16 Baris is back for a 3rd season!
Joe Flizzow’s Malaysia-based cypher show has been hailed for giving a platform to some of Southeast Asia’s most promising and talented rappers. Filmed in his barber shop in Subang Jaya, he handpicks the show’s participants to freestyle in each episode, while DJ CZA serves as the show’s resident DJ.
In the past two seasons, the show has featured 50 rappers, primarily from Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Many of them have gone on to rise through the ranks of their respective local hip hop scenes.
While we wait for the premiere of 16 Baris’ newest season, here are seven of the show’s alumni and what they’ve been doing since their appearance.
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MK
Malaysian hip hop heavyweight MK of K-Clique performed on Episode 11 of 16 Baris’ second season alongside fellow Malaysians Afiq and QYO. His fellow K-Clique members have also been on the show, such as Noki, Tuju, and FareedPF to name a few.
In 2020, they were nominated for Best Southeast Asia Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards. While he’s been quiet on the music end lately, he’s successfully made a name for himself as a brand ambassador and an actor in Malaysia.
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Focus tracks: “Zoom Zoom Zoom” – MK K-Clique, Noki, Gnello, Kidd Santhe, CatFarish, “Peluang Kedua” – Nabila Razali ft. MK K-Clique, “HAA TEPOK” – MeerFly ft. Kidd Santhe, MK K-Clique
TUJU
MK’s fellow K-Clique member TUJU made his appearance on 16 Baris’ 12th episode on Season 2 with Miklo and ASYRFNSIR. The rapper, songwriter, and vocalist made his solo debut with “Jiwa Pusing” in early 2021 and has since then continued his solo career.
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Music-wise, he’s been busy with fellow 16 Baris alumni LOCA B producing many collaborations under the project TUJULOCA.
Focus tracks: “Khayalan,” “NALURI,” “Empati”
Hullera
Malaysia’s Hullera joins LOCA B and Arabyrd on a special episode of 16 Baris featuring all-female rappers. She’s regarded as one of the top female MCs in the scene, collaborating with the likes of Joe Flizzow, Bunga, and more.
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Earlier this year, she, along with ten other female rappers, performed at La Femme, which was billed as the first all-female rapper show in Malaysia.
Focus tracks: “Biarkan,” “Seres Ah,” “Panadol Freestyle”
Yung Raja
Singapore’s Yung Raja made his 16 Baris debut with K-Main and fellow Singaporean Fariz Jabba on the show’s first season in 2017 and has since become one of the most recognizable faces in Singapore’s hip hop scene.
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Fast forward to 2021, the Singaporean-Tamil rapper was among the guest artists in Snoop Dogg’s global edition of Snoop Dogg Presents Algorithm album alongside Joe Flizzow.
Earlier this year, Yung Raja was named one of the artists in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list and has collaborated with the likes of RAMENGVRL and Kayan.
Focus tracks: “The Dance Song,” “Mustafa,” “Mad Blessings”
SonaOne
Malaysia’s SonaOne is a bonafide multihyphenate: an award-winning singer-songwriter, rapper, producer, graffiti artist, model, and actor. The French-born Malaysian hip hop artist joined Radio3000 and Lil J on the first season of 16 Baris. Before joining the show, he was already an award-winning producer, having won major awards (including “Best Song” for “No More”) at Anugerah Industri Muzik in 2014 and the Juara Keseluruhan (translation: Overall Champion) at the Anugerah Juara Lagu in 2015.
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Since his debut on the show, he’s gone on to become one of Joe Flizzow’s frequent collaborators (the two have been working together prior to the show), joining him on “Havoc,” “Hello,” and most recently, “Satu Malam Di Temasek (SMDT).” He recently performed at Malaysia’s Good Vibes Festival.
Focus tracks: “I Don’t Care,” “No More,” “Havoc”
Fariz Jabba
Singaporean rapper Fariz Jabba joined Yung Raja and K-Main on 16 Baris’ first season. Since his debut on the show, he’s continued to make his mark on the Southeast Asian hip hop scene, frequently collaborating with other rappers from different countries.
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He collaborated with Cambodian singer Sophia Kao and a number of Singaporean rappers in a remix of FORCEPARKBOIS’ viral hit, “Lotus.”
Focus tracks: “Kalah,” “Masa,” “Ape Sia”
LOCA B
Malaysian artist LOCA B joins fellow female rappers Hullera and Arabyrd on the aforementioned all-female rapper episode of 16 Baris. Since her debut on the show, she’s mainly collaborated with fellow 16 Baris alumni TUJU with their project, TUJULOCA.
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In 2021, her collaboration with Kaka Azraff and 16 Baris alum Noki titled “Gila” won Best Song at Malaysia’s Anugerah Juara Lagu 35, one of the country’s biggest annual music competitions. It is currently the second hip hop song to win the competition’s top award since the show’s inception.
Focus tracks: “Gila,” “Show,” “Cute”
While the show has yet to announce the premiere date for Season 3, they are currently holding an open call for rappers and beatmakers. Interested participants have until October 7 to submit their auditions.
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Header image: Artist photos courtesy of MK, TUJU, Hullera, Yung Raja, SonaOne, Fariz Jabba, and LOCA B via Instagram
