The OGs AI Rap (Guo Lai Ren): China’s Viral AI Rap Explained

The OGs is the AI rap that took over Chinese social media in October 2026. Its Chinese title, 过来人 (Guo Lai Ren), means "people who have been there": famous figures from Chinese history step up to the mic and rap to a burnt-out generation about the hardships they lived through themselves.

What happens in The OGs AI rap

Ten figures from Chinese history and legend take turns rapping, among them the Tang poet Du Fu, the Song poet Su Shi and the Han founder Liu Bang, with the Monkey King joining for the finale. Instead of lecturing, they rap about modern worries in their own voice: renting a flat in middle age, being laid off at 35, bills and job insecurity. The point is empathy: we have been there too, and we made it.

Who made The OGs AI rap

The video is by Wang Kunzhe, a filmmaker from Wuhan who posts as 喆FILM. He came from TV news and commercials and switched to AI work in 2026. The OGs is one episode of a series in which historical figures take the mic, after seven earlier ones. Reports say it took him three to four days and a few thousand yuan in AI subscriptions and computing, with AI helping on rhymes and visuals while he wrote and approved the song structure and lyrics himself.

How big The OGs got

The OGs passed 100 million views across platforms in under two weeks. One count from October 22, 2026 put it at about 120 million: roughly 75 million on Douyin and 45 million on WeChat Channels. These are plays, not unique viewers, and counts differ between reports.

Why The OGs struck a chord

It flips the usual AI-celebrity video. The historical figures are not there for a gag; they are there to say that hardship is old and survivable. Burnt-out young viewers saw their own rent, layoffs and pressure in the lyrics, and the format (classic poets over modern rap beats) made it easy to share.

Where to watch The OGs

Search 过来人 or 喆FILM on Douyin or WeChat Channels, where most of its views came from. We do not host the video.

Make your own AI rap video like The OGs

The OGs AI rap took a filmmaker days of work across several AI tools. A rap video starring you and a friend takes a few minutes here:

1. Add ~15s of vocals and one clear photo of the performer, or a preseu.
2. Write one line about what the rap is about, like "two coworkers who survived another round of layoffs" or "we are 35 and still renting".
3. Tap make. AI Rap Video lip-syncs your vocals and renders you rapping them, lip-synced, in a vertical video.

Use photos of yourself or of people who agreed to it, not photos of famous people. Start on the AI rap video generator, or try the AI Viking rap and AI rap battle versions. For a step-by-step walkthrough, read how to make an AI rap video.

Sources

• South China Morning Post: 100 million views: why China's viral AI rap track has struck a chord
• AI Musicpreneur: Guo Lai Ren: China's AI rap hits 120 million views