>> narrator: rapper wang xiaolei uses his music to express a dark view of china's new boom times. >>lly a lot of discrimination in china. like, if you don't have money people will look down on you, and also because of your social status. when i was very young, my folks divorced, and then i was all by myself. i mean, i grew up with my grandpa until i was 14. he had no money. i was mostly living with my grandpa because i really didn't get along with my dad. my father, my mother, both useless. i started hanging out as a street performer. it's the only way of life i knew. life is bad. how come my life sucks? then i heard about hip-hop and watched some hip-hop movies and stuff. there was some really good stuff. hip-hop empowered me because i can identify with some of those black people in america. we don't have a good life, but we have to stay optimistic. ( singing along with rap music playing ) >> narrator: xiaolei identifies with african american culture, but his lyrics draw on what he knows best: the world he sees around him, his relationships, and ancient chinese myth. >> ( translated