DgcityThe last line most outsiders associated with Xie Di was a child’s insistent, meme-born chant about Disneyland. These days, the Sichuan rapper is famous for something gentler: chatting from a parked car, recommending outfits, introducing his pet pig, and calling his fans “besties.”
The makeover happens on a secondary Douyin account under his given name, Cai Zhenhong. In ten days the account gained roughly 400,000 followers, eventually closing in on a million — nearly double the audience of his long-established main account. The format is deliberately ordinary. He sits and talks, in unhurried Sichuan dialect, about clothes, sunglasses, fitness and whatever the day brought. His miniature pig, Zhixiang, gets its own starring role; even Show Lo, the Taiwanese star long nicknamed Little Pig, showed up in the comments.
The “bestie’s label began with the audience. Followers told him his videos felt like a friend talking; after a few days of mock confusion, he embraced it and began greeting viewers as besties himself. The rapper who once built his image on competition and edge now fields video calls, discusses why he enjoys wearing women’s clothing, and poses for photos with fans until his face stiffens.
The pivot was not born of defeat. Xie Di has said he turned down invitations from major variety and talk shows, preferring to find his own terms rather than fit a televised format. He also rejects the worry that his street credibility is spent. A new album, also called “Cai Zhenhong,” was teased this month, and his answer to doublets is simple: wait until the music arrives.
The broader shift is visible across Chinese hip-hop. A scene once defined by battles and swagger has made room for domestic warmth, humor and everyday storytelling, especially from artists who grew up online and now want their lives, not just their lyrics, on camera. Xie Di splits the two identities deliberately: Xie Di belongs to the stage, Cai Zhenhong to the kitchen table and the parked car.
His fans have coined the neatest summary. The man who once wrote a hit celebrating a day off, they point out, was always going to understand the appeal of simply living. Whether that relaxed spirit can carry an album is the question his new audience is now waiting to hear answered.
