Rap-Addicted
Photos: Shuttlestock
Last year, Bhimsen Thapa’s video went viral, but for all the wrong reasons.
The 23-year-old rapper, better known as Rapoholic because of his addiction to rap, surfaced all over the Internet, especially in the Nepalese community worldwide.
“It was disgusting,” says the rapper, reflecting on a spontaneous performance at a Nepalese party in London.
The video was mocked and criticised extensively on social networking sites.
But Thapa used those criticisms to self-evaluate and sharpen his rapping skills.
A year later, in July, Rapoholic won the Best NepHop Artist Award at the Nepalese Excellence Award, which honours Nepalese talent in the UK.
“I didn’t give up,” the rapper says. “I thought I could do better and so I continued. Instead of rapping in English, which is not my mother tongue, I focused rapping in Nepali.”
These days, Rapoholic is well recognised in the Nepalese community and performs regularly at various community events. But it’s not his profession but only a passion.
“It’s just a hobby to be honest,” says Thapa who is a business student and works part time as a chef at a restaurant in London.
A fan of American rappers like 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G. and 50 Cent, Thapa says his interest in rap sprouted listening to local artists like the rapper duo Girish-Pranil, better known as GP, and Nirnaya Da’ Nsk.
“You can express yourself freely in rap,” he explains his inclination toward this genre of music.
In his songs, Thapa says he likes to “talk about social issues.”
In his latest release, Rapoholic raps about student life abroad—the glamour attached to it and also about the hardships.
Thapa came to London three years ago as a student, and he says he could relate to the song.
Growing up in a small village in the outskirts of Pokhara, he bought cassettes and CDs just to learn the lyrics.
“There was no Internet and I used to rewind and replay the songs multiple times just to copy the lyrics and memorise it,” Thapa says.
A teenage fascination flowered into an intense passion when Thapa met his rap partner Rajeev Shrestha, also known as Robokok, in one of his classes in London.
They battled freestyle, co-wrote songs and rehearsed together. Robokok also helped Rapoholic to self-record and edit their music.
And he has been using the skills since.
In his YouTube channel BTM992mgr, Rapoholic has posted self-recorded videos from his room to his performances at parties and also his official video for “Student Life.”
“I’ve never recorded in the studio,” Thapa says.
Rapping for him is solely a personal interest, which he has no intentions of pursuing professionally.
“I do this to entertain people and also keep my passion alive,” Thapa says.
Despite loathing, Thapa continued to pursue his passion and is happy to have kept his interest intact.
“If you think you can do something, you shouldn’t give up,” he sounds determined. “You should show your talent. If you’re capable, you’ll definitely prove yourself.”
Tags: Bhimsen Tahpa, music, rap, Rapohilic
Categorised in: Features
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Even though, I didn’t like the sort of music Rapoholic did, he slowly started to grow on me. He is not my favourite rapper but I think the boy has something about himself.