Towfique Ahmed: The Bangladeshi rapper-lawyer making a difference
When he first set foot on the English soil, little did he know that his pursuit of an undergraduate degree in law would eventually lead to him being acknowledged as a well-known rapper in the Bangladeshi rap scene
Long before gaining a foothold in the legal profession as a lecturer and practitioner, Towfique Ahmed established himself as a musician whose words inspired a generation of artists to go out there and express themselves through rap music.
When he first set foot on the English soil, little did he know that his pursuit of an undergraduate degree in law would eventually lead to him being acknowledged as a well-known rapper in the Bangladeshi rap scene.
In his loneliness, he found solace in making rap songs as he struggled to adapt to this new life away from his family, friends, and bandmates.
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Although most rap songs at the time revolved around rappers flexing about doing drugs, earning more money than their peers and so on, Towfique was not particularly drawn to them.
He met people from various communities in the UK. They all had different stories to tell, but one thing they all had in common was the use of power and money by oppressors to undermine the rights of the poor in their own country.
Similar stories of other people struck a chord in him.
Moreover, on many occasions, he felt as if he was being denied many opportunities due to his skin tone and religion.
Heartbroken by his own experiences as well as those of his acquaintances, Towfique channeled his rage into songs such as 'Protisshruti', 'Bidrohi' and 'Khepa Gaan'.
"Whatever values I was learning from my law books, such as 'everyone is equal in the eyes of the law' and 'justice must be ensured,' I could not see them being applied in real life. Much like today, there was only injustice, abuse of power, and discrimination all over the world," Towfique recalled.
Music found its way into his heart not when he was faced with adversity overseas, but rather when his tiny hands completed the first tabla lesson he took at the age of five.
The striking resemblance between a tabla and drums piqued his interest enough that he decided to learn drums on his own during his time at cadet college and his passion for music only grew stronger over time.
As he put it, "To be honest, studying to be a barrister, working multiple jobs to pay the bills abroad, and making music all at the same time was extremely difficult for me. But, in the midst of all the chaos, only music brought me joy."
Despite the presence of passionate veterans like Towfique in the driving seat and other talented young artists in the passenger seat, it is truly unfortunate that rap music in our country has veered so far off course that many now consider rerouting to be an impossible task.
So, what caused rap music to fall from grace in our country when it is only rising to new heights around the world, including in our neighbouring countries such as India and Pakistan?
Towfique responded with some unsettling revelations.
Few hip hop-based concerts have ever been organised in our country. This, in his words, "hinders the development of young rappers and demotivates them to stick with music by reducing their income."
Furthermore, there is a clear lack of sponsors. In our country, companies rarely sponsor audio or video rap songs, despite the fact that this is a common practice around the world.
Besides this, in general there is a lack of transparency and accountability when it comes to sharing royalty.
As a result, artists are only paid a fraction of what they should have been paid for their work.
Using himself as an example, Towfique said that the lack of support from all corners for rap music compelled him to pursue Master's and to undertake the responsibility of being a full-time lecturer and a legal practitioner.
"At the end of the day, I had to look for alternatives which would enable me to make money to feed my family," Towfique said with a heavy heart.
"I believe our industry is currently not in a position where a rapper can make ends meet solely through rap music," he continued.
He does, however, believe that better days are coming and that Bangla rap will regain its glory days soon.
His statement is founded on the belief that rap music is finding its way into our film industry, and with so many promising web series and films being produced as of late, it will only accelerate the growth of this genre in our country.
He added, "In fact, I recently gave some songs to some of our finest directors, and I am fully confident that these will be very well-received by the listeners."
In terms of his future plans, he has stated that he hopes to release a solo album by the end of this year.
