“Even though we don't have live concerts to perform at or go to, we see all these new rappers coming up,” TwoPee Southside, a member of hip-hop megagroup Thaitanium, tells BK Magazine. “Maybe it’s because they have time to put in work while they are...with the home studio equipment with the rhymes in their mind.”

TwoPee worked his way up winning competitions and became a national sensation as a coach on The Rapper TV series. He says Thailand’s hip-hop is unique because of the language’s unique vowels and tones. Today, hip-hop in Bangkok runs deep. The scene, however, has been facing a war on multiple fronts as Covid ends live music and the authorities lose patience with dissent.

While other styles have crawled back from the brink, major and minor venues for club-based hip-hop have been shuttered for more than 10 months, and the artists are forced to find new ways to create. “Now all you can do is focus on online mode. YouTube and all the music platforms, it’s what the world needs now. Keep pushing new music and PR yourself,” TwoPee says, on advice to new hopefuls.

As politics makes celebrities and martyrs of hip-hop stars, the scene on the ground struggles to get back to normal. BK Magazine speaks with five hip-hop personalities–some at the top of their game, some starting out–about how hip-hop hopes to come back. Read this interview with Milli and watch this space for more. 

Rap battles its way back from the brink, Hua Hin tips and tricks, the inside on Antito, Charles the French’s magical comedy, and more. Pick up a copy of BK Magazine in selected locations today.