Rappers, Rajas, and Borderless Spaces

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines the complex cultural identities of the newly formed Indonesian province of Kepri through an examination of a rap rendition of the revered poetry of the region’s most esteemed son, Raja Ali Haji (1808–1873). This rendition, ‘Gurindam dua belas’, by the Jogja Hip Hop Foundation was designed to inculcate an awareness of Malayness amongst the youth of Kepri and the Malay world more generally. The article examines how local popular music is created in a situation where entangled allegiances to global, national and local cultural identities are characteristic of the ‘borderless’ space that has resulted from the formation of the ‘Growth Triangle’.