Jackzebra Is Not Endangered

Last week, he unveiled the project’s hypnotic new visual for “Mastermind,” directed by cult filmmaker Joe Ward. Shot across misty fields and crumbling countryside architecture in the UK, the video captures Jackzebra’s quiet intensity — hunched shoulders, eyes low, a silhouette flickering in and out of focus — as the song’s lyrics meditate on ambition and survival. “I called it ‘Mastermind’ because it’s about people in China who want to be number one,” he says. “But they don’t really know the rules. I already know the rules — that’s why I’m the mastermind.”

That defiance — not loud, but steady — is what sets Jackzebra apart from his peers. His sound may be woozy and melodic, but beneath it lies the precision of a poet and the vision of someone who’s quietly rewriting the map for Mandarin rap on a global stage.

You recorded much of your new project Hunched Jack Mixtape while you were in New York. How did that collaboration come together?

Yeah, we were sending each other beats online for a while. Then last Christmas, I came to New York and we started really cooking. We made a few songs — I think three or four diamonds this year — just trying to push each other. The first half of the project came from those sessions with Eliproperr.

How many times have you been to New York now? What’s it been like coming from China and meeting all these people you’d known only online?

I’ve been a few times, mostly as a kid as a tourist. It’s really different, but it’s like… magic. Just making music, meeting people I’d only seen on the internet — it feels like everything is real now.

Do you ever feel a language barrier when it comes to connecting with fans, since you mostly rap in Mandarin?

Honestly, not really. I don’t think too much about the mumbling or about people not understanding. I just do what feels right. Even if people don’t get every word, they can still feel the energy. I grew up loving Western pop, like huge pop songs, so it’s natural for me.

What were your first introductions to Western pop culture growing up in China?

I used to listen to Billboard music and watch shows like The Office. Back then, we had this social platform called Weibo — it’s like Chinese Twitter. People would share music videos from Lady Gaga or Imagine Dragons, and I’d download them onto my iPad and just watch everything. My English wasn’t good at the time — still not great — but I was just obsessed with all of it.

Who were the big pop stars for you back then?

Definitely Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift… big pop stars like that.

And when did you start rapping in Mandarin? Did that come naturally?

At first, I tried English because it’s more free and easier to rhyme. But Mandarin is tricky because one word can have four different meanings, so it’s hard to rap naturally. My first Chinese song was in 2021. I just wanted to try, and it turned out good. That’s how it started.

A lot of your lyrics touch on emotion and pressure. Is that something you set out to explore?

It’s not really on purpose. I just make what I feel. Sometimes it comes from hard emotions, and it shows up naturally. It depends on what’s going on in my life.

You’ve mentioned artists like Lil B and Yung Lean. How did you move from pop stars to more underground, cloud-rap influences?

The first time I heard “Paper Planes” by M.I.A., I was like, what is this? That led me to A$AP Rocky. The beats, the visuals, the fashion, all of that world. Then I found Yung Lean online and it changed everything. The visuals, the feeling. It was exactly what I wanted to do. I think I found him on Weibo or some old Chinese site that was kind of like Tumblr.

You were born in Shandong but grew up in Shanghai. Where do you live now?

Now I’m in Wenzhou. It’s a smaller city near Shanghai. My stepdad’s family lives there.

What’s the underground scene like in that part of China?

It used to be mostly online, but the last two years it’s been growing fast. More young rappers are linking up in real studios, hanging out, making stuff together — kind of like how it is in America.

Tell me about “Mastermind,” which you just dropped the video for. How did that one come together?

That one came from a session in late December with Eli. We made four songs in one night, and “Mastermind” was the last one. I finished my part in about an hour, showed it to him, and he was like, “This is perfect.” I called it “Mastermind” because it’s about people in China who want to be number one, but don’t really know the rules. I already know the rules — that’s why I’m the mastermind.

You also shot the video in the UK, right?

Yeah, in the countryside outside London. Eli drove me like four hours to this mountain with old castles. It looked crazy. We didn’t even use all the footage, but it was beautiful.

Another standout track is “Givenchy.” What’s the story behind that one?

That one’s funny. I recorded it in a tiny closet. It’s not deep or anything, just a simple, catchy song. I like when things feel easy like that.

Since most of your lyrics are in Chinese, what do you want Western listeners to take away from your music?

I hope they can feel it, even if they don’t understand. Maybe they’ll look up the lyrics or translate them, but it’s really about the energy. The sound says enough.

Photography: Gus Ziyi