Nepalese hip hop
Encyclopedia
Nepalese hip hop music ("NEPHOP") is a blend of Nepalese traditional music
, western popular music
, with lyrics that are usually altruistic
and depicting the present Nepalese political and economic situation.
rap artists were introduced through MTV
, Channel V
etc. Though some of the rappers existed during that period but were not that well recognized. It was around 1999–2003 when Nepalese rap was commercialized for the first time in Nepal by rappers such as Chherish, Pranil, Nurbu Sherpa, Sammy Samrat n NSK. However the Nepalese hip hop market had not reached that large audience to compete with the western rappers who were winning over the Nepalese rappers in their own country.The first only legal Hiphop/R&B production company of the nation was BrownBoy Productions consisting legendary club Dj's,Mc's,Singers,Engineers and Beat makers. Later, BrownBoyProductions.com was officially released and hiphop production was brought to next step nationally and internationally.Nepalese Hip hop still had to work through the Nepalese streets to reach an audience and fans that preferred Nepali
over English (as lyrics).
consisting of numbers like "Shes the Bomb" which later with music video tore the local charts apart. Around 2003–2004, when commercial artists with remix theme emerged in the Nepalese hip hop scene with lyrics the urban younger Nepalese generation could relate to, then the whole Nep Hop scenario was revolutionized, with increasing fans everyday "Nephop" was sure to stay. Then remixes like "Chyangba hoi chyangba" The Unity(remix- DJ Raju) "Chhundaina" by Nepsydaz
(remix - DJ AJ) were uprising and went more than expected on main commercial theme,While on other side soon enough Nepalese rappers published their music underground
even though the audience were usually Nepalese living in the United States, UK and other parts of the world, an underground internet Nepalese hip hop scene was booming.
movement through his hiphop website (now defunct) which he aptly named nephop.com.The term "Nephop" (coined by AJ) soon gained worldwide popularity and is being accepted to define Nepalese Hiphop in general.
In 2004, Aroz released his first underground single "Chudaina", produced by pioneer producer DJ AJ sampling 1974 AD
in nephop.com. In 2005, Nepsydaz
gained a commercial success as a rap group when they released their version of the same song. Aroz became "the most controversial" rapper to experiment with "Dirty Rap" with his next single "Katti Khep Vannu". After a massive underground success of his single, he quickly released his next single, "Killin Terraces". The Germany based New Urban Music Blog in its review hailed "Killing Terraces" as one of the "best" Nepalese political raps.
He gained some mainstream exposure after getting featured in Nepali Hiphop star Nurbu's single "Baby Gurl" off Nurbu Sherpa's second album "Save Nepal". "Baby Gurl", a hiphop record by Nurbu Sherpa, was voted one of the top 10 songs of 2008, according to Fursad.com. Nurbu is set to feature him along with other underground rappers in the next single "When I'm around" " from his upcoming 3rd album which is set to be released by 2010. In 2010, a Nephop battle took place on YouTube, and the winner of that battle Was Dox. The good response to the competition shows that Nephop is on the rise.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, western popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
, with lyrics that are usually altruistic
Altruism
Altruism is a concern for the welfare of others. It is a traditional virtue in many cultures, and a core aspect of various religious traditions, though the concept of 'others' toward whom concern should be directed can vary among cultures and religions. Altruism is the opposite of...
and depicting the present Nepalese political and economic situation.
History
Hiphop in Nepal started getting popular around the '90s when westernWestern culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
rap artists were introduced through MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, Channel V
Channel V
Channel [V] is the brand name for multiple international music television networks owned by STAR TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation.-Channel [V] International:...
etc. Though some of the rappers existed during that period but were not that well recognized. It was around 1999–2003 when Nepalese rap was commercialized for the first time in Nepal by rappers such as Chherish, Pranil, Nurbu Sherpa, Sammy Samrat n NSK. However the Nepalese hip hop market had not reached that large audience to compete with the western rappers who were winning over the Nepalese rappers in their own country.The first only legal Hiphop/R&B production company of the nation was BrownBoy Productions consisting legendary club Dj's,Mc's,Singers,Engineers and Beat makers. Later, BrownBoyProductions.com was officially released and hiphop production was brought to next step nationally and internationally.Nepalese Hip hop still had to work through the Nepalese streets to reach an audience and fans that preferred Nepali
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
over English (as lyrics).
