Homegrown Rapper Yung Raja Opens Up About Fame, Family And Rapping

Homegrown rapper Yung Raja opens up about fame, family, rapping, and what art means to him.

- Asaph Low

“The beauty of art lies in the infinite number of ways it can be interpreted and understood,” shares Yung Raja with a chuckle. This statement held profound meaning, and it also encompasses the very essence of Men’s Folio’s first Art Issue. This line has stuck in this writer’s head since meeting Raja during the photoshoot for our cover.

When I was assigned to interview Raja, I was excited yet nervous. I knew nothing about him, other than that he is a singer/artiste of sorts. Therefore, I did my due diligence prior to our meeting – “Singaporean Rapper Yung Raja In The Spotlight” reads the headline of a Rolling Stone India digital article; another one reads “Meet Yung Raja, One Of Singapore’s Promising Rappers”. It became apparent that I was going to meet a star in the making.

The moment finally comes when Raja walks through the studio doors. How do I address him? Yung? Raja? Or his first name Rajid? “Raja, please to meet you,” Raja introduces himself when shaking my hand; Raja it is then.

Having just landed in Singapore from Europe at 6am, the rapper is in the studio later in the same morning for the cover shoot. He is full of energy – grooving and rapping along to Travis Scott’s Sicko Mode in the studio. There is nary a sign of jetlag or fatigue.

When Raja gets in front of the camera, his gaze intensifies as he effortlessly toggles between poses with aplomb. He is a natural after all, having started acting at the age of 13. “Being in front of cameras was what I wanted ever since I was young,” he says.