Singapore rapper ABANGSAPAU drops the highly anticipated “hahaha,” his first single under Def Jam Singapore.
From his early days making music at DIY home studios to the big stage, the Malay-Sikh rapper makes a statement with “hahaha,” ABANGSAPAU proclaims that “This is not a rap, this is a keynote speech.” The track “laughs at shallow perceptions of success in the hip-hop game, all measured by social media stats and concise brand-building exercises,” according to a press statement.
ABANGSAPAU puts it succinctly: “Ku banyak dengar ‘do it for culture,’ half of y’all really do it for the ‘gram.” By the end, the track does a beat switch and takes a more somber tone. For him, he’s way past trying to be something and someone else. He considers “breaking out the cycle” the drive behind his art. “Hahaha” is him reclaiming himself—and proudly wearing his late grandfather’s sarungs.
Watch the Island Boys-directed music video:
