You would be forgiven if you missed one of 2022’s best Asian Hip Hop projects – DJ Chee’s Me EP featuring the hard-as-nails vocals of RuthKo – as there was a lot of smoke coming out of Cambodia from another rapper who was also putting the country’s Hip Hop scene on the map. That six-track EP was nothing short of a masterpiece, and even though it was Chee’s autobiographical story, it was RuthKo’s relentless rhymes that made it so real and emotional.

Both artists come from the KlapYaHandz label in Phnom Penh – the country’s first Hip Hop label and the home of its earliest Rap talent. RuthKo joined the label in 2018 at the age of 17 and has racked up some big hits in the years since. His single ‘Change Pt 2’ has nine million YouTube views and counting. Now at 22, he has established himself as a real one, and a voice of the streets.

RuthKo’s latest single ‘Stay the Same’ is an ode to the streets and the kids who live in them. The video was shot by French director Kim Chapiron in partnership with the NGO ‘PSE’ [For a Child’s Smile] which is dedicated to training Cambodian youth with creative life skills like producing, directing, shooting, and editing music videos. RuthKo wrote the song especially for this purpose and it’s a moving track and video.

We caught up with him on the eve of our second anniversary, and we couldn’t think of a better artist for this unique cover, as RuthKo represents what LiFTED is all about - an Asian Hip Hop MC repping his country and keeping it really real.

Hi. Thanks. Glad you like the MV, and thanks for having me.

Back then, I was doing Vine on Facebook making people laugh, then SOK Visal, the founder of KYH saw my talent and reached out to me saying we should work together in the future. I listened to a lot of French, English, and Khmer rap. Later on, I started posting Rap content because I was ashamed of my Vine videos because they exposed a darker side of myself. I didn’t make it through my studies in France, so I decided to come back to Cambodia, and eventually, SOK Visal signed me as a rapper

In 2018 there weren’t many hits and Rap music only started really blowing up because of the second beef of K1J and G-Devith. My first big hit was ‘SORA’, back then it was heard in every nightclub in Cambodia, and then came my second big hit, ‘Kae Klun.’

For that EP he did produce all the songs, but in general, I collaborate with different producers, DJ Chee just being one of the recurring ones.

Not one person in particular. ‘Stay the Same’ was written for new artists who act as if they were more than they really are. I’d view it as a piece of advice for the next generation of artists, to stay humble no matter how big a star they might become.

I’m very proud of the PSE students, working with them was an amazing experience.

I like to compare my life to a lotus, born out of the mud into a beautiful flower. ‘Lotus’ is about what I had to go through in France before leaving for Cambodia. I really hit rock bottom. However, several years later I went back to France as a star singing on stage. It made my French homies and my family really proud for coming this far.

I first rapped in Khmer but many international rappers like 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Snoop, Tupac, Booba, PNL, and Nekfeu have all influenced me very much.

I have an album on the way this year. For a tour outside of Cambodia, no plan yet but who knows? Anything is possible.

Cheers.