Dalama: The End'n Is Just the Beginn'n
| Dalama: The End'n Is Just the Beginn'n | |
|---|---|
| Artist | praCh |
| Release type | Album |
| First released | 2000 |
| Language | Khmer; English |
| Subjects | Music & Sound |
| Creator pages | PraCh Ly |
Dalama: The End'n Is Just the Beginn'n is a album by praCh, first released in 2000. (Asia Society)
Description
This debut album combines traditional Cambodian instrumentation with hip-hop-flavored lyrics in Khmer and English. Its songs retell the history of Cambodia’s killing fields from 1975 to 1979 and function as what praCh called a “hip-hop memoir.”. (Asia Society; Asia Society)
Credits
Recorded by Khmer American rapper praCh (Prach Ly), the album reached Cambodian listeners in Phnom Penh and across Cambodia. It was credited with introducing hip-hop to Cambodia and prompting younger people and teachers to discuss the country’s genocidal past. (Asia Society; Asia Society)
Context
praCh recorded the album in a week in his parents’ garage in Long Beach, using their karaoke machine. After a copy reached Phnom Penh, it became the top-selling album in Cambodia through word of mouth and extensive bootlegging; the songs were also banned from Cambodian radio for being considered too controversial. (Asia Society; Asia Society)