Rap superstar and fashion icon Yung Raja (real name Rajid Ahamed) has only been in the game for 6 years, but the success and body of work he’s accomplished over that short period has been nothing short of extraordinary. His Tanglish-infused (a mix of Tamil and English) brand of hip-hop has led to several smash hits, ranging from his viral debut ‘Mustafa’ and follow-up ‘Mad Blessings’ (which received co-signs from Lupe Fiasco and M.I.A.) to chart-topping singles like ‘The Dance Song’ and ‘Mami’.
Several million streams on Spotify and YouTube later, Yung Raja has now performed at major international festivals (including Rolling Loud Thailand in 2023), opened for 50 Cent, collaborated with Snoop Dogg, launched his own Indian-Mexican restaurant The Maha Co and streetwear label Peace Oeuvre, and found himself on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list. Yet despite the considerable accolades, we get the feeling that Yung Raja's reign is just beginning.
Just last year, the bilingual ‘Spice Boy’ surprised many by leaving Def Jam Southeast Asia (an imprint of Universal Music Group), in order to manifest his own independent label alongside Ezekiel Keran, Fariz Jabba, RIIDEM and Flo Moser (the co-founder of Dubai-based brand Amongst Few). The multifaceted new company called Samabloc, is now home to the MC’s output, which includes his latest single ‘Too Dope’. We caught up with the surging rapper to learn more about how he turned his dreams into reality.
You’re one of the featured artists in Apple's Here’s to the Dreamers campaign. What drew you to this initiative?
Here’s to the Dreamers is an extremely inspiring campaign. I’ve seen this from past years’ campaigns, where my friends like Sezairi have also been featured. I feel like it’s an amazing way to showcase some of the voices from Southeast Asia on Apple Music’s global platform. It’s fantastic, and coming from a small place like Singapore, I really appreciate such campaigns for giving power and opportunity to empower fellas like us on Apple Music. Big love and much gratitude for having us in mind.
Seeing as the campaign is all about talent who have turned their dreams into reality. What are some of the ways that you’ve turned your dreams into reality that aspiring artists can take inspiration from?
I’ve been working hard to chase my dreams for some time now, even before I was releasing music - I started acting as a child around 12 to 13 years old. The idea of ambition, goals and dreams started at a young age for me. When I look back, I can think of dozens of times where I could have just stopped and everything could have just ended, or I could have changed plans when things didn’t go according to plan.
I’m so grateful that we remained relentless and I thank God everyday for blessing me with an undying and unwavering spirit to keep fighting, to keep working towards my goals. I feel like that’s one of the most important things that I can say to answer this question because for any aspiring artist, creative or musician, that spirit will keep you motivated, because it could take time for your dreams to turn into a reality.
For me, it could take four years, for you it could take two months and for someone else it could take 17 years. The key is to never give up and be relentless and I feel like I can safely say that my team and I have been on that path and we’re still in that mindset.
Tell us about the acoustic performance video for this campaign...
I’ll actually be performing one of my unreleased songs, ‘High Fashion’, which I’m very excited to release. I’m even more excited that this song would be a global premiere and I’m so happy that I could align its release with a Southeast Asia campaign like Here’s to the Dreamers - it’s gonna be a nice one.
You were in Paris earlier this year. For those unaware of your fashion exploits, what were you up to in France?
I was invited to watch the Louis Vuitton and Kenzo show live in Paris! This was the first time I received such an invitation and it was a moment that I was dreaming about for a long time. I mean, no pun intended. I know this is the Dreamers campaign.
Apart from music and my other ventures, I have also have always been super invested and interested in fashion. I’ve been drawn to it since I was young. Being invited to Fashion Week was something I have always dreamed of — it’s a bucket list moment — and what can I say, it manifested this year. I had the best time in Paris, spending the 7-8 days fully soaking in the Fashion Week vibes. I look forward to what comes next, and hope to get more opportunities like that because I really enjoyed myself.
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You performed at a bunch of overseas festivals like Pinkfish and Suara recently! What was the experience like?
It’s always a pleasure and joy to be able to travel for work and I feel so fortunate to be able to enjoy this life that the team and I have been building for a long time. A life that is built out of passion, by doing what we love and staying in a mode where you really enjoy the process. It can feel hectic sometimes, and feel more like work most times, but I I enjoy it. I love my job, what I do, music… and everything that comes with it.
On top of that, having the opportunity to be able to travel while doing what we love is an absolute joy. It’s amazing that we get booked for shows while seeing the world, meeting people and have new experiences. I always feel like my vibrations are always at its highest when I’m travelling overseas to perform. We are super blessed lately, with overseas shows, and I never want to take this for granted.
Do you have any upcoming music or projects that we should get excited about?
I’m working on my album, baby. I can't believe I'm finally saying this. This is the first time I'm actually revealing it publicly.
Finally - Kendrick or Drake?
I could go on for hours about this, but when it comes to the sport and art of rapping, Kendrick Lamar definitely placed a checkmate that would be spoken about for a long time to come. It might actually be studied by PhD students because it was a historic moment and would go down as one of the greatest exchanges between artists of all time. I think it has blurred the lines between rap, hip-pop and music. Looking at it from that angle, I would say Kendrick for sure.
On the flip side, if it was not for Drake kind of poking the bear, we wouldn’t have experienced the whole thing so I feel that there are two ways to look at it, but you know what, let's not get into that. I would say Kendrick.
