Xinjiang rapper Aire pictured on the 2018 edition of The Rap of China. [Photo/iQiyi]

The beat of hip hop: skr, skr

The Rap of China, China's first hip hop reality show, drove the continuing rise of the US-born genre in the country, when its first season was released in 2017.

Its 2018 edition brought to center stage a group of young Xinjiang rappers, who were among the outstanding performers in the second season. Aire, 25, took first prize after the three-month-long competition that stormed the internet over the summer. Nawukere, also from Xinjiang, won second prize.

Planet Falling, a song co-written by Aire and Sichuan rapper Li Jialong became the most popular hip hop song of the summer. The love song was inspired by the two rappers' girlfriends, and was defined by its R&B and old-school hip hop feel.

In 2017, The Rap of China gave us internet slang words and phrases like "Can you freestyle?" and "diss". This year, "skr skr" became one of 2018's most popular buzzwords after Chinese-Canadian pop star Kris Wu, one of the show's judges, used it to praise his favorite performances.

Skr skr is thought to derive from a misspelling of "skrt skrt", which is defined by urban dictionary as the sound of rubber wheels when drifting or turning abruptly. It's now largely considered a slang word to express excitement and humor.