Nep-hop nation

by SUBEL BHANDARI

FROM ISSUE # 119 (November 2005) | IN THIS ISSUE
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ANUP PRAKASH (Clockwise from top) 9double7, Avinash Ghising, Kiran (Nepsydaz'), Sarad Singh, Gyanon (Nepsydaz'), Manas (Nepsydaz'), Ace and Spadixxx (Jehovah), Sammy Samrat, Aid Ray (The Unity), Apar, DA 69 (The Unity), Nirnaya da' NSK, Rakesh (Madzone), Pranil Timilsina, Bhai (Madzone).

Hip-hop in Nepal started with GP's (Girish-Pranil) mainstream rap. "We were different and people liked our songs," says Pranil. Ask any Nepali hip-hop artiste and they'll tell you that they grew up listening to GP. "I was in grade six or seven when I first heard GP. I learnt their songs by heart and rapped at leisure to amuse friends and teachers," says Kiran of Nepsydaz'.

GP started in 1993 with Girish as the rapper and Pranil as the melody singer. They would discuss concepts and lyrics. Girish was in class eight and Pranil had just finished ISc. Their debut album in 1994, Meaningless Rap, created quite a stir, selling more than 18,000 copies. In an era when lovey-dovey pop songs were making the rounds, GP were a breath of fresh air with their controversial rap songs about money, social problems, politics, and drugs. "We brought change. Some artistes said we were doing whatever we wanted," says Pranil, "They were right."

GP's rap was more in lieu with the non-commercial hip-hop industry. For eight years, they struggled and survived despite family pressure about academics and careers. In 1998 they came out with their second album Meaningless Rap 2: Back Again. By then, the underground Nepali hip-hop scene had taken off.

Rappaz' Union was making its presence felt among the urban Nepali youth and Nepsydaz' was rising fast. Nirnaya and Kiran (Nepsydaz') also hosted programmes on the radio—Bring da' House Down on Image FM and Hip-Hop Basement on Times FM respectively—promoting hip-hop. They brought home global beats and gave local acts a chance to shine. Kiran even organised Madskillz 2004, a rap contest. Earlier Nirnaya had done a similar event called Super Hip-Hop.

In 2002, GP parted ways. Girish started his own project as Girish and The Unity but soon vanished to the US. Pranil released a solo album called May 18 from music dot com. His collaborations with DA 69 (Aankha bhari naachchau) and Nabin K Bhattarai (Yehi ho ta maya) topped music charts last year.

Nirnaya da' NSK, Caoz Capone and Sammy Samrat of Rappaz Union also decided to go solo. Sammy's single Huncha bhane hunchha bhana is gaining popularity as he readies to release his debut album. Nirnaya's album Ma Nepali sold more than 25,000 copies and gathered a loyal fan following. Many consider him the Nepali hip-hop style icon.

Madzone was inspired by Nirnaya and it's crossover music appealed to the public. Nepsydaz' broke from the underground scene to become a big commercial hit. Their second album, Made in Nepal, is still topping the charts with Chhudaina feating 1974 AD.

"Pop is on the decline. Now it's either rock or hip-hop. The market for rock is limited but hip-hop has potential for growth," says SAV's managing director Sachin Singh. Hip-hop is about speaking for the community and rap gives the young a powerful voice especially in a conflict-ridden country like Nepal. Nep-hop stars are trying to balance Nepali traditions with western culture. "Ghettos and gangsters don't fit here. It's not worth talking about made-up acts," say Nep-hop artistes. Many have cashed in on commercial hip-hop with mushy-gushy love songs. The Unity probably still has the best lyrics that deal with reality.

For DA 69, rap is rhythm and poetry. Aid Ray, DA 69's sidekick is a good lyricist and freestyler. Another hip-hop artiste, Sarad Singh, is a blues bassist turned rapper who raps fearlessly about the political situation. There are chances that songs from his album Prashna, released by Vision Media, might be banned. Then there are artistes like Avinash Ghising, whose compositions such as Sunn ko baala are well-researched. Though TV is selling the fantasy life of hip-hop stars, many are looking to learn from old school hip-hop. This idea of provoking critical thinking was encouraged by WAVE and samudaya.org with The Manifesto Challenge where 9double7 won the
Rs 15,000 cash prize.

Rappers like Norbu, 3 Drops, Lattu Hip-hop and P49 have produced albums but their rapping skills still have a long way to go. We also have Nepali rappers living abroad like DJAJ and Aroz Kunal. Kunal, who dubbed the Nepali hip-hop scene 'Nep-hop' is in the States. He runs the Nepali hip-hop website www.nephop.com and is considered one of the most influential Nepali underground hip-hop artistes abroad. His Katti khep bhanu, an experimental song, was an instant hit in the underground circuit. Its explicit lyrics created a lot of controversy. Other Nep-hop artistes abroad include Cyclopes, Renchin, DJ Gorkhali, G-Mode, Sin!s, Duke and Boka Mystiks.

Hip hop's grip on young Nepalis is growing but Nep-hop has not gone without criticism. In Durbar Marg, a mother publicly accused Nirnaya da' NSK of influencing her son's dress sense. A member of a rock band recently stated in a daily that "rap is crap with a silent 'c'." Ananda Karki lambasted Girish and The Unity's Ma esto chhu in an interview in Pokhara two years ago. But Nep-hop has taken it all in it's stride. To see COD, a hip-hop pop band, perform at state-owned NTV's new year celebration last year was a positive sign. And Karki recorded a song featuring Manas of Nepsydaz' with DJ Raju for his recent album. Music award ceremonies have also recognised Nep-hop artistes. Nepsydaz' Hell raiser was nominated for the Best Song in Foreign Language category at Hits FM Music Awards 2060. This year Nirnaya's Ma Nepali won the Best Composition with National Feeling category at the Image Awards.

Nepali hip-hop or Nep-hop is growing bigger by the year. Music dot com recently released Girish and The Unity's X album. Taal is all set to release Apaar's debut album. SAV has released Madzone's Keti Timi whose title track made it into both audio and video charts. SAV plans to release young new artiste Shreeking's debut album during Tihar. Shreeking's collaboration with Naren of Aastha was also nominated in the Channel Nepal Video Music Awards.

True Nep-hop artistes understand that hip-hop isn't just music—it's a culture, set of values and way of life. Even respected Nepali rocker Robin Tamang has stepped in to rap in SAV chief Raman Shrestha's pop song. Pop artiste Mausami Gurung has done the same in P49's and Nima Rumba in The Unity's. Add to this mix a gaggle of clubs, cafés, hangouts and shopping marts that cater to the hip-hop crowd and you know that Nep-hop is definitely going somewhere.

Da' stars

Nirnaya da' NSK
Nirnaya took everyone by surprise when he won the Image Awards for Best Vocal Performance with National Feeling this year, outdoing singers like Yam Baral and Ananda Karki. Once a member of Rappaz' Union, his debut solo album Ma Nepali has sold more than 25,000 copies, a record this year. He is also an RJ.

The Unity: DA 69 and Aid Ray
They sang as Girish and The Unity until Girish went to the States. The Unity has recently released their album Girish and The Unity presents X from music dot com. Their lyrics are powerful and well-written. DA 69 also reads the sports news on Kantipur TV.

Nepsydaz'
The Nepsydaz' started with underground hip-hop but went mainstream soon after. The trio is: Kiran (aka Mistah K), Manas (aka Loorey), Gyanon (aka Zer0 Level). Their debut album was called KTM Reality and their second album is Made in Nepal. Their song Hell raiser was nominated for Best Song in Foreign Language at the Hits FM Music Awards 2060.

Madzone
One of Nep-hop's most popular groups, Madzone released it's album this year from SAV. The trio is: Rakesh Shrestha, Bhai Krishna Maharjan and Sudip Raj Shara (now in the US).

Sarad Singh
Vision Media recently released Sarad Singh's debut album Prashna, which also features Nepsydaz', Kranti Ale, Bishwa, Poonam, D'll Postino. The title song is already on the charts. A blues bassist, Singh has switched successfully to hip-hop.

Avinash Ghising
Ghising has released three albums: Chyangba (2000), Generation NP (2002) and Zero Point (2004). A thangka artist from Solukhumbu, Ghising has a lot of folk influence in his songs. He is currently researching popular folk songs to fuse with rap.

Sammy Samrat
Sammy is a former member of Rappaz' Union. He has just finished recording his debut album. His recently released single is already climbing the charts.

Apar Gurung
This 17-year-old from Pokhara is releasing his self-titled album Apar from Taal. He has also been featured in Madzone's video.

9double7 and Jehova
They first collaborated on Nepali bhayera hera with Bishwa and won the Manifesto Challenge organised by WAVE and samudaya.org. 9Double7 is made up of Suraj Shrestha and Sudhir Shrestha, who is now in Dubai. Jehova is Spadixxx (Sailesh Shrestha) and Ace (Nibhes Shrestha).