Last Friday, singer-songwriter Trai "Boy" Bhumiratna released a song in support of the medical frontliners in the ongoing battle against Covid-19. He later said in a Facebook post that someone had criticised him for not reflecting on the government's shortcomings. He replied, in gist, that music isn't a weapon but is healing and consoling, and he doesn't think of politics with every breath he takes. This didn't sit well with netizens who brought up his past involvement with the PDRC movement that ultimately led to Prayut Chan-o-cha's premiership.
His political past aside, I disagree with him. Music can be a weapon. Sure, it can be about WAP (and there's nothing wrong about that) but it can also reflect on societal issues worth pondering. And with regards to the latter, music is a lyrical weapon filled with an ammo of passionate words being fired out by a passionate voice. They pierce ears and hearts to inspire awareness and change. I'm taking you to church with a few Thai artists, who have weaponised their music to reflect on society, for your entertainment (and even enlightenment).
1. Tho Khee (Toilet) -- Yena: bit.ly/3vnKkK8.
The indie-folk trio sings about Thailand's inequality by highlighting how much every human has in common. We share the same world. Our ceiling is the layers of atmosphere. We share the same Monday in May. Yet greed divides us into classes. In the accompanying music video, a blue-collared man, a white-collared man and a rich man fight over the last plate of phad kraprao at a food shophouse. Guess who is the last man to arrive at the shophouse.
The best lyrics: "There are so so many people. Each thinks that the others are inferior to them. However, they never think they all have squatted over the same toilet."
2. Amnat Charoen (Powerful) -- Bomb At Track: bit.ly/2QBYwjV.
The young rock band has several songs with hard-hitting messages. But the one that launched their name is Amnat Charoen, which I argue that the English title should have been "Long Live The Powerful" (sarcastically, of course) or something along this line. It, without mincing words, attacks the Thai justice system, criticising it for perpetuating double standards and how the scale can be titled in the favour of the affluent when money changes hands. Contain bad Thai words but they really go with the message.
The best lyrics: "The law of karma doesn't apply to the rich. No matter how good of a person you are, you're doomed if you're poor. I'm so f***ing fed up with injustice in Thai society where you're a black sheep when you think differently or a minority."
3. Thor Borihan -- Hockhacker: bit.ly/3tU0MBm.
Hockhacker, aka Dechathorn Bamrungmuang, is a founding member of Rap Against Dictatorship collective who's known for Prathet Ku Mee (What My Country's Got) which riled the government. The hip-hop artist always tackles political and social issues in his solo songs too, ranging from corruption, inequality of development between cities and provinces and media literacy. However, my personal favourite is Thor Borihan, which unofficially translates to "Ruled by the military". Thor stands for tha-harn (soldiers) in Thai, you see.
The best lines: "The country is ruled by the army. That mueng (you) allowed to come into power. Let them use the budget to buy weapons. So they can seize power with a coup d'état." The lines end with the same Thai vowel, giving his rap a poetic appeal.
4. Prathet Ku Mee (What My Country's Got) -- Rap Against Dictatorship: bit.ly/3nslMNo.
Rap Against Dictatorship is a group of Thai hip-hop artists whose description on YouTube reads, "F*** The Power F*** The Authority". They are passionate about social, political and all related issues, and express that in their songs. Their best-known effort, which also happens to be their first release, is Prathet Ku Mee (What My Country's Got) but so far they have released six music videos with thought-provoking messages. Within 5.14 minutes of Prathet Ku Mee, the rappers take turns listing so many things that are wrong in this country from hypocrisy, double standards, corruption, our freedom or lack thereof and more. The nearly 100 million YouTube views more than suggest that it resonate with many out there.
The best lyrics: "The country with corruption, without investigation. The country where a minister's watches belong to a dead person. The country where the Parliament is a living room for soldiers. The country where the Constitution is written so that the army can erase it with their feet."