Leslie Cheung’s hip hop successor? Hong Kong rapper Haysen Cheng’s quest for global reach

Hong Kong rapper Haysen Cheng wants to channel his journey from cash-strapped youth to established artist to inspire his generation

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Hong Kong rapper Haysen Cheng wants to channel his journey from cash-strapped youth to established artist to inspire the young people of his hometown. Photo: Haysen Cheng

Published: 5:15pm, 6 Jun 2024Updated: 6:40pm, 6 Jun 2024

Self-proclaimed “Hong Kong Don” Haysen Cheng King-hei wants to be the rap equivalent of Leslie Cheung Kwok-wing – the late Cantopop icon who once propelled the genre to global heights.

Twenty-four-year-old Cheng is not your typical guest at South China Morning Post HQ, rocking up with a meticulous buzz cut, his Chinese surname shaved into the back of his head, bling adorning his neck and wrists.

His conspicuous appearance is paradoxical not only to the usually staid newsroom, but to the rapper’s polite humility as well. Before we go off for our chat, he hugs his mother goodbye as she sets off for a stroll around the Times Square mall in Causeway Bay.

Cheng was raised in Hong Kong until his parents’ divorce, when he and his brother moved with their mother to Shanghai. He was nine years old at the time, and barely spoke any Mandarin.

With new-found success in mainland China, Cheng wants to represent hope for the youth of Hong Kong. Photo: Haysen Cheng

Having attended international schools for most of his childhood, Cheng had seen what life was like for the privileged.

The Western-style private schools follow a separate curriculum and offer a cosy pathway for Asians from upper and upper-middle class families to enter top colleges in the West.