RIP Yama Buddha

Earlier this month, Nepali hip-hop superstar Yama Buddha was found dead in his apartment in London as a result of a suicide attempt. Yama's death came as a shock to tens of thousands of Nepali hip-hop heads as well casual listeners who had become familiar with the rapper as a result of his efforts to popularize hip-hop in Nepali society. A man who had gained unparalleled status in his field was now gone as a result of depression and uncertainty about his career.

Born Anil Adhikari in Morang district in Eastern Nepal, Yama Buddha grew up in Kathmandu in the late 1990's and early 2000's during an era when hip-hop was an unknown art form to most of Nepali society. As a rebellious kid who was active in the streets in Nepal and had exposure to the British grime scene during his college days in the UK, YB was able to pioneer hip-hop in Nepal by being one of the rare artists who could spit heat in both English and Nepali. This was in stark contrast to the Nepali rap of the mid and late 2000's, which was usually corny and reserved to being forced into remixed dance tracks. In most of his tracks, especially in his early days, Yama Buddha retained the purity and intensity of hip-hop in its natural unadulterated state. Many of his best songs were centered around various social problems, such as poverty in "Footpath Mero Ghar", political corruption in "Challenge", drug abuse in "Saathi" and female sex trafficking in "Yo Prasanga". In other songs like "Jutta Ma", "Ma Futchhu Tara Jhukdina" and "KTM Grime" he displays his high lyrical capacity in both Nepali and English.

In addition to releasing music, Yama Buddha was one of the founders and the initial host of Raw Barz, the first high profile battle rap league in South Asia. Coming from a background of battling in the grime scene in London, YB was able to give a platform to burgeoning young MCs in Nepal wanting to showcase their ability. As a result, many talented rappers like Unik Poet, Laure and Balen were able establish themselves in the scene and draw significant fan bases. The concept of battle rap became so popular in Nepal that even mainstream media outlets like Kantipur televised parodies of politicians battle rapping. Unfortunately, with the increased interest in the culture, Raw Barz was not able to maintain the same quality it had at its start and as a result Yama Buddha slowly distanced himself from the organization. Similarly, in Nepali hip-hop as a whole, the groundswell in popularity led to a surge in impostors, posers and lames masquerading as rappers similar to the rise of Vanilla Ice in America. Nonetheless, the status of hip-hop has clearly risen in Nepal, which is due in large part to the efforts of Yama Buddha. It's tragic that such a figure left us so early, but we can only honor his legacy by making sure Nepali hip-hop will flourish in the future.