This week, I am back with my alphabet challenge, and I have reached the letter O. I have been searching for quite a few weeks now, but nothing has really grabbed me and stood out as being a little different, which is what I’m usually looking for.
Until today that is, when, after a good while spent flitting between Spotify and Google, I came across an artist called Only Won. His name itself, was enough to make me look a little more, and what an interesting person he has turned out to be.
Only Won was listed under the genre of a hip hop artist, but there is so much more to him. His birth name is Baldwin Chiu and he is married to Larissa Lam (who is quite well known herself as a talk show host, singer/songwriter and filmmaker).
Alongside his hip hop music, he also performs beatboxing and rap, but there’s more, he is also a professionally licensed mechanical engineer, an actor, producer, stunt performer, an advanced level martial artist and a guest speaker at conventions, schools, and youth events challenging and encouraging the next generation to pursue their dreams and passions, while maintaining an education and focus on God. Quite a résumé.
A couple of his movie appearances are as an intern in ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ and a member of the SWAT team in the 2003 ‘Hulk’. However, let’s get back to his music, which is the reason we are here after all.
He started rapping in both English and Cantonese and some consider him to be the first Chinese-American bilingual rapper. I’ll let him give you a little introduction to his music with a track, from his first album, called ‘Intro’ here.
‘Glory’ is the next track I’d like to share, I find the mix of Cantonese and English quite fascinating, I’m sure you won’t have heard anything quite like it before, you can listen here.
The next track ‘Searchin’ here is performed with his wife Larissa Lam, and there’s a different style to this one, but it’s just as good.
He does actually fully sing, rather than rap on some songs like this one here called ‘Christ The Saviour King’, sung with Scott MacIntyre. I think this may be a Christmas track, but I love the lyrics, and they are just as relevant all year round.
Now for a bit of fun. If you are a fan of ‘Star Wars’, then you will enjoy this, it’s called ‘Only Won Kenobi’, the title in itself is very clever. Listen out for all of your favourite characters here.
The track ends with a very important message, ‘Resist the dark side you must, yes?’ Wise words taken from the ‘Star Wars’ movie, but just as important for us to heed in the real world.
I began with ‘Intro’, so I’ll end with ‘Outro’ here, a track that highlights his beat boxing skills. I’m sure you will agree Only Won is a very versatile performer and quite different to anything I have shared before. Amidst all the fun though, he still manages to share about Jesus.
See you next week and don’t forget, ‘Resist the dark side you must!’
The Church at Hiraeth 