Meet Ullal’s own Beary Rapper who takes on communal politics

Sharwan Naveed
March 11, 2019

With sarcastic overtones on communalism, divisive politics and fake news, this Mangaluru-based Beary rapper’s potshots on issues and concerns is a force to be reckoned with. Mustafa Ullal, a 33-year-old rapper and a father of two has garnered 12,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel.

While the rap scene is yet to pick up in coastal Karnataka, Mustafa believes ‘Apna time Aayega’. Known by his Rap name ‘YemZii’, he raps in Beary language (spoken in coastal Karnataka and neighbouring areas) and also in Kannada and Tulu

A hip-hop freak, as he calls himself, YemZii discovered his talent for rapping ‘by accident’. Back in 2015, he had recorded ‘Idadee Zohra’ a Beary language song he had written to the beats of rap legend Eminem’s ‘Cleanin Out my Closet’. The humorous song received wide appreciation from his friends and relatives, making him consider recording a music video and starting his own YouTube channel. He chose ‘YemZii’ as his Rap name, which does not have any accurate meaning but at the same time cannot be associated with any religion.

In his early years, YemZii developed a craze for hip-hop but did not have the means to pursue his dream. “I am an introvert, and used to be shy. About four years ago, when was diagnosed with a chronic health issue, I thought my end was near. Although I was cured of it, during the time I was undergoing treatment, my perspective towards life changed. I let go of my materialistic endeavours and started to pursue my creative interests,” YemZii recalls.

Taking his creativity to the next level, YemZii began writing poems on social realities with a hint of humour. His sarcastic take on issues has gained him popularity among locals.

“When I sit down to write, I think of issues around me such as politics, fake news and communal hatred and I write the lyrics based on my experiences. I was apprehensive initially, as I thought that talking on social issues could be a turn-off but then I realised that if I bring in an element of humour, people can connect with it,” he said.

YemZii says that during the course of his life, he has been at the receiving end of communal hatred, which led him to change his various perspectives. YemZii recalls the time his family lived in a Hindu dominated area in Udupi all their life but had to move to Ullal when communal tensions escalated in the coastal districts.

However, in 2006, he was apprehended by the police during a riot. “I had never stepped into a police station when I lived in Udupi. Life was peaceful. When we moved, I thought I can live in peace without all the hatred but I was arrested for no fault of mine,” he says. “Instances such as these make me question, ponder and these perspectives reflect in my songs” YemZii adds.

Having written over 40 songs, the rapper says he has to be careful with each word in a place like Mangaluru, where tensions run high. To his fortune, he had only received appreciation so far and nothing untoward had happened.

YemZii’s Kannada rap songs ‘Saavide’ which reminds people that death awaits everyone and ‘Vote Kode’ are sarcastic takes on politicians who have various agendas to come to power. The track ‘Gulf Poi Bara’ - a Beary song speaks of the struggles of people who migrate to the gulf.

YemZii’s recent hit, ‘Khalli Walli’ where he collaborated with local rapper ‘Rapzin’, who writes in Urdu, has garnered lakhs of views. The song speaks of communal harmony and is a touching take on what would matter most to people if they had only four days to live.

“Rap can explore many topics and it is not about alcohol and girls as many people think. Many rappers start with sarcastic takes on social realities but ultimately end up singing about bling lifestyles when big labels sign them and demand them to do the same,” YemZii says.

Dreaming of making it big, YemZii says he wants to stick to his style of rapping. “I have a sustainable lifestyle, where I earn money by designing websites. My wife is supportive and we make sure that our children are not deprived of anything. But rapping is something I do for myself,” he says.

At the onset of general elections, YemZii that he has about 25 more songs in the pipeline, awaiting release.

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News Network
March 19,2024

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Mangaluru: The Mangalore International Airport (MIA) will connect to a new domestic destination with the introduction of a non-stop flight to Tiruchirappalli International Airport in Tamil Nadu. 

The non-stop service, once-a-week, will operate on Wednesday (from TIA) and Thursday (from MIA), starting April 3. Air India Express will operate the flight.

The flight is expected to help those taking up a pilgrimage to Vailankani shrine.

Sources from the AIE said that the airline carrier decided to fly non-stop between the two southern Indian cities as a flight to Jeddah, which will start from April 3, arrives from Tiruchirappalli International Airport. 

“It is a ferry or positional flight from TIA to MIA. Instead of flying empty, the management has decided to run it as a commercial flight. This will help both passengers and the airline. The airline will deploy Boeing 737-800 aircraft with a 186-seater all-economy configuration on this route. 

The same flight, after landing in MIA, will further fly to Jeddah,” a source said. 

The flight IX 1498 will depart every Thursday at 5am from MIA to TIA. The TIA-MIA flight IX 1499 departs at 12.50pm. It is a one-hour nonstop flight. The same flights will also operate nonstop between Jeddah and MIA. 

The non-stop flight IX 499 will depart MIA at 2.50pm and reach King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah at 6.25pm. The IX498, will depart from Jeddah at 7.25pm and reach MIA early at 3.40am.

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News Network
March 28,2024

Mangaluru, Mar 28: Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner Mullai Muhilan MP has warned the individuals and political parties against the poll code violations during private events. 
 
“Private events such as marriages, birthdays, housewarming ceremonies, and other non-political programmes do not require any permission. However, one should ensure that there is no violation of the model code of conduct (MCC) at these functions. Permission is needed if the events are attended by politicians or candidates,” the DC said. 

He said that these gatherings will be under the surveillance of MCC teams, as there are chances of luring voters by campaigning and supplying food, said the DC. The district has 38,386 new voters, of which, 19,619 are men.

He said that the notification of election in Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency will be issued soon, and the filing of nominations will be held between 11 am and 3 pm till April 4. 

Only five persons, including the candidate, will be allowed to enter the returning officer’s chamber to submit the nominations. A facilitation centre will be opened at the DC’s office. 

The expenditure of the candidate will be counted from the day the candidate files the nomination.

The DC said that the district is not an expenditure-sensitive constituency. Assistant expenditure observers and expenditure observers will monitor the expenditure of the candidates. An expenditure book will be provided to the candidate to record expenditure incurred, he explained.

Further, he said that no election materials can be printed without the name and address of the publishers, and the number of copies printed. Separate permission should be availed for procession prior to the submission of nomination papers from the ARO office, through the single-window system.

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News Network
March 27,2024

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Gokarna (Uttara Kannada): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday said the Congress will decide about making him the Chief Minister in future, bringing to the fore again the issue of leadership change.

There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the Chief Minister's post after the Assembly election results in May last year, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy Chief Minister.

There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational Chief Minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.

During a temple visit here, a priest prayed that God's blessings may be showered on Shivakumar, and he became the Chief Minister.

Speaking to reporters here in Uttara Kannada district, Shivakumar, who has in the past made no secret of his ambition to become Chief Minister, amid speculations of change in guard mid-way of the Assembly term, responded to talk in some political circles about the leadership issue.

"What's wrong if a priest expresses his desire before God while praying? The priest has expressed his desire. Now Siddaramaiah is the Chief Minister, I'm working as Deputy Chief Minister under him, also as party's state President. People speak about it and desiring it (Shivakumar should become CM) is a different matter, it will be decided by our party," Shivakumar said.

"Now we are all working under the leadership of Siddaramaiah, and our desire is that the state should progress further under his leadership," he said.

"There will be people including supporters and priests, who pray for us, they will express their opinion. Can we stop them from doing it? At the temple it is between God and his disciple, they have expressed their feelings to God," Shivakumar added. 

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