Singapore rapper Yung Raja's 'Spice Boy' ode to Rajinikanth

Singaporean rapper Yung Raja revealed his brand-new single "Spice Boy", paying an ode to superstar Rajinikanth.

The 26-year-old bilingual rapper said: "Rajinikanth has been my idol all through my growing-up years. He's such a legend world over.

"I wanted to give an ode of sorts to him and celebrate his supremacy in my music video and for as long as I'm creating, I'll look back to the moments he has given me as inspiration - his style mainly, and as inimitable as it is, I belong to the generation of fans that have his swagger permanently etched in our minds."

The three-minute cinematic video is fused together by madcap action, curly wigs, inflated sumo costumes, and disorienting close-ups.

All of this is captured by Vadbibes director Jas Tan with a carefree sense of the surreal and produced by Flightsch and RIIDEM.

Comical antics are set in formidable locations looking straight out of Christopher Nolan films, but Yung Raja takes centre stage by invoking the brash spirit of Rajinikanth's characters.

Yung started his career in 2018 with his single "Poori Gang" and went on to become Southeast Asia's rising hip-hop artist with "Mustafa", "Mad Blessings", "The Dance Song".

His recent track "Mami" recently got featured on the American late-night talk show "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon".

His latest single "Spice Boy" tries to break free from homogenous expectations of popular culture. Continuing his crusade of making room for multi-dimensional cultural identities Yung Raja said: "Since I was a child, I've always been proud of my culture, my roots, my mother tongue, everything that makes me 'me'. Learning to embrace that from a very young age is one of the reasons behind the bilingualism in my art.

"This is who I am, a bilingual boy born and raised in Singapore to traditional parents who migrated from South India. I remember first discovering hip-hop music when I was 10 years of age and how it made one of the first and strongest impressions on me creatively. That was the real beginning of my rooted identity and voice amalgamating with hip-hop culture. I believe my persona is all about staying authentic to the duality of my cultural make-up."

The first-generation Singaporean-Indian was recently signed to US label Alamo Records, marking his entry into the US market. The young rapper is also signed to Def Jam Southeast Asia, which is under Universal Music Group.

"Spice Boy" was released on Thursday night on all audio streaming platforms and the official music video will premiere on Yung Raja's Vevo channel.