When Girish and Pranil, popular as GP, debuted their musical journey through their “Meaningless Rap” album people had not trusted these school fellows then. Thus their Rap was taken to be meaningless. However GP (Girish Khatiwada & Parnil L. Timilsina) kept on holding their tracks as Rap singers.
That was more than a decade ago but things have changed now, albeit slowly. Rap, RNB and Hip Pop song’s market is growing in Nepal, as artists are providing many good numbers. As a result these singers are getting popular. They have been working hard to entertain the music lovers to full extent. No doubt these singers and bands are surely to keep it alive but the question arises whether the listeners have picked up the messages that is expected to flow? Have the listeners taken these songs as fashion and only shaken their bodies with the music? If the answer is in the affirmative then the efforts of the artistes are being wasted, hence making their creation worthless.
Simple fact of the matter is that if previously you have been only shaking your hips to these numbers then you have been wrong the reality is that these artists’ creation definitely bears a message for the listeners. If one spends time listening to romantic or other type of songs then s/he might think that throughout the song the lyrics flows praising his/her loved ones. Some songs describe the eyes of the beloved while others describe the hair, complexion, catwalk, voice, etc attracting the singer and falling in love and so on. These songs make you romantic and enable one to float in the ocean of imagination with lyrical flow and the activities shown in music videos. While in tragic songs the singers tell the story of their beloved’s betrayal and their ditching them for a wealthier person. The artists may also add drama to their songs and mention poison as well. However, there are songs with national feelings and songs presenting various cultures as well.
By separately studying the Hip Pop songs in some cases the story flows in critical topics such as violence, drugs, politics of Nepal and so on. The story gives glimpse of the present situation of the nation. “Ma Yesto chu” by GP inspires one to quit bad habits such as using drugs (hashish, brown sugar, syringe, gazza along with cigarette), watching blue films when alone, being alert from highway girls to prevent HIV AIDS. At the end of the song G & P regrets from their bad habits and requests the addicted people to do the same. GP’s another song “Malai Vote Deu” picturesque the shameless politician seeking for votes from villagers giving fake statements and never focusing on the development, just thinking of own and political selfishness.
Abhinash Ghising’s “Sunko bala” gives us the message to love our country, gulf is not the solution to get rid from loan and poverty as many labours have given up their lives. “Jastapata” by Abhinash lets us know replacing roofs with galvanized sheets (Jastapata) after selling their own chelibeti (daughter, sister and other ladies). “Women” by Abhinash acquaint with married women visiting to Disco & Casino with others and enjoying giving no thoughts to the drops of sweat of husband in Lahore ignoring her small child, husband – “Lahure” and society. Sharad Singh’s “Prashna” put forward selfishness of political parties and untrustworthy political leaders activities by singing “Swarthi chan Dala haru Biswash chaina Neta haru prati”. The song also focuses on the peace and looks for the youths to be separated from violence as they are being used as the medium for violence and show them the right path. “Ma Nepali” is a song by Nirnaya Da NSK advising Nepalese to keep hand in hands to solve the various problems of Nepal.
However, many Hip Pop songs are based on love as well. But this article deals specially with Hip Pop songs with message and raps. It deals with the words used in Raps, Vyakaran of Rap, i.e. grammar of Rap that is used to spread the messages regarding violence, drugs addiction and politics in Nepal. The people who love only Romantic, Sentimental, Modern and Lok Dohari songs accuse that Hip Pops are meaningless, like hard rock they are useless. But it is not true. I don’t agree with this and desire to convey that some Hip Pop songs holds message. It is one segment of music and one of the means to make listeners familiar, alert and aware from the current situation. Most of the Hip Pop artists try to portray message through their songs. I’m not trying to saying that all have to listen to Hip Pop songs. Neither am do I think that other categories of songs are bad. All I’m trying to say here is that Hip Pop songs bear messages. However I will take the liberty of making the suggestion that don’t only make time just listening to romantic songs. It would be better if one sometimes enjoys the music as well as the message given through rap creations. Don’t let these meaningful, and full of message creation go to waste assuming that it might be meaningless.
– Luckysurya
