DELVING INTO RAP
WRITTEN BY: Preetipls
Hi, I'm Preetipls, Singapore's TOP article writer. Some of you may have seen me on YouTube with my Nobody Asked series, some from my brand-new podcast, Chai Me B*tch, or may know me from the last time I performed at Aliwal Arts Centre in what seems like ages ago -- but was only last year, believe it or not!
Today, I'm gonna share a little bit more about some of my songs! You may have heard some of them, but if not, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? GO STREAM LAH!
Many of you know that my music and my work (in general) are different mediums in which I express myself and unpack everyday life -- from the offhand comments (read: sometimes racist / sexist / body-shaming) I get, to the things I observe around me. I first started doing music about two years ago, when I released remixes to some of my favourite songs, including Cardi B's Bodak Yellow, Nicki Minaj's Chun Li, Lizzo's Truth Hurts, and of course, most infamously, Iggy Azalea's F*ck it Up.
The funny thing is, I never believed I could rap until I got into the studio with my brother and tried to do so over a beat. With a little encouragement, I recorded and put out my first track, and over time I got more confident and decided to actually record original music, starting with my debut single, THICC.
Spell that shit right or I decline
I don’t need a feature, I’m already defined
And I only come in one design
THICC
THICC was the first song I released, and I decided to go big or go home. I wanted THICC to be a song to announce my arrival in the music scene -- something that was anthemic, and something that reminded thicc girls like me to love themselves! Looking back, body positivity and being proud of how one looks has always been a big part of my work. Even my first parody video was in response to a video making fun of appearances.
Up till today, so much of my work is about that, and with doing the work, I am more comfortable with who I am too. What I've learnt is that being comfortable in one's skin and loving oneself is never a moment or some benchmark, but it is a process and constant unlearning and learning how to love our bodies.
Credit: Preetipls
I remember being quite nervous before releasing THICC. AT that point, I knew my remixes were well received, but this was my own song -- a beat I picked and lyrics and flows that were gonna be always associated with me. I eventually overcome my nerves and released it, and just like that, I became SG's TOP rapper hahahaha! Fast forward a year and a half and today, there is even dog merch for THICC and Rita Ora has worn a THICC tee (pic below).
THICC is a song that will always have a special place in my heart. I mean, no lie, at some venues I don't feel comfortable performing the song - especially if it is to a mostly male audience, but I remember performing it at Babyboy party, and it was one of my favourite performances.
Iconically, we also filmed the music video for THICC at the National Museum, and I had some friends from dance trio, The Glamourettes, who joined us as dancers on the music video. Looking back, it was pretty wild that our bodies and dance moves were unapologetically presented as works of art in the video. I believe arts spaces should be more accessible to all, especially independent artists, and it was a really powerful moment, for us to be able to claim that space to produce our art. Send them an email, reach out to someone who knows someone, even make a cold call, it's worth a shot!
我就是 rap 的 brand new 世代
在一次來， 你再一次 die
第二个位， 我不明白
E8
E8 is probably my most listened-to song... and it's crazy because it's the first time I rapped an entire hook in Mandarin. E8 is really about turning negatives to positives. All throughout secondary school, I had to go for extra tuition classes and remedial sessions for my Mandarin. My parents chose Mandarin as my brother's and my Mother Tongue in school because our dialect, Malayalam, was not taught. Also, because "it would be more useful for the future"... or something like that. Well, in this version of the future, I put my Mandarin to great use by making a song titled after my O-levels grade, E8.
The song is really about being a boss ass b*tch, and interpolates the famous 对面的女孩看过来, a song by Malaysian-Chinese singer-songwriter Ah Niu, within the chorus. But beyond the lyrics, the larger message is really that we can transform the “failures” or negatives we have in life into moments of strength, resilience, and dope a** songs.
The politics of taking Mandarin as a mother tongue is not lost on me. My parents chose it as my second language because they thought it would give me a better shot at being successful in Singapore. I don't blame them; they were just looking out for my brother and I, but this is one way how many of our native tongues get erased. There are many times I wish we had studied Tamil in school, and it definitely has had an effect of alienating me from my own culture and fellow Tamil classmates and friends.
This is also why as I make songs like E8, I also make it a point to represent my own culture as much as I can, like in this next track!
