Ou Yeah: China's Best Norwegian Rapper?

Neither Norway nor China are known as hip-hop hotbeds but Eirik Okkenhaug, aka Xiao Ou (小欧), might yet change that. The brains behind "Nage Nage Laowai" has been spitting in putonghua since his arrival in China five years ago. We wanted to know how a Norwegian ends up rapping in Chinese, as well as asking him about more important matters like what taxi drivers say to him and when "ting bu dong" comes in most useful.

Where did you get the name "Xiao Ou"?
My surname is Okkenhaug. It's a long and hard name to pronounce, so my Chinese friends started to call me Xiao Ou ("Little O").

When did you start singing in Chinese?
I was in a hip-hop group for many years back in Norway before I moved to Beijing in 2007. For me, rhyming is a great way of being creative and expressing myself. I could only say a few phrases of Chinese when I first came here, but I was really keen to try out something in Chinese from the start. I recorded "Nage Nage Laowai" ("那个那个老外"）in 2009, which was also my first song in Chinese.

How do you write your lyrics?
I always have a hundred different song topics in my mind so I often start to write a new song before I have finished the first. The notepad function on my phone is full of ideas and half written songs. The tide of inspiration comes and goes: Sometimes I can write a song in no time, other times it takes longer. The song to my newest music video "Bu Renshi Ni Le" ("不认识你了") was written in less than one hour. It's about a complicated break up, and I knew exactly what I wanted to say.

Do you get any help from Chinese friends?
I write the all lyrics myself, but I appreciate the feedback I get before it gets recorded. I have a lot of creative friends that take part in this project in various ways, be it photography, filming, graphic design and so on.

When you tell taxi drivers you're Norwegian, what three things about Norway do the drivers most often talk to you about?
Snow, salmon and Norwegian forests.

Who is the most famous Norwegian in China?
Probably some of the big dogs like Munch or Ibsen.

What's it like being the most famous Norwegian in China?
It's great! I really like it here, but its not like I'm a celebrity. Yet ... Haha.

Are you the most famous Norwegian rapper?
In China perhaps! Haha.

Are you a better MC than Jin?
He is probably better than me in English, but I've never heard him rap in Chinese. Does he even speak Chinese?

Who are your favorite rappers?
I like many styles of rap and I have grown up with listening to a lot of different stuff, everything from American east coast gangster rap to more conscious rhyming. Scandinavia also has a vibrant scene that I still follow closely. I have recently been listening a lot to Brother Ali and Atmosphere's new albums, two of my favorite rappers for years.

Which Chinese rappers do you like?
The Chinese hip-hop scene is still emerging and there are many interesting acts out there. During the last few years it seems like the scene has matured more, people have found their own styles and become more comfortable rapping in their mother tongue. It's hard to mention any specific names, but M2U from Tianjin is a talented guy.

Who would you like to collaborate with?
I love to collaborate with interesting musicians of different styles. I just made a track with local ska/reggae band Skarving.

What do you think you would have to do to become more famous?
I just gotta work hard, write more and record more. These days I'm working on my EP, which will be out in a couple of months. Or, i can always go on Feichang Wurao (TV dating show If You Are The One), haha.

What are your two favorite Chinese words to rhyme? Why?
Maybe 这个老外好帅, haha! Nah, I'm sorry to say I don't have a favorite rhyme.
What makes rhyming in Chinese so interesting and different is that is that one character represents one syllable, which makes the rhyming possibilities almost endless.

What's your favorite Chinese song? Cui Jian's "Jia Xing Seng" ("假行僧"). This was the first Chinese song I ever heard, and I still love it!

If you could be any Chinese singer, who would you be and why?
Xu Wei, this guy is forever young.

Where was the video from "Nage Nage Laowai" filmed? It didn't look like Beijing.
It was shot in Brisbane, Australia. I lived there for a while, and it was filmed in the backyard where I lived.

Besides featuring in your own lyrics, when has the phrase "ting bu dong" come in most useful to you in China?
When pulled over by the police for riding motorcycle!

See more of Xiao Ou on Douban.

Photo: Vimeo