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DATO’ MAW rocks no gold chair or ice in ‘Pay Me Twice’

Instead, the MC is all about the Buddha amulet

LiFTED | Marcus Aurelius | 30 Nov 2021


When rappers start to get that money, one of the first things they always do is head to the jewelry store, get some fat gold ropes, earrings, bracelets, or some crazy ice-out pieces so they can stand out. DATO’ MAW, in his new single from Def Jam Malaysia called ‘Pay Me Twice,’ wants nothing to do with that materialistic flex. Instead, he’s showing that he’s a humble MC by rockin’ a Buddha amulet or three.

This is all part of DATO’s plan to start a wave called Cina in Asian Hip Hop. Cina Rap is a genre that appropriates Malaysian Chinese slang, which uses a bunch of different dialects and languages, and tosses it into his own Hip Hop sound. This was created by DATO’ because he saw that Malaysian Hip Hop was getting a lot of love, but Malaysian Chinese was often overlooked.

‘Pay Me Twice’ has a deeply sinister Trap beat produced by Saucie J. In the lyrics, DATO’ is giving out advice to anyone who will listen left and right. He exposes the fakeness of getting ice or gold chains. He also explains that winning in this Hip Hop game is 99 percent being a hustler and one percent luck. In the video, the visuals sync up perfectly to the beat and lyrics because DATO’ is the boss at a low-key Buddhist amulet shop. He shows that by being humble, he can be in this Hip Hop game for life.

Check out DATO’ MAO’s ‘Pay Me Twice’ below.