Gold Cube, RizwanOnTheBeat & Paital – Hip Hop from Dhaka

Podcast

In this episode of Long Take: Life as an Artist, we meet young Bangladeshi hip-hop artists Gold Cube, Paital, and RizwanOnTheBeat. Through their lyrics and beats, they tackle social issues and shed light on the challenges young people face in Bangladesh. Plus, Gold Cube sent us his «Dec 18, 2024 Quota Reform Movement Monologue»—a spontaneous recording. We’ve included it as an add-on to Episode Six. Tune in now on YouTube, Spotify, or other platforms!

We meet Nirob, also known as Gold Cube, along with Paital and Rizwan, at the home of their local idol, Skibkhan – listen to the episode featuring him here. Together, we explore Puran Dhaka, the Old City of Dhaka, where Gold Cube was born and lives – a place he is deeply proud of. Through hip hop, the three strive to represent the people of their neighborhood and the generation of college students in Bangladesh, who often face limited opportunities, as they explain in the interview.

They wield rap as a powerful weapon against negativity. Their international influences include iconic American artists such as Ice Cube (whose name inspired the Gold Cube moniker), Dr. Dre, Kanye West, and the beat-producing collective Internet Money, led by Taz Taylor. RizwanOnTheBeat produces a podcast and creates content for Bangladeshi music platforms such as BDHiphop and previously for DESIHIPHOP and BeatsBangla.

This interview took place during Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year tenure as prime minister, which ended in August 2024 when she reportedly fled to India following massive protests against her regime. Gold Cube was actively involved in these protests, released the hit song «Desh Shongskar» and reportedly went into hiding for fifteen days as authorities sought him.

Credits

Host: Thomas Burkhalter
Sound: Daniel Jakob, Melodies In My Head
Mix and Mastering: Daniel Jakob
Graphic Design (Cover): Pamuditha Zen Anjana
Photography: Ørjan Ellingvåg and Thomas Burkhalter
Editorial support: The Norient team and Rebecca Favale
Support in Dhaka: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

Listen to the full episode on YouTube and find outtakes in this YouTube playlist.

The podcast «Long Take: Life as an Artist» dives into deep conversations with artists from across the globe, focusing on musicians and sound creators. Hosted by Norient founder, anthropologist, writer and audiovisual artist Thomas Burkhalter, it explores the personal journeys of these artists – their aspirations, successes, challenges, creative processes, and perspectives on the world. The podcast is minimally edited, offering authentic portrayals of each artist, revealing the person behind the art. It serves as a valuable, freely accessible resource for anyone researching music, sound, culture, and politics.

The podcast is funded by

Biography

Dr. Thomas Burkhalter is an anthropologist/ethnomusicologist, AV-artist, and writer from Bern (Switzerland). He is the founder and director of Norient and the Norient Festival (NF), co-directed AV-performances and documentary films (e.g. «Contradict», Berner Filmpreis 2020 + Al-Jazeera Witness), and is the author and co-editor of several books (e.g., «Local Music Scenes and Globalization: Transnational Platforms in Beirut», Routledge, «The Arab Avant Garde: Musical Innovation in the Middle East», Wesleyan University Press). He teaches regularly at universities, and runs workshops for arts institutions. Since 2022 he produces the Norient Mixtape for Swiss National Radio SRF3. Currently, he is working on his new music duo «Melodies In My Head», and on the podcast series «Long Take: Life as an Artist». Follow him on Instagram, Research Gate, Academia.edu, Bandcamp, Spotify, or Meta.

Published on December 18, 2024

Last updated on December 19, 2024

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Skibkhan – Punchlines and Metaphors from Dhaka

Podcast

by Thomas Burkhalter

In this episode of Long Take: Life as an Artist, we meet Bangladeshi rapper Skibkhan, a member of the pioneering hip hop crew Deshi MCs. He delves into the creative process behind his lyrics and explores his role and responsibilities as a rapper in Dhaka. Listen to this episode on Spotify or YouTube.

Bangladeshi rapper Khan M Sayeed, popularly known as Skibkhan, strives to pack as many words into a bar as possible while keeping his lines simple and not overly complex. As a founding member of Deshi MCs, the group credited with introducing Bangla Gangsta Rap and hip hop to Bangladesh, Skibkhan has played a pivotal role in shaping the country’s music scene. Currently he is mixing rap and metal with Guerrillaz of Dhaka.

In the interview, he reflects on how to deliver clear and impactful messages without unnecessarily offending minority groups, emphasizing that freedom of speech should not turn into hate speech. He shares his observations on class conflicts in Bangladesh from a middle-class perspective and discusses how reading Bangla poetry – an inspiration from his grandmother, a poet – has helped him expand his vocabulary.

Skibkhan also opens up about his journey in the music industry, the challenges he has faced, and his aspirations for the future. This interview was conducted while Sheikh Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh with an iron fist for 15 years, was still in power. Her presidency ended in August 2024 when she fled to India following massive protests against her regime.

Credits

Host: Thomas Burkhalter
Sound: Daniel Jakob, Melodies In My Head
Mix and Mastering: Daniel Jakob
Graphic Design (Cover): Pamuditha Zen Anjana
Editorial support: The Norient team and Rebecca Favale
Support in Dhaka: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

Listen to the full episode on YouTube and find outtakes in this YouTube playlist.

The podcast «Long Take: Life as an Artist» dives into deep conversations with artists from across the globe, focusing on musicians and sound creators. Hosted by Norient founder, anthropologist, writer and audiovisual artist Thomas Burkhalter, it explores the personal journeys of these artists – their aspirations, successes, challenges, creative processes, and perspectives on the world. The podcast is minimally edited, offering authentic portrayals of each artist, revealing the person behind the art. It serves as a valuable, freely accessible resource for anyone researching music, sound, culture, and politics.

The podcast is funded by

Published on December 11, 2024

Last updated on December 12, 2024