Rapper Yung Raja is known for sticking to his Tamilian roots. Based out of Singapore, he is riding the waves with a new song, titled Mami (Alamo records). A few of his earlier hits have caught the attention of the likes of M.I.A. and Lupe Fiasco. Other than his quirky looks, it’s the 35-year-old’s love for multilingual wordplay that steals the spotlight. Here’s more from the man, who has grown up listening to Eminem and Notorious B.I.G.
Your career started with recording cover tracks of your favourite artistes and releasing them on SoundCloud. What encouraged you to carry on?
To be honest, I always tried my best to sound similar to the artistes I was doing covers of... Eminem, Notorious B.I.G., Lil Wayne.... I spent hours recording their songs but it didn’t feel like work and there were moments when I felt that maybe people were impressed by my rapping. So I kept doing it.
You are also passionate about acting. But then you realised that music was the way forward. How did you realise what you wanted to do?
My love for hip-hop has been around since I was 10-11 years old, earlier than my realisation that acting was also my passion. I think one of the biggest indicators was my friendship with Fariz Jabba. We instantly became best friends through our mutual love for hip-hop. It was only through this friendship that I came to truly understand how passionate I am about hip-hop culture.
What is it about rap and hip-hop that initially excited you?
So many things. When I first heard Eminem, I thought it was bold... the unapologetically explicit expressions left an impression on me. As I started listening to more music, it was the rawness of artistes and embracing their stories, backgrounds... over snares and 808s that I started feeling. Over the years, I have grown to love hip-hop for many other reasons.
You had mentioned that you were able to draw parallels between South Indian music and hip-hop. What were those parallels?
Some of the parallels I drew was between the sampling that I’ve heard on certain hip-hop records and the tasteful selection of sounds from my culture, but flipping them around to make it hip-hop. That was super cool! Another one involves the drumming in both worlds. Dappankuthu makes me move and so does a boom-bap beat... it’s all so beautiful to me.
You rap in Tamil and also Tamil and English, but you don’t record songs that only have English lyrics. Why?
I tried making full English songs in the early part of my career but it almost always never came as naturally as when I unified Tamil or English. Over the years, I’ve learnt that my bilingual tongue — being a Singaporean born-bred Tamilian — is the reason behind it. So yes, it is me being me.
Let’s talk about one of your recent works, Mami. What motivated the song?
The idea was to make a club banger. We wanted to make something for the clubs, especially keeping live shows in mind. I have always been a party guy and I love making records that make people move. That’s how Mami came to be.
It’s been some weeks since the track’s been out. What has been the response?
Positive and very encouraging! I can’t wait to share more this year.
Last year you signed up with Alamo records, which is a big step forward. How are things moving at the moment?
It’s going great. Very exciting times now as we’re constantly creating and planning to elevate our game. I’m elated and grateful for all the work that’s ahead of us.
Yung Raja has uploaded a picture on Instagram of the last time he was on TV. The caption? “Last time I was on TV I was a DETECTIVE hahhahaHahahahah knock knock detective Shtambi open the DOOR.”
What is the difference you notice in yourself since the days you started uploading on SoundCloud? Now you are a global artiste.
The main difference is that I have a team of brilliant individuals who work around the clock to make things happen. I’m a true believer in the power of team work and I’m very fortunate to work with some brilliant minds.
Do you miss working in films? Will we get to see you in a film?
I do! I can’t wait to dabble in acting again... but, of course, in due time. Everything happens exactly when it’s supposed to!
What about music, what does the future hold?
For as long as I’m here, I’ll be making bangers for people to enjoy. That’s something I love to do and I doubt that I’ll stop doing that.
Looking back, is there anything you could have done differently?
Not at all! I am grateful for all the comebacks and setbacks... as they have all played an integral role in my development as a person and as an artiste. I am grateful for it all.