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Rap served 'cold': emcee A. Nayaka talks industry acclaim, 9/11 and new album
The Indonesian rapper's fourth studio album Cold Cuts sees the Jakarta native freestyling with a new sound as he comes to terms with his past.
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Getting warmer: A. Nayaka incorporates the brash sound of the rap subgenre of UK Drill in Cold Cuts. (Courtesy of Universal Music Group) (Courtesy of Universal Music Group/Courtesy of Universal Music Group)
T
he Indonesian rapper's fourth studio album Cold Cuts sees the Jakarta native freestyling with a new sound as he comes to terms with his past.
A. Nayaka was visibly amazed when The Jakarta Post pointed out that Cold Cuts, which was released digitally on April 1, was his fourth studio album — a record that further lengthens a career discography that was eight years in the making, encompassing his 2017 EP Colorblindflo and a hip-hop band project Blue Room Boys. Asked about the number of records he has made so far, the 27-year-old quipped, "Actually, I kind of lost count."
Nayaka has never considered himself the leader of his genre.
"I think I'm more like a prime symbol of 'being-yourself-wherever-you-go'," he said, laughing. "You see me doing this interview, but once we're, like, going out and having a drink, this is still me. And I really like pushing that agenda: letting people know that being yourself is cool."
Speaking of marching to the beat of one's drum, Cold Cuts can also be observed as Nayaka at his most liberated. Ditching the conventional hip-hop formula for a less-is-more precept, the emcee aimed to flex his rap muscle while examining his growth as a human being, resulting in what he claimed as his "best" record yet.
Immigrant song
