Should I feel sorry for Black?

Den Vau's music no longer expresses the thoughts of young people as "skeptical, insecure, romantic in the vague" (as the audience wrote), but mature, bowing their heads, knowing enough.

Den in Lang lang, the new MV doesn't have many views but touches the emotions - Photo: FBNV

From an underground rapper with dirty rap songs more than 10 years ago, Den (Den Vau) has reached an unbelievable level of fame, becoming a mainstream Vietnamese artist familiar to audiences everywhere.

That journey was not without trade-offs. Some of the audiences who liked him more than 10 years ago have let go. But with the latest rap Lang lang , Den proves his maturity, bowing his head, knowing enough. He draws a clear line between himself and his past youth.

Rap time for "young people in old bodies"

At that time, people liked him because his lyrics were full of stories that spoke of hardships and sorrows in a very arrogant and carefree way.

That's Tan Ka Ka , when Den raps in "cigarette smoke": "The sunset covers the red shoulders of the worker's shirt. The long day is like a noose around the neck, already familiar. Mumbling a few lyrics that I haven't memorized yet, already old...

We are young people in old bodies. Singing songs that are sour from sweat. Not doves that want to spread their wings. Because freedom does not come from bread crumbs. Smoke and I are entangled, music and I are making love and rain. The room is cramped and messy, the ceiling fan gently sways.

MV Let's Run Away - Den, Linh Cao

In "Dua nhau di troi" , the hit that helped Den conquer the underground and indie world, he wrote rap lines that became catchphrases for young people: "For once living like homeless kids. Waking up early in a faraway place", "I left the crowded and bustling city. Where even breathing makes us exhausted".

Den was in his 20s at the time, rapping about his own thoughts: the desire to escape from the daily grind of life, to find the "green forest" within his soul.

More than 10 years later, Den is no longer 20 years old. The green forest he once dreamed of in rap songs, now he went there to film MVs. The MVs are very beautiful and poetic, with professional crews and the most "artistic" camera angles. Regarding his personal life, he is very secretive but is said to be quite fulfilled.

So why do you still expect Den to rap about the feelings of young people in their 20s?

Don't make Den carry "big dreams" at the age of 20

Trang Den Vau FC recently wrote: "Please don't force a man who is about to turn 40 to keep holding on to the "big dream bag" of his 20s" and asked the question: "Has Den lost his quality or are we stuck in the past?".

Den's rap in the past was loved for its "realness". Real rap, real life, not influenced by the desire for fame or media messages.

Den and Phuong Anh Dao of the time This song is pretty chill (2019) - Photo: FBNV

This song is pretty chill , Den raps as if speaking for the young people's mood: "Are you okay these days? Still working at the old company? Still leaving early and coming home late but the salary is still not enough? How are your colleagues? Do they greet each other in the elevator? Do they talk back and forth and dig up each other in meetings?...

And don't let life be just a series of days being clocked in. Smile like the summer sun but inside it's early winter. If you're too tired living in the city, you can go back to the countryside, raise fish and grow vegetables."

Black now, successful and bowing, grateful, knowing enough - Photo: FBNV

It is not only Den's big hits that leave behind "national" phrases. In the song "Dream " in 2016, he raps: "I have a big bag of dreams hidden inside my skinny outer layer." The three words "big bag of dreams" became popular and are also the name of a popular coffee shop in Da Lat.

But many audiences loved Den so much at that time that they forgot that in his latest rap, Lang lang, Den is still "real". It's simply that at the age of 36, his "real" is different from the "real" of the past.

"There is no longer any need to prove anything. The rock-solid ego has long been removed. It took a long time to realize that I am truly small" - Lang lang 's lyrics are not flowery, simply another Den that some audiences are no longer looking for.

When he was young and struggling, he rapped about escape, insecurity, and romance. When he was successful, he rapped about gratitude, contentment, and encouraged listeners to "heal themselves."

Perhaps that's how to summarize Den Vau's journey up to now.

Black does not lose himself

"Saying 'Den is no longer the same as before' is correct. But saying 'he lost himself' is wrong" - a viewer commented under the article Lang lang , receiving 2,000 approvals.

This audience analyzed: "Music always reflects the artist's life journey. 10 years ago, Den was a young man struggling with life, uncertain between crossroads, so his music was full of narrative, arrogant, and full of worries - because at that time he did not know who he was, had nothing but his feet and dreams. Songs like "Let's Run Away", "Dream", "Day Lang Thang"... all had that attitude: doubt, insecurity, romance in the vague.

But today he knows who he is, what he wants and where he stands in society. His arrogance has given way to mature thinking. And when he is no longer under the pressure of "making a living", his music begins to change direction: less about himself, more about the community, about others.

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MI LY

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/co-can-tiec-cho-den-20250808092538278.htm