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YOUNOHM releases ‘บางกอก เลกาซี่ [Bangkok Legacy]’ to commemorate October 6 protests

For 46 years, the Thai government has refused to acknowledge what happened

LiFTED | Marcus Aurelius | 7 Okt 2021


The last time we saw YOUNGOHM, he was emptying his lyrical clip into some haters that used to roll with his Already Deadd crew. This time, YOUNGOHM has bigger fish to fry as his new video ‘บางกอก เลกาซี่ [Bangkok Legacy]’ goes after the Thai government and their inability to tell the truth about a leftist student protest on October 6, 1976. The video was released on the 46th anniversary of the protest and really carries weight now as tensions between the Thai government and the citizens seem to always be close to boiling over.

On October 6, 1976, 46 protestors were killed by police and right-wing paramilitary forces as they stormed Thammasat University. The student protestors, who were against another coup at the time, were heavily outgunned and their bodies were desecrated. The most famous picture of this massacre that won a Pulitzer Prize is of a dead protestor hanging from a tree getting hit with a chair. Over the years, the Thai government has refused to acknowledge its role in this tragedy.

Forty-six years later and the streets are ablaze again in Thailand. Rap Against Dictatorship is taking a very vocal stand against what is happening. Even Lalisa from BLACKPINK has parts of her latest chart-topping video making references to police brutality.

YOUNGOHM takes a step back from his bare-chested bravado and gets very serious with ‘บางกอก เลกาซี่ [Bangkok Legacy].’ He raps in front of a car getting demolished, inside a car with police trying to smash windows, and on top of a car behind protestors. There are many symbolic frames in the video - a police officer with a US dollar mask, police cameras with Buddhist scarves draped over them, YOUNGOHM and friends in front of a fence holding up signs of freedom - that are beautifully painful knowing what is going on in Thailand.

Around the world, Hip Hop has given the poor and underprivileged a voice. It remains to be seen if Hip Hop can affect change in Thailand.

Watch YOUNGOHM’s powerful ‘บางกอก เลกาซี่ [Bangkok Legacy]’ below.