Watch Yung Raja, Fariz Jabba and Zadon pay tribute to their heritage in new music videos for ‘One 65’ EP

Including fresh spins on 'Munnaeru Valibaa' and 'Pandang Kasih'

Singaporean hip-hop artists Yung Raja, Fariz Jabba and Zadon have shared videos for their reworks of classic local songs collected in the ‘One 65’ EP, out last Friday (December 18).

On the three-track release on Def Jam Asia, each artist performs in their native language.  Yung Raja tackles the perennial Tamil favourite ‘Munnaeru Vaalibaa’, refashioning it with hip-hop production by RIIDEM and titling it ‘Muneru Valiba’.

Written by now-retired teacher S. Jesudassan, ‘Munnaeru Vaalibaa’ has been featured at most National Day events since 1967. Jesudassan has described the song as “a rally call to the youth to strive and reach out for the sky”.

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The ‘Muneru Valiba’ music video sees Raja coming to life in retro postcards that highlight Indian heritage sites across the country, like a Hindu temple, Indian food stalls, and the neighbourhood of Little India. His collaborators on the EP also make cameos.

Check out the music video below:

Fariz Jabba dived into the pantheon of Malay music, emerging with a rework of the love song ‘Pandang Kasih’ that was first popularised by Malaysian singer and ’60s icon Saloma. Fariz’s version is titled ‘Dari Sini’ and performed with hip-hop/R&B artist ALYPH.

The music video for ‘Dari Sini’ takes on a more cinematic approach, as Fariz is seen chasing after a girl through different eras in Singapore history, from the ’90s to the present and even a distant 2080. See it here:

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Zadon, a member of ShiGGa Shay’s Grizzle Grind Crew, caps off the brisk EP by reconfiguring Mavis Hee’s ‘Moonlight in the City’. Zadon breathes new life into the Mandopop classic with the help of rapper/producer Lineath on ‘Moonlight’.

‘Moonlight”s music video sees Zadon travelling though the city, talking to a girl and meeting up with Raja and Fariz along the way. The video also includes several traditional Chinese elements, such as temples, lanterns, and Wushu. Watch it below:

Each video was produced by a different local creative: the video for ‘Moonlight’ was directed by The Story Behind, while the visuals of ‘Muneru Valiba’ were directed by Imran of visual collective the Island Boys. Music video veterans Bless7up helmed production on ‘Dari Sini’.

Yung Raja recently released his third single, ‘The Dance Song’, his first release on US-based Alamo Records, and featured on Malaysian rapper SYA’s debut single ‘PrettyGirlBop’.

Fariz Jabba, on the other hand, dropped the emotive single ‘Nak Tak Nak’ in June, and recently performed it with an orchestra for the local music festival Gala Laga. ALYPH, Fariz’s collaborator on ‘Dari Sini’ and one-half of well-known local duo SleeQ, recently returned with the single ‘Adakah Kau Mendengar?’.

Zadon, on the other hand, dropped the single ‘Spin’ earlier this year. His notable collaborations include ‘Frontline Soldiers’ with ShiGGa Shay, written for Singaporean hit movie franchise Ah Boys To Men, and ‘Fix You & Me’ with Filipino singer Kayla Alvarez.

Aside from his debut Mandarin single ‘Adios’ in 2017 and 2018’s ‘你完美(You’re Perfect)’ with Tosh Zhang, he has also produced and written for such names as Sam Rui and Wang Weiliang.

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