For a few days last week, Bangkok was the epicenter of Asian Hip Hop. Working with SPLASH, the Soft Power Forum 2025 initiative by the Thailand Creative Culture Agency [THACCA], 88rising curated the grand finale to the Road to FAM Southeast Asian Tour with Levi’s® that included a smorgasbord of rappers, including Thailand’s MILLI, Indonesia’s RAMENGVRL, Malaysia’s Zamaera, and Singapore’s Fariz Jabba at the iconic Hua Lamphong Railway Station.

The Road to FAM was more than just a rocking one-off show. It marked the inception of the Future of Asian Music, featuring masterclasses by Grammy winners, on-site video shoots, and illuminating lectures about the past, present, and future of Asian music by those who have lived and breathed it for nearly three decades.

At the Soft Power Forum 2025 initiative by THACCA, Japanese legend Verbal from M-Flo and the Teriyaki Boyz took rapid-fire questions from 88rising’s Creative Producer Dani Chae. He discussed music, fashion, and art, with the focus on creativity being the currency that people need right now. While algorithms and AI reward sameness, being human is what makes people stick out. Verbal also stressed that it’s good “to not be like others.”

One of the most astonishing aspects of the talk was when Vebal explained the relationship between K-pop and J-pop. Initially, J-pop artists were successful enough domestically that they didn’t need to expand globally. Korea copied what Japan was doing, and then pumped it up on steroids and aimed for K-pop to go worldwide. The strategy worked, and now, Japan is completing the full circle by copying K-pop’s international ambitions.

Verbal went on to explain that artists shouldn’t be too worried about balancing the desire to go global with their local identity. He said, “The more local you are, the more interesting you are,” and used Megan Thee Stallion and Yuki Chiba as prime examples. At Verbal’s store, Ambush, the two artists met and vibed organically. Yuki was being himself, and that was what hit home with Megan. Soon, they left the store and went to the studio, and ‘Mamushi’ happened and changed Asian Hip Hop forever. Verbal’s final advice to anyone was, “ Make sure and define yourself before anyone defines you.”

It’s not often that one gets to have a semi-private conversation with a four-time Grammy-winning songwriter and producer who has worked with the best of the best, including Rihanna, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake, and more. At the FAM Studios pop-up at Cloud11, 88rising took over the whole building and had a masterclass hosted by James Fauntleroy, who was in town launching 1500 Sound Academy Bangkok. While LiFTED missed the masterclass, the uber-producer was kind enough to talk with us for a good chunk of time about his opinions on Thai culture, the fact that he loves that they do the praying hands with everything, and sustaining authenticity in cross-cultural markets.

James mentioned he had a good portion of the world’s confidence himself, but he stressed that it was vitally important for any artist, producer, or musician to be drenched in a healthy dose of SWAG, all caps. He went on to explain his ideas for the 1500 Sound Academy, where he could provide new artists with their own blueprint for navigating the treacherous paths of the music industry…and help them with their swag if needed.

The FAM Studios pop-up at Cloud11 was a musician’s dream. On one of the floors, LiFTED got to observe Flower.far’s video shoot. On another floor, a singer was getting busy in a FAM vocal booth. The idea is simply to build an ecosystem for creatives in the same space, and cross-community collabs will naturally emerge.

The finale of the Road to FAM was a sight to behold at the historic Hua Lamphong Station. In the runup, shows were held in Manila, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta, with regional powerhouse rappers, who all came to Bangkok to show up and show out.

RAMENGVRL is the consummate performer, and wherever she goes, amazingness follows. She even sported a stunning opal white fur hat in the heat of a Bangkok summer while she performed hits like ‘Cashmere’ and ‘Vaselina.’ Malaysia’s trailblazing ZAMAERA shimmied out on stage and broke it down with songs like ‘Big Fish’ and ‘Get Munni,’ while she made it rain with pink 100-dollar bills with her face on them. Fariz Jabba stormed the stage and made it his home. The Singaporean MC killed it with his two male dancers on tracks like ‘Day One’ and ‘X Games.’

While they aren’t Hip Hop, Flower.far showed that she was an R&B powerhouse, GALCHANIE had the crowd singing along to her viral hit ‘Baby Tee,’ and PROXIE, as T-pop as they come, had the place going crazy with their slick dance moves and boyish charm.

MILLI was pushed back by 30 minutes to 11 pm, so her fans had been there from 5 pm when doors opened. Did this affect anything? Not a chance because MILLI is a heavyweight and commanded the crowd’s attention from the first time she and her band stepped on the stage. Doing some new songs like ‘One Punch’ and ‘Sick With It’ felt all the more powerful with her band, and even though she was rushed, she gave the fans everything they wanted and more. MILLI proved that she is a Heavyweight in the Asian Hip Hop scene, and the 88rising’s Road to FAM showed that the future of Asian music is in good hands.