The OGs AI Rap (Guo Lai Ren): China’s Viral AI Rap Explained
The OGs (过来人, Guo Lai Ren): the AI rap where Du Fu, Su Shi and other figures from Chinese history rap about modern burnout. Who made it, why it hit 100M views.
The short answer
The OGs (Chinese title 过来人, Guo Lai Ren, "people who have been there") is an AI-made rap video from China in which ten figures from Chinese history and legend, from the poets Du Fu and Su Shi to the Han emperor Liu Bang and the Monkey King, rap about today’s worries: rent, layoffs at 35, burnout. It was made by the Wuhan filmmaker Wang Kunzhe (喆FILM) in three to four days for a few thousand yuan of AI tools, and passed 100 million views across Chinese platforms in under two weeks in October 2026. You watch it on Douyin and WeChat Channels; to make your own AI rap video starring you and a friend, two photos and one line are enough.
What's new on this page
- — New guide: what The OGs AI rap is, who made it, why it went viral, and how to make an AI rap video of your own.
- — Page published
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 don't 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 about three minutes here:
- Add two photos, one of each rapper, or one photo of the two of you.
- 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".
- Tap make. The AI writes original bars and a beat and renders the two of 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 maker, 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