PHNOM PENH: Last year, a group of Asian hip hop DJ’s, producers, promoters and writers founded the LiFTED website to explore Asia’s evolving hip hop scene. This year, they released their first top 50 list, ranking Asian hip hop artists based on their talent, popularity and impact in one of the fastest growing genres in modern music. Coming in sixth on the list is Sihanoukville native VannDa, who has risen to international fame with breakout singles and a message of Cambodian cultural pride.

While the Cambodian rapper had released independent tracks starting in 2016, VannDa’s career skyrocketed with the release of the track “Time to Rise” in 2021. The song features legendary chrieng chapei artist Master Kong Nay and calls on Cambodian youth to preserve their history while carrying on the torch into the future. It ranked among Apple’s top 100 songs of 2021 and the video surpassed 100 million views on Youtube, a first for a Khmer artist.

The LiFTED article states he is “easily the biggest success story of 2021” and credits him with inspiring Asian rappers from other countries who are not known for their presence on the hip hop scene. This year, he was the first Cambodian MC to perform at the Rolling Loud festival and American magazine Forbes included him on their 30 Under 30 list of influencers.