揽佬SKAI ISYOURGOD

SKAI ISYOURGOD (born 1998), commonly known as Lan Lao (), is a Chinese rapper born in Huizhou, Guangdong Province. His works combine Memphis rap and southeast Chinese coastal folk culture. In August 2024, Lan Lao released his second album ''Stacks from All Sides'' (, ). Songs such as "Stacks from All Sides", "Karma Code" (, ), and "Blueprint Supreme" (, ) in the album went viral on Western and Chinese social media.

Early life

Lan Lao was born in Huizhou, Guangdong, China in 1998 and went to Chengdu to study acting at university.

Career

20202023: Early beginnings

On 20 December 2020, Lan Lao released his first single "KNOW that" on NetEase Cloud Music, and then released several singles and EPs in succession, experimenting with several styles, including R&B. On 14 April 2023, he released the single "LAN LAO KING". According to Lan Lao in an interview with the Chinese hip-hop platform SoulSense TWH, it was the beginning of the creation of his signature Memphis rap style, his most recent experimental style.

On 10 September 2023, Lan Lao's released his first album, ''顺风顺水顺财神'' (, ).

2024present: Rise to fame

On 20 August 2024, Lan Lao's release his second album, ''Stacks from All Sides'' (, ). The album continued to use Memphis rap music as the creative basis, integrating Cantonese folk elements and ridicule of the workplace environment and human relationships in mainland China. The album went viral across social media, and Internet secondary creations, such as the Douyin broadcaster , brought Lan Lao a lot of fame. In April 2025, Lan Lao announced that he would go to Taiwan to hold a special concert on 27 July.

Stacks from All Sides

In the album ''Stacks from All Sides'', three songs went viral: "Stacks from All Sides" (, ), "Karma Code" (, ), and "Blueprint Supreme" (, ). Lan Lao's southeast Chinese coastal roots are noticeable though his Cantonese accent and numerous allusions and literary devices.

In the first half of the album, Lan Lao explores the ambitions of people in contemporary Chinese society to expand their material desires. In the second half of the album, Lan Lao incorporates his own life into the album, exploring the contradictions during early adulthood, societal temptations, and cherishing loved ones.

Summary

The three viral songs come from the first half of the album.

The namesake song, "Stacks from All Sides", describes a life full of hustle. It opens with folk imagery, in which the protagonist dreams of social climbs, whether it be acquiring a better scooter, buying new fancy clothes, showing off his wealth, or upgrading to a white or yellow motorcycle license plate; white and yellow license plates in Guangdong and Hong Kong are a sign of success, and therefore, are a local status symbol. Wearing jade pendants for luck, keeping a home altar with incense and offerings, regularly bowing and praying, and seeking wealth from the divine, he is constantly chasing money and status, but not through glorified business. The man gambles, plays mahjong, and has side hustles in order to achieve this. He knows the methodology of his social ascension is bad, but he does it anyways, alluding to cultural elements, such as yin-yang from Taoism, and karma from Buddhism.

In the next song, "Karma Code", the protagonist is confronted by the divine about his unethical social rise by traditional Chinese deities, who seek to address the consequences of his deeds. Initially, the protagonist tries appease the gods, then shift the blame, but is ultimately is forced to reflect on and acknowledge his actions.

The lyrics of "Blueprint Supreme" paint exaggerated, humorous portraits of a nouveau riche lifestyle, describing absurdly lavish yet strangely familiar scenes of showy wealth in modern China, such as the scene of "singing karaoke in the villa and silver arowana in the pool" (), which is a unique way of "showing off wealth" for Guangdong's wealthy, rather than luxury cars and watches in the traditional sense. In addition, the plot of "the master writes the words himself" () in the lyrics comes from his parents' obsession with () and belief in Feng Shui during his childhood, as well as people's memory of using "qiu zi" (, )the practice of asking a master calligrapher or fortune-teller to write a character, typically for symbolic or auspicious purposesas a special way of socializing at that time.

Legacy

The three songs have gone viral in Western social media, such as TikTok and Instagram Reels, being used as background for clips or memes, with countless spin-offs and remixes. Apart from the Orientalism, users noted the perceived wisdom in the album that Western discography seems to lack.

The memorable chorus of "Karma Code", "老天保佑金山银山前路有" () has frequently been deepfaked, most notably with a dog.

Concerns and controversies

The song "Stacks from All Sides" sparked debates due to the term “ 憋佬仔,” meaning "outsiders", which some interpreted as a derogatory slur towards people from Mainland China. However, the artist clarified that it's a colloquial term for "brother" in certain southern dialects, aiming to convey camaraderie rather than insult, similar to the comparable American slur ''nigga'', which can also imply camaraderie in certain contexts.

Discography

Albums

Singles

* "KNOW that"（2020）
* "味儿正Cypher"（2021）
* "Bad Boy Doing Good Things pt2."（featuring. BroFA）(2021)
* "效应BT细胞"（2021）
* "BAD BOY and Goodthing Pt3."（featuring. BroFA）（2021）
* "孟菲斯130"（2022）
* "LAN LAO KING"(2023)
* "BAY GUY Pt.4"（featuring. BroFA）（2023）
* "吹大水"（2023）
* "彝粤"（featuring. 13FlowMic）（2023）
* "生可乐"（2023）
* "天顶揽粒星"（2023）
* "Bad Boy Doing Good Things pt5."（featuring. BroFA）（2024）
* "求签"（2024）
* "江湖规矩AA制"（2024）
* "绿化带"（2024）
* "念财病"（featuring. Duke Deuce）(2025)

Mixtapes

* ''SKAI IS YOUR GOD NO.1''（2022)

References

Footnotes

External links

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{{Authority control
21st-century male singers
People from Huizhou
Chinese male rappers