BENGALURU: Bengaluru was recently witness to some Tanglish (mix of Tamil and English) rap when first-generation musician Raja Ahamed, who goes by his stage name Yung Raja, performed live at RCB Bar and Cafe. This was as part of the international artist flagship programme called 560001.
Known for his most popular songs Mustafa and The Dance, the rapper and songwriter was even mentioned on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon recently. “To be honest, I have no idea how the Fallon thing happened. That was a completely random coincidence. Someone from his team picked up my song and decided to put it on the show. Having said that, it was very trippy and dream-like, to say the least,” Raja says.
As he was touring in India since last month, the artiste performed in Pune, Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. “Going from city to city and getting to touch base with people, getting a sense of their vibes and culture has been very eye-opening,” says Raja, who, during the pandemic tried his hand at different things, including selling dosae tacos and even starting his own clothing brand.
Though he grew up in Singapore, he always stayed rooted to his culture. His experience of being a first-generation Singaporean was combined with unadulterated traditional South Indian influences from his family which includes his sisters and parents. “We speak Tamil, have South Indian food and follow a similar way of life,” he says, adding, “Having that duality growing up really helped lay the foundation of Indian culture. It never had to be forced, whereas I look at my friends growing up who are either second or fourth-generation Singaporean Indians – they have no connection. I feel that’s where my story differs.”
With this background, Raja is keen to see more South Asian and South-East Asian hip-hop being made. In his words, “I can’t wait for the day we have festivals that are South-Asian-specific, where the representation comes up and everybody is connected.” “Imagine,” Raja continues, “...a day when any artiste from India can go to Cambodia and straight away link up with the best. Because we are all fighting for the same thing. We’re all fighting to put South-East Asian rap on the map. If I could change one thing, I would love to bring all of us together.”