Thailand’s rap community has spoken up against the ongoing conflict with Cambodia, with several rappers releasing diss tracks aimed squarely at their neighbour.
Rappers Youngohm and Maiyarap each released their tracks just days after simmering tensions between the two countries took a violent turn.
Youngohm – who you may recall was behind the 2023 smash Thatthong Sound – released Scam Lord on 27 July, a track he wrote and produced.
The expletive-laden track appears to diss the Cambodian leadership, which has accused Thailand of starting the latest attacks, a claim the Thai government strongly refuted.
Since its release, the track has clocked close to 900,000 views as at 29 July.
Meanwhile, Maiyarap’s Truth was released on 28 July. In a statement following the release of the song, Maiyarap says the track was “created to reflect the reality of the conflict along the Thai–Cambodian border”, and “to speak honestly about what is happening”.
He stressed: “It was made without any intention to incite, provoke, or promote hatred, violence, or war in any form. We do not support war, violence, or any form of human rights violations.
“We also do not condone discrimination against Cambodian people living in Thailand or individuals who are not involved in this conflict.”
Other Thai rappers who have also released new music in response to the conflict include ILLSLICK, with The Real Suvarnabhumi (not the famous Bangkok airport, but a reference to the historical port in Indochina whose location has been a source of debate.
On the Cambodian side, the relatively-smaller rap community has also released music in response to the ongoing conflict.
