You’re not alone anymore — stripped down to its most meaningful essence, that is the true power of the idea of ‘community’. When Pravin Naidu, who goes by the artistic moniker PRAV started .WAV(Y) almost a decade ago, all of us who pined to hear the tidings from the new and contemporary chapter of hip-hop in spaces more expansive than our headphones, could finally celebrate. In Singapore, PRAV and .WAV(Y) co-founder Deejay XG must be given their flowers for taking the Internet-born anthems of 2010s hip-hop and letting them run wild in the open. Many will attest that the first time they head A$AP Rocky on club speakers, it was PRAV who cued him up.
It’s not just a matter of merely keeping up with the times, however. When a cultural moment bursts into existence, it does so in the face of those who have come before it. Earlier times require earlier sensibilities, and for .WAV(Y), that translates to PRAV summoning the courage to move the needle away from the Drop It Like It’s Hot era of hip-hop and into the next stage of its evolution. As he tells it, his first brush with the liberating pulse of the lyricism and fashions of hip-hop led to a defining and life-long embrace of its progressive spirit: “It ignited a deeper interest that led me to dive into the rich history and culture behind the music”.
A shared space is a safe space, in the best scenarios. When no such space exists, the brave create their own: “Right after I graduated from college, I was just starting out in the DJ world and didn’t have any bookings. That’s when the idea struck me: ‘Why not throw our own party’?”
That epiphany has led to PRAV standing in the upper echelons of the hip-hop-accented night-scape but also moving away from it. As much as his finger on the pulse has opened many doors for him, both in music and outside of it, as in modelling and a long-standing tenure as an Adidas ambassador, his understanding of the hip-hop zeitgeist as a constant-morphing canvas is what is leading him away from what he built his name on and onto new terrain. Culture, by virtue of its people-centric essence, resists stagnation if it is intent on thriving.
As tropes become stale, as trends get worn out and down from overuse, new muses need to emerge. For PRAV, amongst the most inspiring of those is travel. “One of the best ways to navigate trends is to travel”, he says, adding that, “going for events and festivals overseas, and meeting people involved in the different scenes has undeniably broadened [his] curiosity and spurred [him] to delve deeper into exploring new genres, sounds, and unearthing their connections to different cultures.”
As waves ebb and flow, and sounds sizzle before they fizzle, the one constant, the eternal aim remains the same: “My true happiness lies in cultivating an environment where people can come together, forge meaningful connections, and collectively embrace the power of music.”
Invitation gladly accepted.
