Chef de MC has long been one of the closest collaborators of CLOT co-founder Edison Chen and has made a name for himself as one of hip-hop's most recognizable names in Hong Kong. The breakdancer-turned-MC has performed all around the world and released his first EP in 2011. As a close friend of the CLOT family, Chef was the face of CLOTTEE's latest SP20 Dim Sum collection. We asked the rapper to curate an exclusive playlist for us. Learn a bit more about Chef below and listen to his playlist on CLOT's Spotify.  

How did you get started in music and where did you get the Chef moniker from?

I was around 15 years old when I first came into contact with hip-hop - that was when I joined a street dance crew called FreeStyle Crew. At the time, my name was Yan Jai (彥仔) and we'd practice on the streets all around Hong Kong almost every night. We'd battle and the music we'd listen to was classic rap and break music from the likes of The Sugarhill Gang's Rapper Delight, Afrike Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force's Planet Rock, DJ Shadow's Organ Donor. After that, I came into contact with a lot of dancers, rappers and graffiti artists. 

When I turned 18, I enrolled in the culinary institute to become a chef, but at the same time I began writing songs with friends and I'd bring food for everyone to share so they would call me Chef. 

My first feature with Edison was through MC YAN. The song was titled Immediate Photos REMIX (即影即有REMIX), within it there’s a line of lyrics, ‘As big as you can, pork dumplings then pork dumplings (幾大就幾大，燒賣就燒賣)”. I remember in the beginning they would call me pork dumpling too. Other than Chef, I also got called Kitchen.

Since CLOTTEE's latest collection is inspired by dimsum, we have to ask - what are your favorite dimsum dishes?

Shrimp dumplings (hargow), pork dumplings (siu mai), chicken feet, pork ribs, sesame rolls... there are so many. 

I always fondly remember waiting for the dimsum trolleys to come out with freshly made dim sum, and rushing to the trolleys to get them!

What did you think of the campaign shoot and what are some of your favorite pieces from the collection?

I loved the old school restaurant we went to with the dragon and phoenix decorations - those are becoming so rare now and highlighted the collection well. As for the pieces, I love the Dim Sum Shirt and Pen shirt. They really highlighted Hong Kong's dimsum culture well.  

What went behind choosing the songs for your playlist?

I never stop looking for new songs that I like. If it feels right, it'll make it onto a playlist. That was kind of my strategy for this one too. 

What is your favorite song(s) of all time?

Oh, I can't answer this question. There are way too many amazing songs to choose from. 

How about some of your favorite songs you've worked on?

空中巴士，活在當下，星際怨曲，天外有天

What's next for you and 4PK?

Continue to be innovative and create music, designs.