Malaysian hip hop

History

The Malaysian hip hop scene started in 1990s with rap groups such as KRU, 4U2C and NICO, but their so-called "Rap music" wasn't accepted by the mainstream community and so they had to changed to a more pop-ish sound. At around the same time, another group called Krash Kozz were the only group to introduce the New Jack Swing hip hop sound to Malaysian listeners, but they disbanded after their first album. Those were trying times, when the pioneers of the local hip hop scene were trying hard to break monotony of rock music, love ballads and pop sounds, which are staples in the Malaysian music scene, with the fans of these genres refusing to accept this new form of music. However, the younger generation, especially those in the urban areas, were more curious and receptive; they were more positively in-tuned to receive this new culture that was creating waves across the globe, which was further expedited and cemented by the introduction of records from American hip hop artists like the N.W.A, Brand Nubian, Gang Starr, Cypress Hill and many others.

The Malaysian music scene was dominated by these poppy-sounding groups until 1995-1996, when Poetic Ammo, composed of of Yogi B, Point Blanc, C. Loco & Land Slyde, came out with their classic album It's a Nice Day to Be Alive. Their first hit, "Everything Changes" revolutionized the local music industry. There were also groups from the underground scene that have established themeselves such as Naughtius Maximus, but it was Poetic Ammo that "made it big". Eventually, the group split up, with each members pursuing solo directions & found success in their own right.

One of the "powerhouses" of hip hop in Malaysia is Too Phat, which consists of Malique and Joe Flizzow. They were signed to EMI International's Positive Tone division and produced their first hit album, Whutadilly and their first single was "Too Phat Baby" featuring Ruffedge. Their Plan B album was a hit, with songs such as "Anak Ayam" and "Just a Friend" featuring V.E. receiving massive air play by local stations.

After Too Phat's success other underground groups such as Muchachaz, M.O.B and The Teh Tarik Crew have followed in their footsteps, eventually forming The Phat Family.

Notable hip hop groups and artists that have emerged onto the scene are Altimet, MizzNina, Reefa, Junior Hustle, K-Town Clan, KLG Sqwad, Hyperkinetix, Chakra Sonic, Bionic Asura, Rabbit Mac of Psycho Unit & PsychoMantra who are among the established hiphop artists. A growing stable of underground acts with different approaches to the genre are also steadily coming up on the local music scene.

Malaysia also boosts a number of established hip hop producers such as Yogi B, Dr.Burn, Emcee Jesz [G Soul (who goes under the aliases Qumran and BlissKid), Damien Shorty Soul, Cat, D'Navigator, T Bone, Goldfish, Dr.Anba / Big E.G.O., Merp Premo, KC Sash, Psycho Unit & PsychoMantra.

Growth

It was Too Phat that influenced the growth of hip hop in Malaysia. After the release of Plan B, the duo came up with another album titled 360 Degrees, which boasted the single Just A lil Bit, featuring international rapper Warren G of 213 Long Beach, California, followed by their final album before both went on as solo artists, Rebirth Into Reality. It was released in 2006,injecting new school Hip hop in Malaysia as contrast to their previous albums which were very much 90's hip-hop. The duo came up with fitted caps with KL Kuala Lumpur sewed on the front of it, showing much love for the city they represent. During this period, Joe Flizzow, one half of Too Phat, founded the record label called Kartel Records, (which further formed the ever-so-popular shout out "KARTELLO HELLO".) Rebirth into Reality was the duo's final album as a group.

Shows such as Blast Off (organised by Astro Malaysia) and Gangstarz (TV3 Malaysia) gave birth to another generation of hip hop, with groups such as the collectively formed Flow Fam and the first ever champion of Blast Off (group category), K-Town Clan. At about the same time, rapper MC Syze came up with a single that took Malaysia by storm which was Dancing, produced by V.E's Damian "Shorty Soul".

As solo artists, Joe Flizzow continued with Kartel Records while Malique, started his own independent label named Qarma Music. Malique's first solo album, OK, was a major success, boasting singles such as Mantera Beradu featuring M. Nasir and Kau Yang Punya featuring Najwa. Both singles hit number one on local charts and retained their spot for a relatively long period of time. Joe Flizzow followed suit with his solo album President, with also chart topping singles such as Do It Duit and Isabella.

Joe grew his Kartel label by signing other local acts such as MC David, Sona One, Richard J from Singapore, Mic Bandits from Brunei, DJ Iman, Sakti (Kartel's first non-hip hop band), Altimet from Teh Tarik Crew (one of the most successful hip hop groups during the rise of Malaysian Hip Hop), and DJ CZA from Ahli Fiqir.

Malique signed Ariz under his Qarma label.

See also

• Music of Malaysia
• Malaysian pop