Bilingual artist Yung Raja (aka Rakid Ahamed) grew up in Singapore with roots in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu, and both places heavily influence the songwriting and rapping style he’s become well-known for. Alternating between Tamil and English, Rakid references everyday elements of Indian culture through deft wordplay. He found viral success in Asia after releasing a string of singles including “Mustafa,” “Mad Blessings” and “The Dance Song,” which received commendation by the likes of Lupe Fiasco and M.I.A. Rakid has only gone from strength to strength since and was named one of NME’s 100 artists of 2021. He sat down with writer Nyshka Chandran for WePresent to talk about the language of his creativity, and why it’s like nobody else’s.
