Struggles and triumphs of Nepali rappers

Hip hop and rap scene is getting a lot of hype in the Nepal music industry. However, the history of the rap industry was not the same.

Dayjen Jigme, a well-known rapper, explains how he came to fall in love with rap.

As a child he loved poetry and when he discovered rap music, there was no turning back for him.

Jigme explains, “Lyrics are a crucial part of a song and a rap song contains enough lyrical words compared to any pop album.”

“I remember reciting lyrics of my favorite artists and feeling this overwhelming sense of joy,” he adds.

It’s not easy for rappers to come out to their family; Jigme told his family that he was attending a poetry workshop. After knowing what their son is up to, they hated the idea of him rapping but as time passed, they understood what makes their son happy.

“As for my friends, I have been very blessed to have encouraging people in my life”, he says.

Tsering Dhwende Sherpa AKA Easi 12 also talks about his hardship on his journey as a rapper.

“I started rapping when the rap scene in Nepal was not at its peak. Back in the days, society did not look at rapping as a good career choice. They called us rappers ‘tyape’ or ‘gajadi’. But now the views are a bit different,” Sherpa says.

Jigme explains how a journey of a rapper is filled with ups and downs.

“There was a time when I was not even earning a penny, working late nights, bad crowd reactions. But when you work hard, in time you do get what you want. Nothing is more important to me than feeling appreciated for my art.” says Jigme.

“Our society assumes rap music is vulgar and to be honest, somehow they are correct”, says Jigme. “However it’s just the artists giving the audience what they want. My team and I continue to try and balance our content without compromising on our art”, he adds.

“It was not easy to go through the journey. But my friends were the ones who encouraged me to keep going. My family only knew what I was doing after I had released a few songs and my mother has been supportive since then.” explains Sherpa.

As the generation is changing, both of the artists say compared to the old days things are much better in the rap world. And they are both happy for the new generation.

‘“The world is full of talent and I cannot wait to collaborate with several artists.” says Jigme. On the other hand, Sherpa is happy where he is as an artist and is looking forward to the future.

“Currently I am working on 2 tracks, “Coffee” and a random free verse over a beat that I made myself,” he adds.