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A rising young Sudanese musician and an ex-Canberra Raiders star from Queanbeyan are among the line-up at Braidwood's first hip-hop night this weekend. The Smokey Horse will serve a tasty international smorgasbord of Himalayan, African, Aboriginal, Filipino and Australian rap and hip-hop on Saturday evening. "You can share hip-hop across any culture and any country," host Karuna Bajracharya said. "Even in Nepal, hip-hop is massive. They have rap battles online, in their own dialect. Hip-hop has truly transcended borders now." The Rap Thali, Karuna explains, takes its name from a subcontinental mixed platter of curry, vegetables, dhal, raita and rice. All the different sections come together to make one plate, one sort of taste or flavour. Very appropriate, then, for Harmony Day's celebration of diversity. "The musicians are all Australian; they're all from different cultures - and they all love hip-hop," Karuna said. READ ALSO: Karuna himself is a rapper; he's freestyled at the Majors Creek Festival, and will get up and spit some rhymes at live events. He will perform hip-hop with a Nepalese influence. From Africa via Canberra come rapper Maleezy and the Canberra-based rap collective Weirdo Gvng - inspiring young role models for their local communities, Karuna said. Maleezy, born in South Sudan, launched his debut EP Scared of Shadows at Canberra's Smith's Alternative last year - a response to media reports stereotyping Africans as gang members. "Fear had spread from the television to affect people like me," Maleezy said. Even in Canberra, sadly, he encountered racism at the shops or on buses. "There's always a reality to my music on where I stand at that moment." Saturday night will give the Braidwood audience a chance to hear some of the young musician's unreleased material. "I'm going to open up the show with some of my older content ... [and then] test some new music out on the crowd," Maleezy said. This year, he will delve into a less serious, more comedic side of himself. He will release a new EP, hone his production values, and collaborate with other artists. The Sudanese civil war intensified when he was three. His family arrived in Australia as refugees when he was five. Growing up in Canberra, Maleezy said, was honestly very confusing. He remembers his mother - "a very smart person" who had some formal education - always working hard or studying, then coming home to make sure her children were fed. But adapting to the new environment was confusing, Maleezy said, because everyone around him was busily trying to get their life together. "Being young and confused," Maleezy said, "you look for things to relate to." One was hip-hop. His older brother introduced him to the music of 2Pac, while on TV he watched black music megastars. What he likes most about hip-hop today is its fusion of music and poetry. "I feel my music reflects how I see the world." From Queanbeyan comes Axe Aklins, former Canberra Raider, and unofficial third member of Koolism, a big hip-hop group out of the ACT that won an ARIA in 2004. At their peak, the group performed at Parliament House on Australia Day, while Aklins played league alongside Laurie Daley and Ricky Stuart. Aklins, Karuna said, hasn't played in a show for a long time. "So hopefully there are some old hip-hop heads out there in Canberra and Queanbeyan who will come out and support a local legend!" Also performing are the Bermagui rapper Gabadoo, a Djiringanj man who has performed hip-hop, R & B, and urban funk music for more than a dozen years; and Filipino DJ and musician Jemist. The Rap Thali will be Braidwood's first hip-hop event, Karuna believes. "People are aware of rap and hip-hop culture in Braidwood, and some people are big fans, but to my knowledge, no one's ever put on a hip-hop gig where it's all rap and hip-hop artists. So it's exciting to think that Braidwood's potentially evolved to a point where you can host a gig like that." Growing up in Braidwood, Karuna said hip-hop didn't make a lot of sense to him. "It wasn't till I moved to the city that I got exposed to hip-hop and skateboarding. It seemed more city-focused back then; it had come from the ghetto in America and black people's culture. But today hip-hop is so varied, and the people who get into it are from all walks of life." The Smokey Horse has become one of Braidwood's hottest alternative music venues since it opened a couple of years ago. They hold gigs every fortnight or month, while Sunday sessions give local musicians a chance to jam. Their International Women's Day concert earlier this month raised a thousand dollars to send two fire-affected local kids to the Girls Rock! camp in spring. Rap Thali will begin at the Smokey Horse, 183 Wallace St, Braidwood, at 5pm, this Saturday, March 21. Tickets available at smokeyhorse.eventbrite.com. Show only: $10; dinner, drink, and show: $30.

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