Yama Buddha in the eyes of fellow rapper Lahure

I first met Yama Buddha in June 2013. Back then, I used to rap alone and was looking for a suitable teammate. We became close friends soon after our first meeting, thanks to our passion for rap music.

At that time, rappers Colin Bikram Rana and Yama Buddha used to organize rap battles in Kathmandu. One day, Yama Buddha called me and said, ''You should also come to Kathmandu and participate in rap battles. We should work together and promote Nepali rap.”

I liked his proposal. So, I went to Kathmandu and participated in the rap battles. We organized concerts around the country to promote ‘Nephop’, the Nepali hip-hop.

We organized concerts in Kathmandu, Nepalgunj and Pokhara. We had performed in the Nepalgunj concert together. Two months later, we went to Dharan and participated in another concert. We also went to Pokhara.

Then, he went to the UK. Once, when I was in the UK for a concert we had talked over the phone though I couldn’t meet him. Lately, he was working on his next album ‘Khatara’. From time to time, we used to discuss ways to promote Nepali rap music.

I used to talk to Yama Buddha not only about music but also about our personal and family lives. Once, I, Yam Budhha and his wife had visited Pokhara together. Those beautiful moments are still afresh in my memory.

Yama Buddha has made a significant contribution to bring Nepali rap where it is today. He should be credited for taking the Nepali rap music from streets to a professional level. Everyone from children and young people to even old people listen to rap nowadays. The credit for this, to a large extent, goes to talented rappers like Yama Buddha.

There was a time when rap music in Nepal focused only on subjects like money and girls; Yama Buddha linked rap to society. His works forced people to take rap music seriously in Nepal as well. His famous song ‘Sathi’ is an example of this. Even this song promoted Nepali rap music tremendously.

Though we wanted to sing a song together, we couldn’t do that. On occasions, we used to talk about singing together but it is a dream now. He was an optimistic man with positive thinking. I remember Yama Buddha as a friendly, hardworking, emotional and responsible man. He was a sensitive person who would be happy as well as sad over small things. I find it extremely difficult to believe that Yama Buddha is no more with us. I feel great pain for losing a talented singer and a good friend.

(Based on a telephone conversation between Republica Online's Prashant Lamichhane and rapper Ashish Rana popularly known as Lahure)