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A racist taunt inspired Brisbane rapper Minh Nguyen to come up with his unapologetically Asian stage name — "Chong Ali".
Nguyen was called names such as "ching-chong" by kids in school, a term he would later reclaim as part of his defiant stage persona.
While growing up in Brisbane's southern fringes, he got into breakdancing and hip-hop but was met with raised eyebrows when he tried to break into the rap scene.
He said Asian rappers were a rarity back then, but the art form had become more open.
"Through rap, you're able to tell stories that are universal," Nguyen said.
"That's the craftsmanship of rap — the ability to transcend race and religion through storytelling."
Mr Nguyen's stories often pay homage to life in Brisbane's southern outskirts, such as Inala, Ipswich, Forest Lake, and Darra.
His parents moved to southern Brisbane after hopping on a "rickety boat" to flee the horrors of the Vietnam War.
Nguyen said he grew up among other second-generation immigrant kids whose parents had survived equally difficult pasts.
Despite the motley mix of races in Brisbane's southern suburbs, Nguyen said they formed a distinct but unified culture of their own.
He said they united around their love for Jackie Chan films, American rap, mixed martial arts UFC, and pimped-out Japanese cars.
Nguyen said there was a camaraderie and a common language spoken by kids who grew up in the southern suburbs.
"When they go home, they speak their mother tongue, but when it comes to speaking English, we throw around the same slang and read the room in the same way," Nguyen said.
"It's the culture of those postcodes. We have different cultural backgrounds, but we had the same experience."
Now Nguyen is preparing for his upcoming car show, Southside by Night, for Brisbane's Asian festival.
He said being exposed to different cultures was the best way to challenge preconceptions and prejudices that a person might have.
"If you want to call me ching-chong, I'm going to show you what a ching-chong can do," Mr Nguyen said.
"I can't stop people from thinking what they think, but when they meet me and hear their stories — maybe I can interrupt that racism for a bit."
BrisAsia Festival 2024 is on until February 18.
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