Since February 12, Asian Hip Hop has been in a chokehold by Yuki Chiba’s ‘Team Tomodachi.’ The song has sent rappers to their local convenience stores or clubs to make remixes that have come from every corner of the globe. Even the former Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Will Smith, jumped on the remix, so you know the song has been impactful.

One place that didn’t have a remix until now was Cambodia. Taiwanese MC and all-around Hip Hop lover CodyPlug changed that. On his Camspine Records YouTube channel, he got nine MCs together, backed by Tones’ incredibly dope graffiti characters at B-Box, and shot his shot with the Cambodian remix of ‘Team Tomodachi.’

CodyPlug is up first and spits a hard verse in Mandarin where he drops the mic while threatening to fry an umbilical cord in sesame oil. YungLady adds some feminine energy to the mosh pit with her verse. B-Side Khrew’s Buubee and AK-K rap about their phone not having any minutes and getting smoked out respectively. And the final MC, Dimar, does the unthinkable and disses the ‘Tomodochi’ beat! That’s Hip Hop for ya.

LiFTED reached out to CodyPlug to discuss his time in Cambodia, his brands, and what happens after ‘Tomodachi.’

As a Taiwanese person, what are you doing in Cambodia?

By chance, I first arrived in the beautiful Kingdom of Cambodia at the end of 2019, when I landed a job as a music director for a nightclub. However, due to the outbreak of the pandemic, the original plans fell through, forcing me to give up my dream of pursuing music in Cambodia.

As the situation improved, I had a conversation with a close friend one evening about my passion for music. Realizing he had already been working in Cambodia for six years, I made up my mind to move there and continue developing my music career.

How did you get hooked on Cambodian Hip Hop?

Initially, I wasn’t particularly drawn to Cambodia’s Hip Hop culture, mainly because my exposure to it was extremely limited. It was challenging to connect with the local lifestyle and culture without firsthand experience.

After moving to Cambodia, I gradually immersed myself in the local scene, which made me realize that the Hip Hop culture here is full of passion and vibrancy.

What made you want to do a ‘Team Tomodachi’ remix? Is there a reason you picked these certain MCs?

When KOHH [Yuki Chiba] released his song, I was thrilled, especially since he had been absent from the public eye for some time. Seeing rappers from various countries drop their own versions of the ‘Team Tomodachi’ inspired me to create my own take on it.

As for the artists, I don't specifically choose them because I believe that regardless of their fame, the most important thing is having enough passion for Hip Hop culture.

Tell the LiFTED audience a little more about Camspine Records.

Camspine Record is a music label I co-founded with my good friend Solar. The name blends “Cambodia” and “Spine.” Just as the spine is essential for the human body to stand and move, music is the backbone of our creative journey.

I hope that Camspine Record will grow to become an indispensable and uniquely influential part of Cambodia’s Hip Hop culture.

What is Fafe Universe?

The origin of “Fafe” is quite intriguing.

I graduated with a degree in design, and besides making music, I also work as a freelance graphic designer to make ends meet. While designing the logo for Solar’s coffee shop, I combined various inspirations and accidentally created a coffee bean shape resembling a frog.

After being deeply immersed in Hip Hop and street culture for years, I decided to adopt this symbol as my artistic identity. It represents my creative spirit and serves as a way to leave my mark.

After the ‘Tomodachi’ remix, what’s your plan?

Following the release of “Team Tomodachi Cambodia Remix,” I plan to continue collaborating with artists from different countries in various forms.

Every country has its own unique cultural symbols, and I’m eager to explore these cultures through collaboration, igniting new creative sparks. I believe these experiences will have a profound and meaningful impact on my life.

I warmly welcome artists from around the world to connect with me.

My lyrics tell my story,

Fafe is my footprint,

Music is my language.

Check out the ‘Team Tomodachi’ Cambodian remix below.