Listening to his father play local rap numbers by Yogi B and Natchatra when he was barely 10, little did P Logeswara Rao expect that he would one day win a national-level competition in the genre.

The winner of the Rap Porkalam Season 1, organised by Astro Ulagam, narrated his journey to the portal, prior to acing the competition, and where he stands now.

Logeswara, whose rap persona is CJL (Crowns of Johor Logeswara), as a tribute to a cultural group he was a part of in high school, is currently doing his final year in Mechanical Engineering at Uniten in Selangor.

Recalling his love for rap, Loges said that his father was a huge fan of Yogi B and Natchatra, and he used to listen to their songs on loop during the family's travels to Ipoh, Perak, from their hometown in Johor.

"I found the music was different and fell in love (with rap)," he said.

As he grew up, Loges started performing rap numbers in front of his friends, and even performed in small functions. When he was about 19, he started writing his own lyrics and posted his performances on his social media accounts.

Then he came across Rap Porkalam, the country's first Tamil rap competition, but joining as a contestant was the last thing on his mind, as he puts it: "I didn't want to embarass myself in front of the media."

However, after much coaxing from friends, Loges joined the competition and although he did not expect to get far, making it to the final three gave him a much-need confidence boost.

"After I made it to the final three, I gave my 100 percent in each performance.

"Even in the finals, I did not concentrate on what the other contenders had to offer, and gave all I had," he said, adding that the announcement as the title winner came as a "total shock", that he did not even know how to react!

Calling Rap Porkalam a "blessing" in his life, Loges said he is being widely recognized after winning the competition, compared to being just "one of the boys who rapped in his social media", before the competition.

Loges recently released his first hip-hop single "Lepak Mamak" in collaboration with renowned local singer Santesh. The video of the song, produced by Sony Music Malaysia, is currently available on YouTube.

Next, Loges is working on a single that would relay an important message to the society - one he does not want to divulge more information on yet.

As for tips for aspiring artistes and singers, Loges said one should never lose focus.

"Haters will talk. Only the artiste will know the amount of effort he/she puts in. Focus on your work and never ever give up on your passion."

He further thanked Astro, as well as Sony Music Malaysia for giving him the exposure and the chance to display his talents.

Auditions for Season 2 of Rap Porkalam is now on, until April 16, on the Astro Ulagam website.

For more information, visit astroulagam.com.my/RapPorkalamS2.


Photos source: Sony Music Malaysia