T-pop and you don't stop

Thailand has a strong and vibrant music scene, from strangely catchy sugar syrup-dripping ballads to grungey indie rock. But as in many parts of the world, hiphop is the most popular form of music for savvy urban teenagers. Although the lowriding trousers look (for guys) has not taken off due to the slightly conservative nature of Thai society, MTV is often pumping out the block rocking beats of the controversial Joey Boy, Thailand's biggest rapper.

Joey Boy follows the usual US gangsta style of aggressive lyrics coupled with cute girls in hotpants winding their hips to phat breaks. Apparently the police usually turn up at places where they hear he'll be going as he is so "dangerous". Apparently bad boys are quite attractive to a lot of Thai girls - you see them dressed up in full US hiphop/r'n'b regalia over at RCA (a government designated "night life" area), competing to hang on the arm of the few guys who do dare to wear phat pants.



But the land of smiles also has its own unique spin on hiphop. Almost all of the groups have female singers or rappers involved, and it's become much more of a pop phenomenon, picking up the style and look of boy/girl bands. Some of the MCs are dressed in preppy polo shirts and have neatly cropped hair instead of shaved heads - looking like they'd be eaten for breakfast by Ol' Dirty Bastard. Groups such as 25 Stang (roughly translates as 25 cents), have a cute and scrubbed image, and proclaim "hiphop can be polite" and it can be "gentle, not cheeky or aggressive"!

Siam hiphop website