Early 2000
In 2000, Rappaz' Union (sammy samrat and Nirnaya) came up with first English rap album. In 2003, Nephop was taken to next level, when Nurbu Sherpa released his debut album "Nurbu Sherpa Representin' K.T.M.C (Kathmandu City) which was the first ever Nepalese hiphop album recorded in the US, for which he was nominated for Best Music Video award. In 2004 "TheUnity"[Aidray/Da69] came out with their first album"Girish n TheUNity presents X" with Girish ( Gorkhali G )consisting of numbers like "Shes the Bomb" which later with music video tore the local charts apart. Around 2003–2004, when commercial artists with remix theme emerged in the Nepalese hip hop scene with lyrics the urban younger Nepalese generation could relate to, then the whole Nep Hop scenario was revolutionized, with increasing fans everyday "Nephop" was sure to stay. Then remixes like "Chyangba hoi chyangba" The Unity(remix- DJ Raju) "Chhundaina" by Nepsydaz
Nepsydaz
Da Nepsydaz is one of the leading hip-hop/rap bands in Nepal. Initially there were four members in this group—Mistah K, Zero Level, Manas and Schizo. These four members first called themselves Da Nepsythugs. Thanks to a fellow rapper, their group name was changed to Da Nepsydaz...
(remix - DJ AJ) were uprising and went more than expected on main commercial theme,While on other side soon enough Nepalese rappers published their music underground
Underground hip hop
Underground hip hop is an umbrella term for hip hop music outside the general commercial canon. It is typically associated with independent artists, signed toindependent labels or no label at all....
even though the audience were usually Nepalese living in the United States, UK and other parts of the world, an underground internet Nepalese hip hop scene was booming.
Rise of the Underground
In 2003, NYC based underground rapper Aroz spearheaded the Nepalese Underground hiphopUnderground hip hop
Underground hip hop is an umbrella term for hip hop music outside the general commercial canon. It is typically associated with independent artists, signed toindependent labels or no label at all....
movement through his hiphop website (now defunct) which he aptly named nephop.com.The term "Nephop" (coined by AJ) soon gained worldwide popularity and is being accepted to define Nepalese Hiphop in general.
In 2004, Aroz released his first underground single "Chudaina", produced by pioneer producer DJ AJ sampling 1974 AD
1974 AD
- Time Out :- Samjhi Baschu :...
in nephop.com. In 2005, Nepsydaz
Nepsydaz
Da Nepsydaz is one of the leading hip-hop/rap bands in Nepal. Initially there were four members in this group—Mistah K, Zero Level, Manas and Schizo. These four members first called themselves Da Nepsythugs. Thanks to a fellow rapper, their group name was changed to Da Nepsydaz...
gained a commercial success as a rap group when they released their version of the same song. Aroz became "the most controversial" rapper to experiment with "Dirty Rap" with his next single "Katti Khep Vannu". After a massive underground success of his single, he quickly released his next single, "Killin Terraces". The Germany based New Urban Music Blog in its review hailed "Killing Terraces" as one of the "best" Nepalese political raps.
He gained some mainstream exposure after getting featured in Nepali Hiphop star Nurbu's single "Baby Gurl" off Nurbu Sherpa's second album "Save Nepal". "Baby Gurl", a hiphop record by Nurbu Sherpa, was voted one of the top 10 songs of 2008, according to Fursad.com. Nurbu is set to feature him along with other underground rappers in the next single "When I'm around" " from his upcoming 3rd album which is set to be released by 2010. In 2010, a Nephop battle took place on YouTube, and the winner of that battle Was Dox. The good response to the competition shows that Nephop is on the rise.