The first time I heard G’nie about a year ago, he was on a local entertainment show having a mock rap-battle with the host. I asked those who were tuning in who he was, and the answer I received was, “Don’t you know G’nie?”
Honestly, I’d never heard of G’nie then, or so I’d thought (a cousin later mentioned that we’d actually overheard their street performance while having lunch in a restro: “Kha, ‘dawt vek’ tih hla kha…”) and I’ve never been a big hip-hop fan, even though it was huge in our teens; with names like Michael M. Sailo, Vincy, RD & The Three Rappers and RDi aka Ladylicious reminding you of younger days. In spite of that, I’d never really paid attention to them/ their lyrics because we were more into pop music, crooning to BSB, Westlife, NSYNC, Britney, Christina and so on.
G’nie’s was different. I was immediately struck by the impromptu lines he came up with with the three words given to him, here are his lines for the keyword “Taxi:”
Khawpui ka fang kual a, ka chuang a Taxi
Nula ka hmu, a va sexy
A chawnte saw a va seksi! (Link below)
Like I’d said, I’m not familiar with hip-hop but what I’d heard back then, were definitely “bars,” or an extremely good lyrics in hip-hop slang. Of course, your definition of “good” might be different from mine just as my idea of “good” differs from one another. Because I’m inadequate, I’m not going to break the lines into syllables & metric systems because I’m not going to make a fool of myself. But the rhyme is distinct: xi/xy/si. Beyond the rhyme, though, is the mastery of words and wit which is demanding of great respect. I mean, not everyone can come up with bars, can they? That too in a live show! Definitely not me, sorry! That’s exactly why I call them “bars.”
The last keyword was “Vawksa.” I hadn’t expected G’nie to poke fun with himself when he ended his lines about his thin frame, rapping:
Ka cher in hria, thau ka neih chhun pawh vawksa!
I understand this was an entertainment program but it was such a hilarious projection considering that G’nie would claim the only fat he had was pork! For someone with limited sense of humour, self- humour is the kind of humour I most respect and here was G’nie self-humouring before live audiences for a show.
The second time was actually me hearing my brother (who hardly sings) throw out some lines here and there and I went again, “What’s that song?”
“Rim Risk,” he said, “out a long time ago.” An immediate search for Rim Risk on the net ensued (Link below). Didn’t expect it’d be a G’nie collab but it was rightfully so. How fun are the lyrics:
A duh loh che leh ngai awh
Chuh helh ve a ngai tawh
Tunlaiah mi fate an nghal ania
Inngaihtuah nan hun a tlai tawh.
Most definitely am not a guy but the spirit of brotherhood in the song warms the heart. The willingness of the other to be the mediator for the love-struck one and his approval of the girl reveals the depth of their “bro-hood.” What cackled me up was the advice he gave to the loverboy:
I sam te kha met la
I hmulte kha ziat la
Smart zaih hi tunlaiah
A cool tih I hriat kha
Confi deuhin awm la
Tawng hnem suh…
Mahse fiamthu nuihzathlak erawh
Thawh hreh suh
Here’s the professional love-guru talking, and it’s aptness is truly comical to a girl. Clean-cut, clean-shaved, well-dressed, not talkative but a fairly funny guy. That’s an ideal, right? Well, depends on how long you’ve walked on this earth, though 🙂
Apart from being quite contemporary, the song brings in an old Mizo adage, which again is well-placed within the subject-matter of the song:
A uite nen lam
I chul nel peih chuan
A duh ve mai ang che
To find this adage within the song gives an insight into the continuation of lyrical culture among Mizo lyricists, which again, is a good feeling because the new is nevertheless being informed by the old and in that way, may be a tribute to the old.
Can we also talk about the vocables in the song? The last line of the chorus “A lo hit ve phian mahna” concluding to the “na-na-na” and the latter vocable “la-la-la” ending to “lalthian” isn’t regular to my ears; which was the part I found catchy when I heard my brother mumbling to it the first time.
Now that I’ve grown older, I’ve been much intrigued by natural aptitude of lyricists, especially in the way they integrate different cultures into their songs. Can’t escape mentioning Israela Pachuau for what he has done in terms of amalgamating the ethos of Mizo gospel song-writing with blues. And the finesse with which G’nie has brought together different cultures so effortlessly in his lyrics surely can’t be overlooked. For to assimilate cultures so completely as to intellectually naturalize them isn’t everybody’s piece of cake; and the process isn’t exactly a stroke of luck.
And if we’re to talk of G’nie’s lyrics in English, the amount of hard-work and diligence it takes for a non-native speaker to write so eloquently, to rhyme thus effortlessly, to incorporate local elements to the non with such mastery deserves utmost respect.
During my holiday while at a missions a decade ago, this uncle and I were watching a local program on t.v which was being hosted by the late Michael M. Sailo. I can never forget what my uncle had said then with utmost pity for the MC: “He pa hi chu Mizoram-ah a leng thlawt lo a ni e.” Allow me to be dramatically poetical and agree, “yes, our sky can’t contain the brightest stars.”
It’s nobody’s shame but ours if we contemplate on what this uncle had said back then; even if we don’t necessarily agree with him.
G’nie has been on our w/a statuses for many reasons and memes we’ve circulated but I truly feel his sentiment when he said in his interview by Mali that many of us aren’t able to read between the lines of his lyrics and fully appreciate his play of words. Must be disheartening to hear the clamour of empty vessels all over the place; a distress to realize that your art is beyond the taste of your own people. With the kind of lyrical mastery G’nie has come up with, it’s no wonder that our collective intellect is yet to embrace his gift. But it’s taken that a trailblazer is often frowned upon at the beginning, and G’nie, though not the very first of the tribe, has inducted unprecedented craftmanship over lyrical art. If our soil isn’t tended yet for his lyrics to germinate, we better be doing something about it!
However, from the perspective of a non hip-hop fan, it’s fairly difficult to understand the many facets of the culture itself. Forget about the beats, it’s tough trying to pick up the very language itself because of the usage of unfamiliar slang words as embellishments. Or the employment of battle/war background between the artists in their verses. To most, I’m sure the image of hip-hop is still associated with baggy trousers, tats, flashy jewellery, projection of young rebellion indulging in life that mainstream society shuns. In terms of lyrics, perhaps many have no interest at all or find no relevance at all. Perhaps a day will come soon when our perspective changes so that we’ll be able to enjoy more of the beauty behind these verses.
There’s no denial that we’re incapable to fully comprehend the lyrical genius of G’nie yet but that’s never going to stop him from coming up with better bars and more profound subjects to talk about. Seeing his work gain attention from foreign reactors who are more affluent with the genre and lyrical stylistics is a testament in itself to his genius. Our skies mayn’t be able to withstand the brightest stars, but they have found their place in the vastness of the universe and are illuminating those in their proximity. Someday maybe, when the tide turns and the stars re-align, the space they have illuminated will colour our skies with wonders our ears have never heard of.
Links:
1. https://youtu.be/rSzZqh2Al-I
2. https://youtu.be/u-4rjM23BJg
The Girl from Mizo Hills 
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