Rising to fame in mainland China’s largely male-dominated hip-hop scene, VAVA changed the game with her bold performances on reality show The Rap of China. She continued to speak her mind on 2017’s fierce debut album 21 and set out her stall as a headstrong firebrand with red-hot single “My New Swag”—which featured on the Crazy Rich Asians soundtrack and accentuated her elevation to stardom. With 2019 album Mao Yan Qi and 2020 collaborative EP Vow under her belt, the fearless emcee continues to unpack her identity in vibrant strokes.