“Hip-hop has just risen in Nepali society and people don't know much about it, about rap, about hip-hop,” he told VICE. “Since I was in school, I was already engaged in hip-hop and my move helped me to create more music because in the capital there are many studios, producers from which I could learn more and record more music.”

Nepali rapper Prakash Neupane hails from Nepalgunj, a 12-hour car ride from the capital Kathmandu. But the 21-year-old has since migrated to the city in order to gain musical success. This is where the producers are, and as a hip-hop artist trying to make it big in Nepal, he needs whatever help he can get.

Prakash was 16 when his first official song Aaideuna, a romantic love song for teenagers, was released. He now has 32 songs and three albums to his name, but his topic of choice for his music has since evolved. His latest, Bang Bang, is a political rap song about civil war, the local Panchayat political system, and Nepal's slow economic progress.

“Nepal had to deal with a civil war where thousands perished and then it took a decade to pass a new constitution. Those who had access to power became rich and powerful, but the general public remained poor,” he said, referring to the 10-year long civil war in Nepal from 1996 to 2006. “This is why I want to alert the political fraternity through my hip-hop music.”

Nepal is ranked the 19th poorest countries in the world, with an average annual income of just $1,347. The country remained a closed society until the dawn of the 90s when Internet, globalization, and migration brought changes to the country and inevitably, the Nepali music industry. The last decade prior to the 2000s ushered a new wave of Nepali hip-hop or “Nephop,” in the Himalayan nation. Fast forward to 2019, young Nepali rappers like Prakash are breaking the traditional concept of what hip-hop music should be.

The growth of Nepali hip-hop can be credited to a grassroots, freestyle rap battle event called Raw Barz which started in 2013, from which several rappers have emerged. Today, rappers speak on different themes—from politics to love, social injustice to corruption. The rap event, streamed only on YouTube, has so far seen 4 seasons, and has since extended to Raw Barz USA.