Rajid Ahamed (born 14 December 1995[1]), known by his stage name Yung Raja, is a Singaporean-Tamil rapper and songwriter.[2] He is known for his use of Tanglish, a mix of Tamil and English, in his raps.[3]
Yung Raja | |
---|---|
Born | Rajid Ahamed (1995-12-14) 14 December 1995 (age 26) Singapore |
Nationality | Singaporean |
Education | Ngee Ann Polytechnic |
Occupation |
|
Years active | 2018–present |
Musical career | |
Origin | Singapore |
Genres | Hip hop |
Instrument(s) | Vocals |
Labels |
|
Musical artist |
Rajid Ahamed was born in 1995, in Singapore, to Tamil-Muslim parents from Tamil Nadu. Ahamed has three elder sisters, which led to him being given the nickname "chinna thambi" (Tamil meaning: younger brother), and subsequently inspiring the first half of his stage name. The second half of his stage name, Raja, pays tribute to the Indian composer, Ilaiyaraaja.[4]
Rajid Ahamed attended Ngee Ann Polytechnic and graduated with a diploma in mass communications.
Before becoming a singer-songwriter, Ahamed was a child actor acting in local dramas and having cameos in films including Ah Boys to Men 3: Frogmen and Joker Game.
Released in early 2018, Yung Raja's debut single was a remix of "Gucci Gang" by Lil Pump, titled "Poori Gang".[5] Yung Raja came to prominence after being featured in an episode of the Malaysia hip hop web-series, 16 Baris, in 2018.[6] The same year, he rose to prominence with the single "Mustafa", which was followed by "Mad Blessings". A sequel to "Mad Blessings", titled "The Dance Song", was released in October 2020.[7]
In 2019, Ahamed hosted the Asian reboot of YO! MTV Raps alongside Kim Lee.[8] Yung Raja was one of six inaugural signees of Def Jam Southeast Asia (alongside Joe Flizzow, Daboyway, Fariz Jabba and A.Nayaka) in September 2019.[9] After becoming the first Asian artist signed to Alamo Records,[10] he released the single "Mami" in March 2021.[11] Yung Raja gained international attention after "Mami" was featured in a The Tonight Show segment when Jimmy Fallon roasted the song's repetitive hook.[12][13]
Yung Raja was influenced by musicians including A.R. Rahman,[14] FlightSch, Alyph, Sid Sriram, and Drake.[15]
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"Poori Gang" | 2018 | Non-album singles |
"Mustafa" | ||
"Mad Blessings" | 2019 | |
"Amazing" (with ALYPH and Trifect) | 2020 | |
"The Dance Song" | ||
"Muneru Valiba" | One 65 | |
"Mami" | 2021 | Non-album singles |
"Spice Boy" | ||
"Mike" | Mike | |
"And Then" (with Fariz Jabba) | Non-album single |
Title | Year | Album |
---|---|---|
"PrettyGirlBop" (SYA featuring Yuna Raja) |
2020 | Non-album single |
"No Shade" (Kayan featuring Yuna Raja) |
2022 | Non-album single |
Title | Year | Other artist(s) | Album |
---|---|---|---|
"Qualified" | 2021 | Snoop Dogg, Larry June, October London | Snoop Dogg Presents Algorithm (Global Edition) |