Edison Chen (陳冠希) and his hip hop crew are now officially back in the scene, but the 32-year-old actor and rapper admitted that he is not expecting too much to come out of his entertainment career. After years of staying low on the celebrity radar, Edison has become rather successful with his popular clothing businesses. “Business gives me a sense of security,” said the hip hop star. “It’s not like being a celebrity – people may want to see you today, but tomorrow, they may not want to see you again. There’s no security there.” Edison: “I Am Old!” Recently Edison, MC Yan, and Chef have been touring around southern China to promote their latest hip hop studio album, 3 Corners <三角度>, marking Edison’s first proper comeback as a hip hop singer. On why Edison chose to return to the music industry, he said, “Hip hop is still my passion. It took me years to figure out what I really wanted to do in my life, and I’ve finally found it. I will continue to do what I like, and I really want to expand my career to mainland China.” After starring in the Infernal Affairs <無間道> film series, critics and colleagues alike expected to see Edison’s entertainment career thrive and grow, but it was all blown to smoke after the sex photo scandal in 2008. Edison announced his indefinite leave from the entertainment industry and left for Canada. Less than a year later, Edison returned to Hong Kong to manage his clothing business CLOT – the street fashion store became so popular that it had expanded to several branches, including some in Hong Kong and mainland China. “I felt like I’ve matured a lot,” said Edison on recalling his life in the past few years. “I feel much older now and I felt like I’ve been through things that only 40 or 50-year-olds would have experienced.” Now known part of the hip hop group known as the 3 Corners, Edison hopes to continue his hip hop career with his two other partners. “I want to spread hope and positivism to youths through the use of the hip hop culture. I want to tell them that they must believe in themselves, because without this sense of acceptance, nothing will be possible. In the past, our hip hop was not well-accepted, but that didn’t stop us. We would never be able to accomplish anything if we don’t believe.”
