"It's A Defence Mechanism!" Clash Meets Ramengvrl
The Indonesian rapper moving in her own lane...
With its origins in the Black communities in America, hip-hop serves as the vocalisation of alienated members of society.
Much like punk and rock ‘n’ roll, it’s a genre associated with a rejection of the status quo, and it’s this rejection of societal norms and values that makes it the perfect vehicle for the counter culture movement in Indonesia today.
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Indonesian rapper *Ramengvrl *(Putri Estiani) is one of those people. When doing a quick ecosia search two things stand out about this groundbreaking artist; one, that she possesses a unique originality that you can’t help but love and two, she’s the only female artist in the multitude of Top 10 Indonesian hip-hop artist lists online. As one of the few women dominating the Indonesian hip-hop scene, her debut album ‘Can’t Speak English’, is both a statement of intent and ode to all the beautifully mismatched pieces that make up this talented artist.
Previously working a 9 to 5 corporate office job, where suits were the only suitable clothing choice, she found sanctuary from the stress that the controlled environment brought with it by creating music in her downtime. She said about creating her music “I wasn’t bothered if anyone was looking at it, I just wanted to get that shit out because for me it was a way of de-stressing from work. I would go home, quickly open audacity (I didn’t even have money for logic pro or whatever) and I would record myself on a super random beat using this mic for Skye and oh my God the quality was so bad!”
What started as a method of releasing stress turned into her passion. Fuelled by naysayers and sustained from the high recording music gave her, the more she uploaded tracks on SoundCloud, the more this hobby became a passion project. Influenced by a range of musicians from Kanye West to Japanese singer, Utada Hikaru, hip-hop music has enabled Ramengvrl to express her rebellious nature, note the use of a ‘v’ in her name instead of an ‘i’ or ‘u’. From the name alone, it’s clear she’s an artist who subvert expectations.
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With the album ‘Can’t Speak English’, Estiani has used the opportunity to successfully showcase all the elements that make up her Ramengvrl self as well as turning her previous insecurities as a musician on their head. The symbolisms begins with the album’s name, ‘Can’t Speak English’.
Referencing more than just the singer’s ability to speak the language it harks back to a time when she used the explanation ‘I can’t speak English’ to disarm the audience and protect herself. “I didn’t start out speaking English and it has been one of my insecurities. It’s a defence mechanism I would say to lower people’s expectations… so if I come out good, that’s good, but if I come out bad, then I already told you I can’t speak English. I’ve stopped doing that because instead of protection it actually feels like I didn’t respect myself.”
Ramengvrl uses ‘Can’t Speak English’ to demonstrate her characteristic unstoppable, boss-like nature that she drew fans in with, most notably with Ted Park collaboration ‘Look At Her Now’ and ‘Vaselina’, which features euro.
However, Ramengvrl builds on this by using her work to also show her vulnerable side with the track ‘The Emo Song’, which features fellow artist and friend Sihk. Ramengvrl’s vocals are reminiscent of Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington and by using the term ‘emo’ she reminds the listener of the real origin of a term often used flippantly. The use of the term ‘emo’ also refers to the sub-culture of music itself, creating a sense of nostalgia for those who were once or remain part of that community.
“We all have our bad days like it’s going to be okay… It was like ‘hey, me the girl that you guys think would never feel sad or depressed is the same exact girl that rapped when I die I’ll be covered in cashmere. I can also feel alone, I can also feel like my dreams are slipping away and its not only me. I want to communicate with the song that I can be sad too… it’s okay to be sad.”
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What’s striking about Ramengvrl’s rise is that her explicit raps have taken her to the number one spot in the typically orthodox country of Indonesia. She isn’t alone however, hip-hop as a music genre has taken over the world and Indonesia isn’t the only country to have a conflicted relationship with the music genre. Since former president B.J. Habibie described it as ‘no use whatsoever, especially for the younger generation’ the genre remained underground in the public eye until the 2010s. From then on, the genre enjoyed a meteoric rise with stars such as Young Lex and Rich Brian, the latter who rose to international fame with his single ‘Dat $tick’ in 2016.
It’s an interesting contradiction to be rapping about sex in a country that is looking to ban sex out of wedlock, but even more so as a female rapper rising to fame in this traditional society.
“I’m also confused, why would Ramengvrl work in Indo? In Asia, yeah sure but Indo? What is going on? To be observational about it, I would say…they [fans] have been waiting for a new generation of female rapper and they got me.”
“In Indo when it’s a female musician they almost always have long hair, are a girl next door who never says any profanities and there’s a lot of musicians like that, don’t get me wrong I’m fine with that, go do whatever. But I feel like in Indo there’s actually a lot of contemporary or liberal people, and those females might no feel fully represented. It’s not even just women but people within the LGBTQ+ community, people from that community always DM me or mention me on Twitter saying thank you so much and 'you inspire me to be myself and just do what I gotta do.’”
The album is the perfect tonic for the experience that 2020 has brought with it. Ramengvrl’s infectious, eclectic sound is shown in full colour and ‘Can’t Speak English’ is a testament both to her progress so far, and what could lie ahead.
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'Can't Speak English' is out now.
Words: *Eleanor Forrest*
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