Adrian Khalif Serves Old School Hip Hop with Debut Single “Made In Jakarta”
Please give a warm welcome to Adrian Khalif, a newcomer in Indonesia’s music industry who brings an old school hip hop flair that was famous back in the 90’s and early 2000. Being raised in a family of diplomatic corps when he was young, required the 25-year-old man to move around to several countries including US, Australia, Switzerland, and UK. Having been resided in New York, United States, the experience exposed him to hip hop music that is identical to the east coast’s culture. He cites Kanye West as the most prominent musician that gives him the most influence in his music. His experience of living in various cultures and customs help him build up a strong empathy to those who come from various backgrounds. In return, it also strengthen his own identity and love for his home country, Indonesia. After getting his Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Indonesia in 2016, he signed under E-Motion Entertainment to launch his career as a musician. As a result, his debut single called “Made In Jakarta” was born in 2 June 2017 in collaboration with the hottest DJ and producer in the country, Dipha Barus.
The single tells about the bittersweet experience of living in the bustling capital city. “The story behind Made in Jakarta is basically a song about celebration of struggles. I want this song to be an anthem for those who struggle and succeed (in Jakarta), – an anthem about my determination in pursuing my dream,” explains Adrian. In a lot of sense this song has a similar tone to “Empire State Of Mind”, a song by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys where they pay homage to the city of dreams. The singer/rapper also tells about his collaboration with Dipha Barus and cites that it is one of the most remarkable experience for him. “It is like the wildest dream came true, he’s a mad genius” adds Adrian. It is explained that “Made In Jakarta” gives an ambience of gospel music combined with ear-friendly melodies and rap. To us, this song brings back the good ol’ memories of listening to Lauryn Hill, The Fugees, Salt N’ Pepa, Color Me Badd and other hip hop and R&B acts from that era. Adrian utilizes many layers of sound including female back singers, saxophone, clap and snare sound over traditional hip hop beats. “Made In Jakarta” is available to be streamed via Spotify below.
