Chen Xukai (; born 24 December 1998), known professionally as Skai Isyourgod (; stylized in all-caps), is a Chinese rapper. His works combine Memphis rap and Cantonese culture.
In August 2024, Skai Isyourgod released his second album, Stacks from All Sides (). Songs such as "Stacks from All Sides", "Karma Code" (), and "Blueprint Supreme" () in the album went viral on Western and Chinese social media. On 7 July 2025, he exceeded 3 million active monthly listeners on Spotify, becoming the most-streamed Chinese artist of the month.
Early life and education Chen Xukai was born in the city of Huizhou, Guangdong, China, in 1998. His father is from Leshan, Sichuan. He attended the private Sichuan Media College () in Chengdu, Sichuan, for undergraduate studies in performing arts.
Career On 20 December 2020, Skai released his first single "Know That" on NetEase Cloud Music, and released several singles in succession, experimenting with several styles, including R&B. On 14 April 2023, he released the single "Lan Lao King". According to Skai in an interview with the Chinese hip-hop platform SoulSense TWH, it was the beginning of the creation of his signature Memphis rap style, his most recent experimental style.
On 10 September 2023, Skai released his first album, Shunfeng Shunshui Shuncai Shen ().
On 20 August 2024, Skai released his second album, Stacks from All Sides (). The album continued to use Memphis rap music as the creative basis, integrating Cantonese folk elements and ridicule of the workplace environment and human relationships in mainland China. The album went viral across social media, and Internet secondary creations, such as the Douyin broadcaster , further popularized Skai. In April 2025, Skai announced that he would go to Taiwan to host a special concert on 27 July.
On 10 July 2025, Skai released his first extended play album Stacks from All Sides: Fresh Off the Boat (八方来财之江船入海) on Music Streaming Services, which includes nine songs which had never been officially released before. He marks it as a part of Stacks from All Sides. Chinese Hip-Hop producer Jacking joined as Executive Producer. Almost all tracks were produced by Jacking, except Track 8, which produced by not only Jacking, but also another producer named Phantom.
On April 7, 2026, the group "5 Idiots" (), consisting of Skai, SoulHan, and Y.H.L (YoungHighLos: A Niu, PlayerJ, and Bu Bu Gao), released their self-titled mixtape. 5 Idiots held an online fan interaction hosted by NetEase Cloud Music in January after the announcement of their formation, during which Skai Isyourgod mentioned that his next album was scheduled to be released the following year.
On September 10, 2026, Sony Music Entertainment (China) announced that it had signed Skai to RCA Records Greater China.
On September 16, 2026, Skai released the single "The Diplomats" () featuring Project Pat on major music streaming platforms. It was his first single released under RCA Records Greater China.
Stacks from All Sides
In the album Stacks from All Sides, three songs went viral: "Stacks from All Sides" (), "Karma Code" (), and "Blueprint Supreme" (). Skai's southeast Chinese coastal roots are noticeable through his Cantonese accent and numerous allusions and literary devices.
In the first half of the album, Skai explores the ambitions of people in contemporary Chinese society to expand their material desires. In the second half of the album, he incorporates his own life into the album, exploring the contradictions during early adulthood, societal temptations, and cherishing loved ones.
Summary The three viral songs come from the first half of the album. The title track, "Stacks from All Sides" () begins by sampling Korean singer Insooni's 1987 song "Beetle on Vinyl" (). The song describes a life full of hustle. It opens with folk imagery, in which the person dreams of social climbs, whether it be acquiring a better scooter, buying new fancy clothes, showing off his wealth, or upgrading to a white or yellow motorcycle license plate. White and yellow ones in Guangdong and Hong Kong are a sign of success, thus being a local status symbol. Wearing jade pendants for luck, keeping a home altar with incense and offerings, regularly bowing and praying, and seeking wealth from the divine, they are constantly chasing money and status, but not through glorified business. The man does gambling, plays mahjong, and has side hustles to achieve this. He knows the methodology of his social ascension is bad, but does it anyway, alluding to cultural elements such as yin-yang from Taoism and karma from Buddhism.
