When Rap touches amateur music – An impressive crossover of TDB Group

TDB singing group and artists of Southern ĐCTT Club - Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh City at HTV studio

On May 20, during the recording of the program "Accompanying the 20th Golden Bell Contest" in the series of programs "Artists and Stage" of Ho Chi Minh City Television (HTV), artists and audiences witnessed a surprising but also extremely emotional moment of artistic exchange: the Hip Hop Rap TDB group - consisting of 5 young members Hoang Trung Anh, Chau Nhat Tin, La Tran Duc Thien, Van Hau and Huy Truong - for the first time combined rap with Southern amateur music through the song "Goc pho mau ca phe".

Meritorious artist Phuong Hau (Head of the ĐCTT Club in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) shared: "This is not just a performance, but a touch between two cultural streams that seem to be generations apart."

From left to right: Hoang Trung Anh, Chau Nhat Tin, Van Hau, Meritorious Artist Phuong Hau, singer Huy Truong and La Tran Duc Thien at HTV studio

The courage of the young generation before tradition

"Coffee-colored street corner" is an original composition by the TDB group, which was successfully performed at the Music Exchange program within the framework of the 3rd Vietnamese Coffee - Tea Festival organized by the Lao Dong Newspaper (May 17 and 18, 2025).

If the song had a modern, urban atmosphere when it appeared at the festival, then on the HTV stage, the combination of the free-spirited rap rhythm and the traditional đàn kim and đàn co brought out another depth – full of poetry and respect.

From left to right: Hoang Trung Anh, Van Hau, Chau Nhat Tin, Huy Truong and La Tran Duc Thien at Ho Chi Minh City Television Station

The fact that a young music group chose "đờn ca tài tử" - a genre recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage - as a "companion" in their performance is not simply an experiment, but a thoughtful and emotional artistic decision.

In each rap flow, the audience can still hear the breath of Southern life, of old street corners, of morning coffee memories evoking so many familiar things.

"As a message to the young generation not to turn their backs on tradition, we are looking for ways to follow the cultural heritage left by our ancestors, in the language of our own time" - singer La Tran Duc Thien confided.

When art has no distance

One valuable thing is that the performance of the TDB group was not intended to be innovative or shocking, but was very humble and harmonious. The rustic sounds of the folk instruments were not overpowered, but seemed to lead the way for the rap verses to come out - not noisy, not ostentatious, but close, deep and soulful.

From left to right: Hoang Trung Anh, Van Hau, Chau Nhat Tin, Huy Truong and La Tran Duc Thien at Ho Chi Minh City Television Station

Artist Le Dung (ĐCTT Club of Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City) commented: "In an era where art is increasingly dominated by tastes and trends, the fact that a group of young rappers dare to step onto the traditional art stage with such a decent, well-crafted and creative product is something that cannot be ignored."

Sharing on the sidelines of the recording session, a member of the TDB group said: "We don't want Rap to be just a 'cool' form of performance, but it must have the ability to tell stories, connect and touch cultural values. Don ca tai tu is not strange to us, it's just that few people have ever thought that Rap can go hand in hand with it."

A bridge between artistic generations

HTV's "Artists and Stage" program has long been a gathering place for veteran artists and young talents, a space to preserve traditional theater in contemporary life.

Inviting TDB group to perform in the special program "Accompanying the Golden Bell of Traditional Opera" for the 20th time is a good sign: the traditional stage is not closed to new things, and the program makers are also willing to create conditions for the younger generation to contribute their voices and efforts in the cause of preserving and developing national culture.

TDB singing group and Southern Delta artists in Binh Thanh district, Ho Chi Minh City at HTV studio

If invested in long term, the combination of rap and traditional art can completely become a new development direction for Vietnamese music - both modern and unique.

And artists like TDB, with their creativity and passion, can be the pioneers on that journey.

Singer Chau Nhat Tin said: "This is an event that marks a never-ending touch. Because we will continue to research, explore and create to compose many performances that combine ĐCTT and Rap, Hip Hop to perform in the program "School Stage".

The performance of TDB group in the program is not only a memorable mark of a recording session, but also the beginning of a new way of thinking about the possibility of interaction between modern and traditional art. It is an invitation: "Listen, do not close your heart to the new, do not forget what has nurtured us" - musician Van Hau, who mixed, arranged and recorded for TDB group, shared the group's message.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/khi-rap-cham-vao-don-ca-tai-tu-mot-cu-giao-thoa-an-tuong-cua-nhom-hat-tdb-196250521114757868.htm