Like in any budding industry, Nepal’s Hip Hop scene is not without its shortcomings, or so Aasis Giri tells me. “There is a lack of professionalism here,” Giri explains. “International artists are represented by record labels and management companies. Everything is contract-based and there are proper systems in place to protect producers and artists which Nepal is lacking,” At 28 years old, Giri is Nepal’s very first Billboard charting, multi-platinum producer.
Professionally known as Aasis Beats, Giri created a loop several years ago that would later find its way into UK rapper Central Cee’s 2024 hit track with LIL BABY, “BAND4BAND.” Initially uploaded to the music licensing platform Beatstars, Giri had nearly forgotten about the loop when it was unexpectedly picked up by Central Cee’s producers. The song went on to make waves, landing at No.18 on the Billboard Hot 100. The young producer also recently produced the track ‘All of My Problems Always Involve Me’ on the American Hip Hop duo $uicideboy$ 2024 album New World Depression. The album charted Number 1 on Billboard’s top R&B/ Hip-hop albums.
Before Giri became a producer, he was an aspiring rapper in Nepal, but it was the lack of quality production and scarcity of producers that led him to learn how to make his own beats and eventually fall in love with producing. With two Billboard-charting hits under his belt, Giri tells me that he wants to put Nepal on the map and work more closely with local artists, but emphasizes the need for established recording labels to step in and address the amateur approach to business that currently exists in the country.
Can record labels fix the holes in Nepal’s Hip Hop industry? Hong Kong-born, Belgium-based Nepali rapper Amazumi certainly thinks so. “If you look at Belgium’s music industry, they have very important systems in place that Nepal doesn’t. For example, the royalty copyright issues are pretty much unexplored here, especially in Hip Hop even though there is a Music Royalty Collection Society.
Amazumi, whose real name is Sumnima Setling, is perhaps one of the most recognized female rappers of Nepal. Getting her start in the music industry in 2017 after coming in eighth place at Belgium’s national music competition De Nieuwe Lichting, Setling’s Nu-Metal Rap musical style is a niche she’s carved for herself in Nepal. Together with her partner, Subash Rajopadhyay, who fronts Nepal’s Rap Metal band Tumbleweed Inc. and founded his own record label Skathi Entertainment in 2017, Settling is working to tackle the shortcomings of Nepal’s music industry.
“I think it’s the knowledge gap in the industry. There are a lot of knowledge gaps regarding how you can make a music industry thrive,” Settling tells me, sharing that there is a clear lack of professionalism in Nepal. “Venues will always try to haggle over prices to book artists, payments are never made on time, and it’s hard for artists to start making money here because there are no proper support systems in place to protect them.”
But Setling is hopeful that she and the team at Skathi Records can make a difference by providing a legitimate platform for artists. “Nepal has an untapped potential. There’s so much that can be explored here. Anything is possible. It is hard to get through legislation and to stimulate the cultural sector here. But we can start somewhere and that’s the work that I’m doing right now in Nepal with my partner.”
Settling has undeniably made strides in amplifying the visibility of Hip Hop in Nepal. In October 2024 Skathi Records hostedGOD IS A WOMAN, the country’s very first all-female Hip Hop festival. This event not only highlighted the talent that female rappers have to offer but also created a space for Hip Hop fans and newcomers to gather and celebrate the genre.
In addition to Settling’s efforts, Rana’s Raw Barz has been a steadfast supporter of underground female rappers, providing them with a platform to hone their skills and build an audience since 2013. Initiatives such as these are helping to reshape the narrative around Hip Hop as well as female rappers in Nepal.
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