Rhythm of Love: In conversation with Suduvezo Rhakho

Suduvezo Rhakho is a rapper from the quaint village of Khulazu Bawe in Phek district.

Also known as Sudu Rhax, he began writing and composing music since his middle school days and wishes to motivate and uplift the listeners through his songs.

Eastern Mirror caught up with this talented rapper in today’s Rhythm of Love.

Eastern Mirror: A short introduction about yourself to those who haven’t heard of you yet.

Suduvezo Rhakho: Hello, my name is Suduvezo Rhakho from the Chakhesang community, and I go by the stage name Sudu Rhax. I’m originally from Khulazu Bawe village, but I now live in Dimapur. I graduated (BCom) from Tetso College in 2021 and am currently signed to an independent label called Tenacious.

I began writing and composing when I was in sixth grade, and after six years, I was given the opportunity to collaborate with a rap crew called ‘Still Rhyming’ (the first rap crew from Nagaland to be featured on VH1 Hit Factory). That collaboration boosted me and I began releasing songs more consistently. However, the journey became more interesting when I joined the rap crew ‘8 mics’ in 2018, which included several rappers such as A Slim, Echognize, Mc Olen,Tensawati, Psycho K4 and C Yung, and of course, working with such talented people gave me more ideas and concepts. We had to part ways for various reasons, and I began working as a solo artist again until this year.

Today, I’m an official artist of a newly formed Independent label ‘Tenacious’.

Eastern Mirror: Why rap music?

Suduvezo Rhakho: Rap is one of the genres in which you can express your feelings, opinions, and emotions more specifically; it also enables and pushes you to learn more every day because the more knowledge you have, the better bars you write; and this is why I chose rap over any other genre.

Eastern Mirror: How do you express yourself through music?

Suduvezo Rhakho: My writing (lyrics) is influenced by personal experience, observation, and listening. Observations and listening for things I can’t experience. My songs are therefore primarily intended to motivate and uplift the audience.

Eastern Mirror: A favourite project?

Suduvezo Rhakho: One of my favorite projects till now is ‘Don’t Let go’ featuring Mc Olen and Psycho K4. This song was written with the sole purpose of helping out the young ones who are going through addictions and depression. It is my favourite because I received numerous positive responses from listeners, and as an artist, it is always an emotional and proud moment when people relate to your lyrics and find hope in it.

Eastern Mirror: An artiste you could collaborate with?

Suduvezo Rhakho: I believe I would get along best with one of our Tenacious artists, A Slim, because he is one rapper who can rap to any beat and on any type of beat.

Eastern Mirror: Your favourite rappers?

Suduvezo Rhakho: My top 5 rappers of all time would be 2pac, J Cole, Kri$na, Joyner and Logic.

Eastern Mirror: What do you look for when you listen to rap?

Suduvezo Rhakho: Bars, flow and beat.

Eastern Mirror: Any song on repeat on your playlist?

Suduvezo Rhakho: Middle child by J Cole

Eastern Mirror: Your thoughts on music as a full-time career in Nagaland.

Suduvezo Rhakho: Of course, it will be difficult and time-consuming, but it is not impossible; there are musicians who are already doing music full-time and earning a living from it. Nagaland Music Industry has been growing so much comparing to how it was 10 years back and I really believe that it’ll only grow bigger and bigger.

Eastern Mirror: Is there a preferred platform for artistes to monetise their music?

Suduvezo Rhakho: I believe it will be YouTube because it is a platform that everyone is familiar with, and the terms and conditions are simpler to understand.

Eastern Mirror: Many rap artistes in the state are already making headlines, which is not easy given that this particular genre has an exclusive audience compared to regular music listeners. Your thoughts on this?

Suduvezo Rhakho: It is true that rap genre listeners are not as numerous as regular music listeners at the moment, but we must be patient because nothing grows overnight; it may take some time, but the rap scene in Nagaland is much better than it used to be, and people are beginning to appreciate and love this genre. Observing the rate at which it is growing, I believe it will not slow down; we have so many talented rappers on the rise, and it will continue to add a new flavour to the genre because everyone has their own unique way of expressing and delivering. Respect to those who came before us, and love to those who are coming up; we will do our best to accelerate this genre as long as we are here.

Eastern Mirror: Any new songs in the pipeline?

Suduvezo Rhakho: Yes, I’m working on a project with A Slim called TNC. Both the audio and video are completed, and we plan to release it on YouTube on the 20^th of this month on the Tenacious Channel.