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Ariel Nayaka’s hip-hop rise started with California road trip
Ariel Nayaka’s journey in the Indonesian music scene has been a swift one
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Ariel Nayaka’s journey in the Indonesian music scene has been a swift one.
Only four to five years ago, he was still making music on a personal scale, in his bedroom with his friends. Gradually, he became a star in the burgeoning local hip-hop/R’n’B scene, rapping on many singles and eventually releasing his own.
One can tell by having a simple conversation with him that the 24-year-old will stop at nothing to breathe hip-hop music for the rest of his life. His musical intuition began at a young age, starting when he listened to and enjoyed his mother playing piano at home.
Ariel’s love for hip-hop stemmed from his youthful experiences growing up in Houston, Texas. His childhood in the United States was affected by the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001 when he felt alienated by the American perception of Muslims after the event.
But he found a supportive environment in his friends, connecting mainly with African-Americans as well as Latinos; the minorities that know how it feels to be ostracized in America.
From there, he took part in activities such as basketball and eventually hip-hop. The defining moment for Ariel was a road trip to California that took almost 13 hours. It was then that he stumbled on the gangsta rap album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ by 50 Cent.
“I was drawn to the album’s cover [...] I thought that it looked cool, so I bought it,” he said.
“That was the only record I had during that road trip, and I played it front to back the whole way. After that, I basically fell for hip-hop.”
Ariel’s musical journey included a short stint in a rap-rock band in 2009 when he returned to Jakarta. He eventually collaborated with fellow rapper Fadil “Matter Mos” McGee. Ariel initially played guitar in the Rage Against the Machine-influenced band and eventually stepped up to the mic, essentially playing the role of Zack de la Rocha in the position.
Even in other musical settings, he could not escape his love of rap.
Since starting his hip-hop career in 2013, Ariel has built a name for himself, performing at major events like We the Fest and collaborating with artists such as Dipha Barus and Rayi Putra as well as producers from Dubai and Malaysia.
His last big feature was on the Dipha-produced hit song “Decide”, where he shared the mic with Matter Mos and Ramengvrl. Internationally, he has performed in Malaysia and is due to perform in Japan.
As Ariel grew as an artist, he gradually began to expand his musicality, mainly by expanding his live sets to include a band. In his desire to develop as an artist, he integrated his band, The Blue Room Boys, into his music.
The Blue Room Boys has been a staple in his music, especially on his new album, Cadence Blue. Ariel had previously released several albums such as Curriculum Vitae in 2016 and Colourblindflo in 2017 but Cadence Blue was the first record he made that really felt like a true album.
Released under Peachja Records in April this year, he describes Cadence Blue as a balanced expression of himself; his sadness and his happiness all in one. It is a well-produced record, inspired by Batman villain Harvey Dent.
His influences are visible in his music, taking cues from Drake and Travis Scott. This is a familiarity that might draw criticism. After all, when an artist is influenced so much by others, it is hard to shake off the aspects that they learned from them. To admit this is to recognize artistry.
Ariel is fortunately aware of this fact, and as a result, he created an album that sounds true to himself and serves as a tribute to his idols.
“Every time I write a new song, I learn something new, be it technically or how I flow my experience. And whatever I write will be where I am musically at the moment. […] And I feel that my influences will come out naturally,” he explained.
“I don’t aspire to sound like my idols, but that’s what I was exposed to and it just comes out of me subconsciously. I try to do what I do best because I love the music I make.”
