Girish Khatiwada
{{Short description|Nepalese rapper (born 1979)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Girish Khatiwada
| image = Girish Khatiwada Rapper.jpg
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|09|30}}
| birth_place = Biratnagar, Nepal
| other_names = Gorkhali G
| education = University of Phoenix (MBA)
| occupation = {{flatlist|
- Rapper
- radio artist
- television personality
- vlogger
| years_active = 1993–present
| children = 1
}}
| module = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed = yes
| alias = GP
| origin = Kathmandu, Nepal
| genre = {{flatlist|
}}
| label = {{hlist|Music Nepal|Superstar Entertainment|Asian Music}}
}}
| website =
}}
Girish Khatiwada (born August 30, 1979) is a Nepalese rapper, radio, television personality, and vlogger.{{Cite web|url=https://musickhabar.com/%e0%a4%95%e0%a4%b2%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%95%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%8b-%e0%a4%9c%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%a8%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%a6%e0%a4%97%e0%a5%80/|title=कलाकारको जिन्दगी|date=April 25, 2017|website=MusicKhabar.com: Nepal's No. 1 Musical online media|access-date=September 29, 2019}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/nepali/news-46678427|title='राजनीतिक रिस' जगाइदिने र्याप|date=December 26, 2018|access-date=September 29, 2019}} He is consistently cited as the first rapper of Nepal and was labeled the "Godfather of Nephop" by The Diplomat Magazine.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6mR2DwAAQBAJ&q=girish+khatiwada+nepal&pg=PA508|title=Hip Hop around the World: An Encyclopedia [2 volumes]|last1=Goldsmith|first1=Melissa Ursula Dawn|last2=Fonseca|first2=Anthony J.|date=December 1, 2018|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313357596|language=en}}{{Cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2019/01/beats-in-the-himalayas-the-rise-of-nepali-hip-hop/|title=Beats in the Himalayas: The Rise of Nepali Hip Hop|last=StoriesAsia|website=thediplomat.com|access-date=September 29, 2019}} Khatiwada started his career at the age of 15 with his first track "Meaningless Rap" in 1994 and became mainstream with his counterpart Pranil Timalsena with other tracks like “ Ma yesto chu”Timi Jaha Pani Jaanchhau, Malai Bhot Deu, Hami Dherai Sana Chhu.{{Cite web|url=https://caravanmagazine.in/reviews-and-essays/war-words|title=Rap battling is taking Nepali hip-hop to new heights|last=Adkin|first=Ross|website=The Caravan|access-date=September 29, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://ekantipur.com/hello-sukrabar/2015/12/04/20151204092845.html|title=र्यापका प्रणेता|website=ekantipur.com|language=ne|access-date=September 29, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/miscellaneous/2015/11/21/nepals-road-to-rap|title=Nepal's road to rap|website=kathmandupost.com|access-date=September 29, 2019}} Today, besides his career in the Nepalese rap music scene, Khatiwada is also one of the most influential vloggers from Nepal.{{Cite web|url=https://kathmandupost.com/miscellaneous/2017/01/21/voice-of-a-generation|title=Voice of a generation|website=kathmandupost.com|access-date=September 29, 2019}}
Life and career
Girish Khatiwada was born on August 30, 1979, in Biratnagar, Nepal. In an interview with The Kathmandu Post, Girish said that he was introduced to hip hop music of the west in early 1990s when he was involved in break dancing in Dharan. His first introduction of hip-hop came from a cousin whose parents worked in the Nepali embassy in Washington.
In 1994, at the age of 15, Girish wrote and recorded the first hip-hop song, Meaningless Rap.{{Cite web|url=http://www.bordermovement.com/on-that-ktm-grime-the-rise-of-nep-hop/|title=On That KTM Grime: The Rise of Nep-Hop|date=September 28, 2016|website=Border Movement|access-date=September 29, 2019}} According to Girish, the song was named so because he initially struggled to understand the obscure slang in English hip hop which he presumed were written and sang only to rhyme and didn't have any meaning. After a moderate success, he was approached by a local record label to produce a full album. This resulted in a team of Girish and Pranil, who were later known by their moniker GP.{{Cite web|url=https://roadsandkingdoms.com/travel-guide/kathmandu/soundtrackkathmandu/|title=The story of modern-day Kathmandu, in 11 songs|date=July 19, 2018|website=Roads & Kingdoms|access-date=September 29, 2019}}
During the late 90s, GP took inspiration for their music from the instrumental parts of American hip-hop who would then incorporate traditional Nepali folk song with the help of Nepali audio engineers. This led to the formation of a new Nepali music genre "Nep hop" in the late 90s, which he later named "Lok Hop."{{Cite web|url=http://hallanepal.com/2018/08/17/girish-khatiwada-releases-video-for-lokhop/|title=Girish Khatiwada Releases Video For LOK HOP|date=August 17, 2018|website=halla!|access-date=September 29, 2019}}{{Cite web|url=http://neostuffs.com/2017/09/girish-khatiwada-x-trap-nepal-drop-lok-hop/|title=Girish Khatiwada x Trap Nepal Drop 'Lok Hop'|date=September 8, 2017|website=NeoStuffs|access-date=September 29, 2019}}
Khatiwada took a break from Nepali hip hop to continue his higher studies in United States in 2008. He came back to Nepal in 2013 to continue his career in music, radio, television and YouTube.{{Citation|title=Oshin unveils Girish's rap game|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6rHEPCZ8Ww|access-date=September 29, 2019}}
Personal life
Khatiwada is currently married to his longtime girlfriend Jyoti Ranabhat.
Songs
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Meaningless Rap
- Ma Yesto Chu Ma Testo Chu feat. DA69
- Gharo Bho (Feat. Nabin K Bhattarai)
- Timi Jaha Pani Janchau
- Malai Vote Deu
- Seto Ghoda
- Come Back into My Life
- Back Again
- Paisa Ko Saukheen
- Miss Kollywood
- Be What You Wanna Be
- Oi Hoi
- Prithivi Narayan Shah
- Best in Me
- Timilai Napai Chaddina
- Number 1 Girl
- Imma Live My Life
- Sadak Ko Army
- Sakina Maile
- Jitney Ko Itihaas
- Kehi Lagdaina
- Kathmandu Ma Trapped
- Ganja Man
- Baluwatar Singhadurwar
- Euta Banda Kotha
- Haami Dherai Saana Chhau
- Jati Maya
- Lok Hop
- Prithvi Narayan Shah
- Aag Laagi
{{div col end}}
References
{{reflist}}
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