• Indie-conscious rap artist also known as RUDEBOYRAY on his debut album ‘TRVCKNVTION’

As Sri Lanka celebrated its 75th Independence Day on 4 February, Rayviyan Floyd Driyon marked the day by releasing his debut studio album, TRVCKNVTION, which he said “holds the meaning of track-nation, as in a sick, naive, or stupid nation”. The ten-track album got its name from Rayviyan’s observations of a lack of justice and indefensible actions of the public and politicians in the country over the past decades, which has led the country to the position it is in today.

Just over a week since its release, the artist shared that the album had over 26,000 streams online. One of the tracks on the album, Troll Dupathe Kathawa has over 20,000 plays on Spotify. Rayviyan’s journey in music goes as far back as 2014, and in conversation with The Daily Morning Brunch, he went into detail about his work as a musician and what went into reaching where he is today. 

Rayviyan goes by the stage name RUDEBOYRAY and is known among his fans as RUDA. He is from Chilaw and studied at Royal College, Colombo. Rayviyan identifies as an independent conscious rap artist and is also a lyricist, scriptwriter, director, and editor. He also hosts the Adikaram Sithivili podcast and maintains a blog called Adikaram Sithivili.

Going into detail about how his journey in music began, Rayviyan said it was quite funny, sharing: “I remember when I was in grade seven, one of my friends gave me a CD full of English songs and it included 2-3 songs by Eminem. They were Lose Yourself, Mockingbird, and How Come. That’s when I was inspired to write my own rap verses. I used to rap with my friends at school for fun.”

He called Eminem an idol, who has taken the role of a mentor since that day. In 2014, after Rayviyan sat for his A/Ls, Prasa KG from Ahasa Crew asked him to join them and that is how he began his journey as a Sinhala rap artist. “I was with them till I found my own path in music in 2018 and then I went solo.”

TRVCKNVTION

Sharing details about his latest work, Rayviyan said that along with the album TRVCKNVTION, he released a new music video for the song Kesarek, which featured rapper Master D, and is included in the album. “The album includes 10 tracks in total and all of them are about politics, social consciousness, social issues, philosophical topics, etc.”

He shared that with the exception of verses by featured artists, all lyrics in the album were written by him. The album features artists like Mihindu Ariyaratne, Ajith Kumarasiri, Minol Witharana from Drill Team Westnahira, Master D, Pavithra Rasanjana, and Xyren. “These are some of the great conscious rappers in the scene today. All the tracks were produced by Harindu Fernando, who goes by the name Shredder Beatz, and were mastered by Harsha Bhanuka.”

When asked what it was like releasing an album during current times, with Sri Lanka experiencing an economic crisis and political instability, Rayviyan said it was really hard. “Because of the current situation in the country, artists can’t really focus on their artistry; there are a lot of distractions. And due to inflation, the cost of living is high and everything from bus tickets to studio renting costs more.”

Rayviyan shared that his main problem was the power cuts and fuel restrictions, which posed challenges to artists and producers. “It was really annoying. We had to cancel a lot of sessions we planned and reschedule them over and over because of these problems. It was extremely devastating financially and mentally at the same time. And this is my debut album so there were loads of challenges to overcome, in fact, the whole album was a great challenge.”

Despite these obstacles, the album saw a successful release and is now available for streaming and purchasing on all music streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, and Amazon.

Conscious rap

Rayviyan goes as an independent underground conscious rap artist, and since we are not well-versed in the subgenres of music, we asked him what this involves, especially in Sri Lanka. “Conscious rap is a subgenre of hip-hop that challenges the dominant cultural, political, philosophical, and economic consensus, and comments on or focuses on social issues and conflicts. It differs from most hip-hop as it promotes awareness of these topics and issues,” he said.

The musician shared that, to his knowledge, conscious hip-hop began to gain traction in the 80s, along with hip-hop in general in the US. He explained that, in Sri Lanka, despite rap music blooming at present, there is a huge void when it comes to conscious rap. This is because of people’s mindset about the genre, with many seeing rap music as bragging or a filler in a song, consisting of rapid vocals of rhyme, and nothing too serious.

“That’s why conscious rap hasn’t received much attention or popularity in Sri Lanka yet and is still at the underground level. I think people need to take rap music more seriously. There is a negative impression in society about rap culture in Sri Lanka, mostly because of their lack of knowledge about rap music. You’ll need to look for it and will never know what you have been missing until you try it.”

Raising awareness

Music can be an excellent medium through which one can convey important messages, and we saw this happen especially during the past few months with the “aragalaya”. When asked if he uses music for the same purpose, Rayviyan said his answer was both yes and no.

“I like to create public awareness with my music and lyrics, let my listeners look at situations from a different perspective, change their thinking patterns, and let them evolve. And also to point out what is right in front of our eyes that we have been ignoring. But at the same time, I do not like to tell them what to do or how they should behave.” Rayviyan explained that this is because he is in no position to do so. “I’m not a priest, a preacher, or some kind of social or political leader. I’m an artist, and my part is to create awareness only. That’s my art.”

He went on to say that music plays a huge part in our day-to-day lives and helps us groom our personalities and attitudes to a higher level. “What I believe is that you can paint a picture of a person’s personality by looking at their playlist, so I think using music as a platform to reach a wide audience is more effective than any other art form.”

The rap artist went on to say that in the present day, lives are hectic and people are under a lot of pressure. This means that they don’t have time to listen to someone else, or they choose not to listen to what anyone has to say. “For example, if I go out in public and voice my opinions out loud, very few people would actually pay attention to what I have to say. But when I get on a track and lay it out on a beat, more people will listen. People listen to music in their own time, not in someone else’s timeline, so what’s a better way to talk about social and political issues than doing it in a track?”

Creating music

When it comes to creating music, Rayviyan works on numerous aspects of it – from the writing and performance to directing and editing the visuals. He shared that for him, writing lyrics and creating music is similar to putting together the pieces of a puzzle.

“It’s all out there. What really matters is finding the place to put it in exactly, and that’s art. Writing scripts, directing, and editing is the same thing but in different ways. Visuals enhance the temperament of a song, so I like to be present in every part of my artwork, from the beats to the lyrics to the mixing and mastering, and visuals as well. It helps me to let out what’s in my mind and say what I want to say more accurately – to make a statement.”

In terms of what fans can expect from Rayviyan next, he shared that he is planning on releasing two music videos for the album. A few singles are also to follow. “I was planning an EP before I decided to release my album TRVCKNVTION, but I couldn’t finish it because of the situation that arose in the country. I had to put that album on hold to finish TRVCKNVTION, so I’m going to take my time to finish that EP.”

He added that everyone will be able to listen to it soon and encouraged his fans to keep in touch.