It’s old news that hip hop has gone global, but there are still a few sleeper spots where local incarnations of the genre haven’t yet gotten the acclaim they deserve. The hip hop scene in Indonesia’s second city—Yogyakarta, aka “Jogja”—is not to be messed with. Melding multilayered rhythms from the traditional music and dance of Java (the isle on which Jogja sits) with American hip hop beats and melodious Indonesian rhymes, we’re talking sumptuous, exotic island flow coming out of the world’s most populous Muslim country. Lyrics are often remixed classical Javanese poetry and the ladies have their say, too. The videos below include a couple of head-boppers I dug up online and the trailer for a documentary produced last year on the scene, Hiphopdiningrat, featuring the Jogja Hip Hop Foundation. Check the site for a few more underground tracks and ride out, Java-style.
Shouts to ChaCha in Jakarta who put me on to the riddims.
This us dope! I am definitely gonna check out the Java hip hop scene here in Jakarta.