Like a shot of pure adrenaline to the brain stem, the most explosive Indonesian hip-hop export, Ramengvrl returns with a brand new song ‘Vaselina’.
Born and raised by a conservative family in Indonesia, Ramengvrl was an unlikely candidate to become her nation’s foremost female hip-hop artist. She started making “bedroom” demos as an escape from her mundane routine 9-to-5 job and now she’s hit the airwaves. Ramengvrl has since performed across Asia, including one of Southeast Asia’s biggest summer festivals, We The Fest.
Well-known for her quirky, unique and straight-to-the-point style, she first gained traction within local hip-hop communities. However her career officially took off in 2016 with her first single “I’m Da Man”. In 2018, Ramengvrl joined forces with Indonesian based record label Juni Records and not long after. released the now critically acclaimed track “CA$HMERE” which brought her name to the next level and won her ‘Hip-Hop Production of The Year at the Anugerah Musik Indonesia Awards, the most prestigious music award ceremony and show in Indonesia.
Now in 2020, Ramengvrl has announced her global deal with US-based record label and music distribution company EMPIRE. With this, Ramengvrl hopes to lay the foundation to be a global sensation that knows no limits, bringing a sound that is relevant and inspiring across cultures.
She is kicking off this new era with the hyper-playful new record titled “Vaselina”. Featuring on the single is Latin-American rapper Eufradis Rodriguez aka euro.
Since 2014, euro has appeared on several Lil Wayne related singles clocking up millions of plays and featuring with label bosses Lil Wayne and Birdman on “We Alright” released as the lead track of the album ‘Rise Of An Empire’ alongside tracks from Drake, Nicki Minaj, Tyga, Yo Gotti and YG. 2019 saw euro join EMPIRE and release his mixtape ‘Don’t Expect Nothing’ featuring the Lil Wayne collaboration “Talk 2 Me Crazy”.
This new collaboration follows that 2019 mixtape.
The release of “Vaselina” is accompanied by a fiery music video filmed on the culturally rich streets of San Francisco’s iconic Mission District. The video captures elements of both artists’ cultural heritages while showcasing a variety of stunning murals and art installations which reflect the diversity of their collaboration.
The release of “Vaselina” not only marks Ramengvrl’ls comeback but is also her official debut under US-based outfit EMPIRE, which is home to releases from icons like Kendrick Lamar, Iggy Azalea, Snoop Dogg, Tyga, Busta Rhymes, Anderson .Paak and many more industry heavy-hitters. The deal is a partnership between EMPIRE and Indonesia-based JUNI Records.
Tina Davis, VP of A&R from EMPIRE shares,
“Ramengvrl is and always has been a global asset. She doesn’t make music just for her home base (Indonesia). She speaks from her heart and her soul about her experiences in life. Everyone goes through some of the same things just in a different place in the world. She’s super talented, smart and a beautiful young woman. When she came to the US, she just jumped straight in! Every artist and producer that connected with her fell in love with her ideas and rap verses. We are all very proud of her and her upcoming project. We’re glad to have her on board.”
‘Vaselina’ was conceived late last year during a spur of the moment studio session while Ramengvrl recording in the United States. The track’s hypnotic production comes courtesy of Grammy-nominated, Platinum-certified producers Roark Bailey (Post Malone, Lil Uzi Vert, Drake, Playboi Carti, Nicki Minaj) and Omega (Iggy Azalea, Chloe x Halle, Big Freedia).
The track blends the respective cultural flavours of Ramengvrl and euro, while weaving together Ramengvrl’s unique, high-octane style and infectious rhymes with an array of Latin elements and sounds that draw from euro’s rich, Dominican heritage.
Speaking of the collaboration, Ramengvrl says,
“I was just about to wrap up for the day, but then I heard that there’s this dope rapper called Euro who’s currently on tour with Lil Wayne coming to the studio to meet with me. So we were just vibin’ in the studio, but then he pulled out this sick beat from a producer (Omega) and we both instantly got a vibe. We got the song done in maybe 3 hours and shot a video around San Francisco the next day. We didn’t even remember our lyrics yet”
euro added,
“Working with Ramengvrl was dope, she says whatever she feels and doesn’t overthink so working with her was smooth!”
Arriving in a time of intense division, the collaboration is a timely celebration and reminder of the importance of inclusion. Behind the curtain of “Vaselina”’s dynamic lyricism, is the simple and non-negotiable idea that everyone’s heritage, ethnicity, or past are worthy and nobody should feel ashamed to be themselves – no matter what.
