nothing to laugh at. We look forward to seeing more from him on the show!

Check out some of his songs here: