The Singaporean rapper discusses how his family influenced his entry into music, the significance of his bilingual raps and how he felt after being roasted on one of the biggest talk shows on TV
With his nail art, fluorescent hair and equally eye-catching outfits, Yung Raja is not looking to fit in. The 26-year-old hip-hop artist is hard to miss in the crowd with his fashion preferences, but that’s just part of the reason.
His popularity as a musician has skyrocketed in the last three years, particularly since the release of his breakout single Mustafa in 2018. The song’s music video has garnered more than two million views and landed the artist a record deal with the Southeast Asia arm of Def Jam, which also represents Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Kanye West.
Like the fun he has with his physical appearance, Yung Raja’s music gives off the same cheeky, swag-filled vibe. His signature style of rapping in Tanglish, a mix of English and Tamil, makes his music even more appealing, as listeners get drawn into lyrics and beats that are inspired by Raja’s personal experiences as a first-generation Singaporean born to South Indian immigrant parents.
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“I see rapping in two languages as a blessing and a challenge at the same time,” he says. “Figuring out how to piece certain expressions together in two languages may take some time, but the constant exploration of both English and Tamil motivates me as I feel that they haven’t been used in this manner before.
“It also means that I don’t have to change my mode of expression to appeal to or be accepted by a wider audience. It means that I can be myself, which I hope in turn inspires kids to embrace their truest nature and never try to fit in.”
Indeed, the person you see on stage and off aren’t very different. Yung Raja considers his artiste self to be an “elevated expression” of Rajid Ahamed, which is his birth name. It’s also interesting to note that while he hails from a family of academic scholars, his dream of going into entertainment was never hampered.
His family’s love for music made it a constant in his life and enabled it to influence him in ways he wasn’t aware of until he became a musician. “I never expected to become a full-time artiste, but life works in mysterious ways!”
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