Gau Tirai: Vten’s new dimension for Nep-Hop

By Mannu Shahi

Samir Ghising aka Vten is arguably a much ostracised, very controversial but just as equally, if not, the most popular rapper of Nepal. 

Engrossing a staggering 1.76 million subscribers in his official YouTube channel, the rapper gained this hyper attention after the release of his infamous tune ‘Hami Yestai Ta Ho Ni’. The aftermath of this single showcased the public this authoritarian response to a mere piece of music, in a shocking manner by violating the basic human rights connoted by the constitution regarding the freedom of speech in our country. 

Many artists came forth in support of Vten, who was completely invalidated for singing a few offensive lines and dressing up as a powerful social figure in a hip-hop music video. Nonetheless, his singles, if considered divisive have ever since been censored and banned from upload in any global music streaming platforms. The emcee who is the only Nepali musician to be featured in the Vice Asia YouTube handle for their World News Interview segment, openly admitted his resentment for the dismissal of his music videos.

His new single, ‘Gau Tirai’ as always is trending on #1 for music from Nepal moderated YouTube broadcast. Premiered on 4th June 2022, the tune is composed, performed and envisioned by Vten himself, while the music and production is credited to Beatsbyhype. The video is directed, shot and edited by James Lama; Anish Gaire on co-cinematography; Jozi FPV on FPV Pilot; Bishesh Maharjan and Arbindra Yadav as gaffers. 

A quite different venture than his usual content, the single tends to shed light on a very sensitive topic; figuratively an intimate story of his childhood, his privileges and all the things he was deprived of growing up, adult life hustle and the following realization that garnered within him this empathy for his parents, his native locality, the kids who idealize his musical persona and other less-fortunate folks residing in his village. 

The video portrays the rapper attending various families in person to equip the locals with some tangible goods and cash. The lyrics talk about this common suffering that entails in every living creature and how communal empathy can help outgrow this conditioning. Somewhere along the verses Vten vents his frustration of being this infamous celebrity and how he has started a side business for over a year to help sustain his living expenses due to the inconsistency in musical wages. The stunning visuals capturing the spacey open fields of the village lands, the unpolluted muddy rivers, the straight lane highways, the traditional wood houses and everything little detail aids more visually to the story expressed by the narrator. 

Paradoxically, hip-hop musicians have always portrayed themselves as very successful, partying non-stop, having extravagant lifestyles and being intensely urban and flashy; so much so their stories come off as not from Nepal but elsewhere. However, ‘Gau Tirai’ may be amidst the few handpicked Nep-hop tunes which feels rather internal and both visually and sonically execute this warm home-like feeling that majority of Nepalese audience can relate to. Even Vten or his other contemporaries always followed this generic route of ostentatious flexing culture but with this single maybe the Nep-Hop industry would now also acknowledge the beauty of having less, the stories reposing struggles of the misfortunate and the spurned magnificence of our native lands and culture.