Altimet might just be the wise elder statesman of Malaysian hip-hop. The veteran MC isn’t above braggadocio (case in point: the combative “Mambang”), and he has used the self-anointed title “King of MY” before. However, since debuting with Teh Tarik Crew in 1999, Altimet (born Syed Ahmad bin Syed Abdul Rahman Alhadad in 1978) has shown sage foresight for the direction of MY hip-hop. Even when MCs at the time primarily rapped in English, Altimet retained his natural accent and avoided the problematic mimicry of American rappers that once plagued Asian hip-hop. After shifting to his native bahasa language following 2007 solo debut (First Among Equals), he didn’t overcompensate. “Put some gamelan in your song and suddenly you’re not ‘copying the West’ anymore? No, it’s deeper than that,” Altimet told JUICE in 2012. Instead, he followed the old adage that hip-hop is “the CNN of the streets”. Songs like “Kotarayaku” and “Syukur” resonate with the everyday struggles of ordinary folks, while “Kalau Aku Kaya” and “Bunga” are sly sociopolitical digs at the establishment. Although he took his last bow at 40 with final album O in 2018, the rapper-entrepreneur never stopped offering his songwriting services. Even in official retirement, Altimet is still shaping the game.
