Look alive: Yung Raja’s the fresh prince of South Asian hip-hop, ready to blow up big time.
Yung Raja wants to be the Marie Kondo of hip-hop. More precisely, he wants his songs to be those items in your over-stuffed cabinet of Spotify downloads that “spark joy”. “If something isn’t centred around creating positive vibes, then it isn’t for me,” the Singapore-based rapper of Tamil origin tells us.
In two short years, and merely two singles old, Yung Raja has emerged as one of the most talented rappers in South East Asia, repping both the island country and his Tamil roots. He broke out in 2017 with “Poori Gang”, an amusing cover of Lil Pump’s chart-topper “Gucci Gang” – swapping the American hip-hop artist’s braggadocio with comical rhymes about South Indian dishes and “dancing with the nagyen”.
Months after he gleefully danced on that home video, Yung Raja dropped his first original, a track called “Mustafa”. With that tribute to the famous shopping mall in Little India, he established himself as a pink-haired “brown superstar”, spitting rhymes like “If you’re looking for that beef/I got it in my shopping cart” under Singapore’s street lights.
In February, he collaborated with Prabh Deep at the St+Art Festival’s Singapore Weekender for a knockout performance, and a week later he was rapping the walk-out song for Singaporean MMA supernova Amir Khan at his big One Championship bout with Ariel Sexton. “My barber, Ceejay, introduced me to Amir at one of his fights last year,” he says.
“It was my first time at an MMA fight and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. We clicked immediately – our struggles and goals were in line.”
この記事は GQ India の April 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は GQ India の April 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
THE FUTURE SOUNDS LIKE AT EEZ
The Coachella-slaying, multi-language-singing, genre-obliterating members of Ateez are quickly becoming load-bearing stars of our global pop universe.
DEMNA UNMASKED
He's the most influential designer of the past decade. He's also the most controversial. Now the creative director of Balenciaga is exploring a surprising source of inspiration: happiness. GQ's Samuel Hine witnesses the dawn of Demna's new era, in Paris, New York, and Shanghai. Photographs by Jason Nocito.
Inside the undercover adventures of a full-time fraud sleuth.
HOW TO MAKE A FORTUNE AS A PROFESSIONAL WHISTLE-BLOWER
A LIFE OF FASHION
In an extensive conversation, the menswear icon discusses his rise, his mistakes, his triumphs, his retirement, and what the future holds for him and his beloved brand.
IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE WITH GEORGE & BRAD
They've spent three decades living intertwined lives at the inconceivably glamorous height of Hollywood. Now, having crossed the threshold of 60, they're more comfortable than ever throwing bombs, dispensing hard-won wisdom, and, yes, arguing about who had the better mullet in the '80s.
ALEXANDER THE GRITTY
One of India's most creative chefs comes of age.
Penning History
Montblanc marks 100 years of its iconic Meisterstück with new writing instruments inspired by the 1924 Olympic Games.
Royal Enfield Forges a New Path
Say hello to the company's most cutting-edge roadster.
Arooj Aftab Owns the Night
The Grammy Award-winning artist, fresh off a Glastonbury set, speaks to GQ about her new album, Night Reign, from the ideas that led to its conception to its genre-defying collabs with Elvis Costello, Kaki King and more.
Louis Vuitton's New Beat
The luxury maison's latest addition to the Tambour line reiterates its commitment to watchmaking and craftsmanship.