Picture courtesy of Hamzah Nazari.
Taken directly from http://www.klue.com.my
“NY needs Jay-Z, MY needs Kraft”—strong words for a young man at the beginning of his career. Rappers are not known for their humility and Asian rappers are no exception. As the current champion of Think You Got Skillz? and U.O.X. Play Freestyle Battle and winner of Voize Music Awards Best Collaboration with singer Melissa Endot, Kraft has reason to be confident. But isn't hiphop dead commercially? Can audiences relate to a local rapper speaking through, essentially, an African-American invention?
“People associate the word ‘poyo’ with hip-hop. They go like, ‘Aaah, you know! All that!’ But sometimes some people forget that hip-hop is actually a cultural thing. When MTV puts black rappers on, everybody wanna be black. But black rappers are rapping about what black communities are going through. Some like to flash about what [its] gotten, you know, ‘I rap about the hustle and the ghetto, I got the million bucks… and the Bentley, you should see me, I’m Elvis Presley!’ They go on that road. Over here… it's just that when you rap and [somebody] knows what you are saying irregardless of what [he] wears or what you wear but if [he] feels you, he doesn’t have to live the life you live—the whole ‘I gotta wear baggy pants and air force ones and crop my hair and braids.’ No, if you can rap to accommodate what the market likes and what the [common person] likes then you’ve probably done your job, as an artist, you’ll get your awards ‘cos they’re gonna like you.”
Kraft’s talent is evident. On Diamonds his voice throbs against the music. His delivery is flowing, musical. On Ayoh Joget, the upbeat, playful tone belies the desperate ennui of Malaysian youth. His swagger is matched by genuine respect for his peers. Bravado reveals the thrill to explore his ability. There’s maturity in there too. As the conversation winds down, it leads to observations about themes within rap and how the audience responds. Like the rhymes he so easily slips into, Kraft is fluid, complex and clever. MY will be listening. Get more Kraft at www.art-kraft.blogspot.com*** and www.myspace.com/kraftonline
*** this website formerly had that url link
Text Kamariah Rahman
Article taken from KLue Magazine June 2009, Issue 128
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