“It’s not a comeback, I never left,” writes Hong Kong-raised Japanese rapper TXMIYAMA in a YouTube comment for his new single, “Keys To The City” (prod. CEDES).
Almost five months since his last release, “SAYONARA,” TXMIYAMA is back with another love letter to his home, Hong Kong. In it, TXMIYAMA spoke about losing deals and standing up for the city he was raised in. He raps, “these companies don’t wanna sponsor me cuz I keep it real always gon’ say what I feel, I’m too HK that I lost me a deal.”
Directed by Mart Sarmiento of Knowstate, the guerilla-style music video follows TXMIYAMA and his friends around Hong Kong’s red-light district, Lockhart Road, as he praises fellow Hong Kong rappers 24herbs and JB who are holding it down for the city. “This song is about my growth as an artist, paying homage and shouting out everybody who got me here,” he tells HipHopDX Asia.
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The rapper also elaborated on the challenges of representing Hong Kong in light of political conflict. “It has taken opportunities away because they want me to appeal to [the] China market, and this song is kind of a way to say, ‘fuck that,’” he added.
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This isn’t the first time TXMIYAMA has spoken up. In his previous track, “For The City’,’ off his 2020 album, 8 for 8, TXMIYAMA raps, “if they try to extradite me, you can find me up in jail yelling ‘Free HK.’” While his raison d’etre is perfectly encapsulated in the lines, “Everything I do is for HK, I do it for the city, and I do it for the gang.”
Born in Canada to Japanese parents, TXMIYAMA’s music has often focused on the underrepresented and being a third culture kid. He pens lyrics about his upbringing in Hong Kong, being sidelined for jobs, and immigrant and refugee stories.
Watch “KEYS TO THE CITY” Below:
Original reporting by Anisha Khemlani
