US hip hop website HipHopDX - which was bought by Warner Music last year - has announced the launch of HipHopDX Asia, a new spin-off site that will focus on the genre in Greater China, South East Asia, South Korea and Japan, headed up by Eddy Lim.
"It is about being local and staying true to what hip hop means to us in the US, but from the lens of what it's like to be in, and grow up in, Asia", says HipHopDX founder and CEO Sharath Cherian. "While there is the adoption of US hip hop culture to Asia, it still has its own style, slang, venues and of course its own music. Eddy is taking us on a journey to see it all. It's going to be awesome".
Lim adds: "Taking the legendary HipHopDX brand into Asia is a huge honour for me. There are so many brilliant, original hip hop artists in Asia right now. It feels like the right time to try and break down the barriers between local scenes and help these performers find their place on a global stage".
Prior to joining HipHopDX, Lim headed up Rocketfuel Entertainment, a collection of online entertainment channels in Asia. Video will be a key part of the new HipHopDX Asia site too, with three new strands already planned: 'The Glow Up' will introduce hip hop artists to a wider audience, 'Weekly Rap Up' will summarise the week's news in Asian hip hop, and 'Behind Bars' will analyse the region's biggest hip hop tracks.