Khantrast, the Internet-Famous Asian American Rapper, Kicks off Tour in SF

The conversation about the “next great Asian American rapper” is one that’s been hashed and rehashed dozens of times since the heyday of MC Jin, the Chinese American battle rapper whose Jeremy Lin–like ascension became an object of obsession for Asian American hip-hop heads in the early aughts. And, in truth, that framing doesn’t do justice to the seemingly bottomless well of talent we have even just here in the Bay Area rap scene alone.

But when a young Chinese American rapper from New York named Khantrast, aka Anthony Zhang, dropped the video for his single “Landed in Brooklyn” last July, at the very least it made hip-hop fans sit up and pay attention.

With a plate of chicken wings in one hand and a pair of chopsticks in the other, Khantrast drops braggadocious bars about “oolong and liquor” and immigrant hustle — all with a growly, infectious drill-rap flow. “… And I could bet I’m the only ch-nk that could say / This for the homies I broke bread with, split a fifty when we was still on EBT,” he raps. “I’m tryna move the whole gang out the hood. / ‘Til the family good, whole team gon’ eat.”

“Landed in Brooklyn” propelled the 26-year-old to instant viral fame, booked him an appearance on the popular music video platform On the Radar, and grew his already burgeoning online cult following. For a certain segment of Instagram rap fans, it was the song of the summer.

Now, fresh off the release of his first full album, Chinatown’s Favorite, Khantrast is going on his first tour — a four-city swing that kicks off in San Francisco with an April 26 show at Brick and Mortar Music Hall.

The tour is something of a coming out party for Khantrast, who up until last year was mainly known for his reference-laden anime freestyles and videos inspired by Naruto and Kakegurui.

His recent rise hasn’t come without its share of detractors, though. In a provocatively titled podcast video, “Why the Clickbait Asian Rapper Trend Needs to Stop,” the Korean American rapper Dumbfoundead, an elder of the Asian American hip-hop scene, took a not-so-subtle swipe at Khantrast and his ilk, noting how every young Asian rapper posting videos on social media these days seems to use multiple Asian “props” (a samurai sword, a straw hat, a bowl of noodles) and drop the word “ch-nk” or “g–k” in every other bar. “I feel like we’re taking one step forward — because these are talented individuals — and two steps back because of how much they’re doubling down on these Asian stereotypes,” he said.

Khantrast doubles down on this kind of imagery more than most. He wears a straw rice-paddy hat in several of his videos, including one where he, for some reason, feeds a herd of small goats. In another, he drizzles oyster sauce on a plate of stir-fried pea sprouts.

For Khantrast, though, all of the tropes seem to come from a place of pride. In “Valedictorian,” for instance, he doesn’t just brag about being high school valedictorian (“whole class had a pass ‘cause of me”), he also boasts about his bilingual skills — then proceeds to rap an entire verse in Mandarin, dropping references to oral sex AND Journey to the West in one breath.

It remains to be seen, then, whether Khantrast will be the next Asian American rap star to achieve mainstream crossover success, but his sense of swagger is tremendously appealing. And just as immigrant kids felt an exquisite thrill when Jin won seven weeks in a row on 106 & Park back in the day, you can be certain the next generation of young Asian American rap fans will come out in force this spring to watch Khantrast do his thing.

Khantrast’s Chinatown’s Favorite tour will open at Brick and Mortar Music Hall (1710 Mission St., San Francisco) on Saturday, April 26, at 9 p.m. Tickets for the all-ages show are $20 plus fees, with an additional $5 charge at the door for anyone under 21.