Straight outta Brickfields: how Malaysia gave the world Tamil rap

In a pink-lit car park outside a Colombo club, young Tamils cluster in loose groups. Laughter, the clink of glass bottles and the low throb of bass from the decks inside spill out into the warm night air.

Sri Lanka’s capital is home to hundreds of thousands of Tamils. But a Tamil nightclub is still rare – the sound of so many Tamil voices gathered together can still feel provocative in a country where memories of a long, bloody inter-ethnic civil war remain raw.

Inside the club, as British-Tamil DJ Prito prepares to start his set, the MC leans into the mic with a challenge.

“DJ Prito’s just come from a world tour,” he tells the crowd. “And the best room so far? Kuala Lumpur. Can Colombo beat it?”

The crowd erupts. For those in the know, it’s a pointed nod: Kuala Lumpur is more than just another stop on the tour – it’s the birthplace of Tamil rap.

In 2006, in the heart of Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur’s predominantly Tamil neighbourhood, a giant poster for Vallavan loomed over the street.