"Karma Code" () tells about someone who is confronted by the divine about their unethical social rise by traditional Chinese deities, who seek to address the consequences of his deeds. Initially, the protagonist tries to appease the gods, then shift the blame, but is eventually forced to reflect on and acknowledge his actions.
"Blueprint Supreme" () begins by sampling lines from a performance of the Cantonese opera The Flower Princess (). The lyrics paint exaggerated, humorous portraits of a nouveau riche lifestyle, describing lavish yet strangely familiar scenes of showy wealth in modern China, such as the scene of "singing karaoke in the villa and silver arowana in the pool" (), which is a unique way of "showing off wealth" for Guangdong's wealthy, rather than luxury cars and watches in the traditional sense. In addition, the plot of "the master writes the words himself" () in the lyrics comes from his parents' obsession with () and belief in Feng Shui during his childhood, as well as people's memory of using "qiu zi" (, )the practice of asking a master calligrapher or fortune-teller to write a character, typically for symbolic or auspicious purposesas a special way of socializing at that time.
Two music videos were released for these three songs. "Blueprint Supreme" has its own music video, while "Stacks from All Sides" and "Karma Code" has a combined music video in which the first song transitions into the second.
Reactions The three songs have gone viral in Western social media, such as TikTok and Instagram Reels, being used as background for clips or memes, with countless spin-offs and remixes. One popular meme referred to as "Dog Singing In Chinese" or "Dog Rapping Skai Isyourgod" begins with the lyrics, "May god bless you with mountains of silver and gold" from his song "Karma Code" (因果), and has received over 10 million views. Apart from the Orientalism, users noted the perceived wisdom in the album that Western discography seems to lack.
The song "Stacks from All Sides" sparked debate over the term "Bielaozai" (), which some interpreted as a derogatory slur. However, the singer clarified that it's a colloquial term for "brother" in certain southern dialects, aiming to convey camaraderie rather than insult, similar to the comparable American slur nigga, which can also imply friendship in certain contexts.
Artistry Tiffany Ap of Bloomberg described his music as a "mix of Memphis-style rap with Mandarin, Cantonese, and Hakka rhymes." Additionally, he speaks limited English, though he raps entirely in Chinese.
Discography Studio albums +No.AlbumTracks1Shun Feng Shun Shui Shun Cai Shen () Release date: 10 September 2023 Label: Showstart Release Format: CD/Digital music download2Stacks from All Sides () Release date: 20 August 2024 Label: Showstart Release, Taihe Music Group Format: Digital music download
Extended play +No.AlbumTracks1Stacks from All Sides: Fresh Off the Boat () Release date: 10 July 2025 Label: Independent Format: Digital music download
Singles "Know That"（2020） "Wei Er Zheng Cypher" (, 2021） "Bad Boy Doing Good Things pt.2"（feat. BroFA; 2021) "Xiao Ying BT Xi Bao" (, 2021) "Bad Boy and Good Thing Pt.3"（feat. BroFA）（2021) "Memphis 130" (; 2022) "Lan Lao King" (2023) "Bay Buy Pt.4"（feat. BroFA; 2023) "Chui Da Shui" (; 2023) "Yi Yue" (, feat. 13FlowMic; 2023) "Sheng Ke Le" (; 2023) "Tian Ding Lan Li Xing" (, 2023) "Bad Boy Doing Good Things pt.5" (feat. BroFA, 2024） "Qiu Qian" (, 2024) "Jiang Hu Gui Ju AA Zhi" (, 2024) "Lǜ Hua Dai" (, 2024) "Nian Cai Bing" (, feat. Duke Deuce; 2025) "No More" (跟悲伤结了账, feat. Gareth.T; 2025) "Sweet Luck" (薯你好运, feat. Tia Ray; 2026) "Cheng Zhong Cun Zhong Cheng" (城中村中城, 2026) "WaiJiaoGuan (Diplomat)" (外交官, feat. Project Pat, 2026)
Mixtapes Skai is Your God No. 1（2022)
Notes
References