C-Rap covers Mandarin-language rap, in practice concentrated in mainland China — Chengdu and Chongqing in Sichuan, and Beijing. The bed is US Southern trap: 60-90 BPM, heavy 808 kick, 16th-note hi-hats. What distinguishes it is the interaction between the four tones of Mandarin and rap flow: rappers negotiate between preserving lexical tone and deliberately breaking it for effect. Higher Brothers made the Sichuanese-dialect / English code-switch a trademark. Production increasingly happens in collaboration with Atlanta and LA producers, and 88rising's 2017 signing of Higher Brothers created the first direct pipe between Chinese rap and the US trap scene.

The underground origins go back to Yin Ts'ang (formed Beijing 2003), but for nearly fifteen years the scene stayed strictly niche. The break came on 24 June 2017 when iQiyi's Rap of China (中国有嘻哈) debuted, and drew three billion views over its first season. Winners GAI Zhou Yan (born Chongqing 1988) and PG One (born Harbin 1993) tied for first place. The show introduced Vava, Bridge Zhou, Ty., and half a dozen others to the general mainland audience in a matter of weeks. In parallel Chengdu's Higher Brothers — Masiwei, DZ Know, Psy.P, Melo, formed 2016 — released 'Made in China' (feat. Famous Dex) through 88rising in 2017, the first Chinese rap track to break the US market.

In Higher Brothers' 'Made in China,' listen to Masiwei's flow: 'Made in China / All my clothes made in China,' rapped with Mandarin tone contour intact even in English. That accent is what separated them from other Asian rappers. Their beats are indistinguishable from 808 Mafia's Atlanta template — the Chinese element is entirely in the vocal. GAI's 'The Weather Turns Dry' (天干物燥) is Chongqing-dialect low-vocal wuxia (kung-fu literature) rap, deliberately anachronistic. Vava's 'My New Swag' (2017) layers Mandarin rap over a Yunnan folk women's chorus and consciously courts a 'Chinese-sounding' aesthetic for Western audiences — it soundtracked Rihanna's Fenty Beauty Asia campaign.

Higher Brothers' 'Made in China' (2017) is the obligatory entry point. GAI's 'The Weather Turns Dry' (2017) demonstrates Chongqing dialect and wuxia motifs. Vava's 'My New Swag' (2017) shows the female-side and the Fenty Beauty crossover. Best in the car with volume high — the flow lands even without the lyrics.

In January 2018, China's National Radio and Television Administration issued a directive banning 'hip-hop, tattoo, low-brow, and decadent culture' from television. GAI and PG One both disappeared from screens; PG One additionally faced allegations of an affair with a married woman. GAI returned in 2019, moved to a Mandopop major label, and re-entered the mainstream. Higher Brothers effectively went on hiatus in 2020; Masiwei and DZ Know continue as solo artists. Rap of China was renamed The Rap of China (中国新说唱) in 2018 and has run for close to ten seasons.