To the crispy crunchy golden munchy remedy
Murukku
Murukku was released last year during Deepavali, and it was the first time my Mom’s voice was on a song (during the intro)! It was a song that my brother, Subhas, and I wrote together.
Every year, for hours on end, a week before Deepavali, my mother, brother, and I, would form an assembly-line workflow and make murukkus for all the guests who come over during our annual Deepavali feast. My brother and I would spend hours laying small square sheets of white paper all over the dining table, loading up a murukku gun with my mother’s special murukku flour, and shooting pretty little spirals hundreds of times until all the papers are filled up. Then, we would stack all these spirals on a tray, hand it over to mom, and she expertly fries the murukkus to a crisp. We repeat these until we finish all the flour. An afternoon’s work gives us hundreds of murukkus ready to crunch their way into our friend’s hungry stomachs on Deepavali afternoon. Wow, describing all that made me hungry for this year’s Deepavali murukku!
Murukku was a special song because we took something that was routine, a moment that has given so many memories shared as a family, something that was about our culture, and shared it with the world. It was like we were just opening our Deepavali celebration at home to everyone who watched the video. Besides, I looked super cute too –– so you're welcome, everyone 🤭
Suit Yourself –– I'm in a circle of winners
Suit Yourself –– you do you, I do me
If you ask, it's nyonya business like kueh pie tee
SUIT
Speaking of celebrations, one thing I say a lot during interviews is "You do you!" and that is really a celebration of self -- and that is exactly what SUIT was. Me celebrating being a boss a** b*tch in everything I do -- or at least trying to! 
Credit: Preetipls
Some people reading this might not believe it, but I am actually an introvert. So, making a song with the lyrics: You better call SISTIC "cos you never seen a sis with thighs that are this thick" is still quite unreal to me. The timing of the song was also noteworthy, as it was the first song my brother and I put out after receiving a two-year conditional warning from the police. It was important to show everyone who supported us that we were still out here, and still going to live our best lives.
The interesting backstory to the song SUIT was that it was initially supposed to be an interview with a friend who runs a tailor shop, Sheryl. Her company is 3Eighth, and they were the ones who designed and made my brother and my suits for the music video. Initially, Sheryl wanted to interview me as part of her series, but my brother and I decided to do one better and wrote a whole song that she had a cameo in during the music video! The video was directed by our friend and constant collaborator, Jake, and is one of my favourite music videos we have done to date.
The collaboration with Sheryl is really special, and is similar to anyone else we collaborate with -- we have a really fun process and actual friendships outside of the work we do. Besides, I only work with people I can trust, and over time, develop friendships with. Same as Chai Me Bitch and my work with Jayden, or with my brother, or my amazingly talented friends -- I am surrounded by creative, kind, and beautiful people who make even the wildest ideas -- like Wee San becoming Plasticzilla for Planetary Duo or me meeting a super tight deadline to upload for Chinese New Year or Deepavali -- come to life.
2020 had been a long year. For me, and I'm sure for some of you reading this, the concept of time has become so warped. It definitely feels like the longest year I've ever experienced. So much has happened, so I'm taking things one step at a time.
Truth be told, comedy and satire are how I process things that happen in my life -- from the good to the traumatic. As I look ahead this year, with Wee San having headed into NS, I will be hiring a new intern, and have a few project deadlines ahead. A lot is going on and I don't know exactly when I may drop music again, but that's the fun part, I guess. When an idea pops into my head, I speak to the people around me, we figure out what we can do together, get it done, and share it with the world. It's organic like that, and that's what makes it real -- and fun!
So, until then, I hope you enjoy everything that's out so far, and I look forward to the next Aliwal Urban Art Festival -- if the organisers will have us again *hint hint* There's something special about taking over carparks and public spaces. They belong to the public. These are our streets and arts and our cultural expressions should have precedence over I don't know... cars?
I hope you enjoyed a little behind the scenes of some of my work, and that this inspires you to get out there, create, and try something new! You never know who around you will conspire to help you achieve it, and you never know just how much impact you can make to the lives around you.
If you've made it to the end of the article then wow YOU LIKE ME THEN SAY LA... jk but this was fun -- I'll see you online!
Preeti Nair, better known as Preetipls (Singapore’s TOP everything), is best known for her satirical comedy videos on social media. She believes that being an 'influencer' means having the opportunity to use her platform and influence to spread positive social change and raise awareness about causes that are close to her heart.