Rap Against Dictatorship share single ’16 Years’ on anniversary of 2006 Thai coup d’etat

Thai rap collective Rap Against Dictatorship have shared a new single memorialising the 2006 Thai coup d’etat titled ’16 ปีแล้วไอ้สัส’, or ’16 Years’.

The single, which features singer and activist Ammy the Bottom Blues, was released on September 19, the 16th anniversary of the coup d’etat that saw the Thai military declare martial law while then-president Thaksin Shinawatra was in New York to deliver a speech to the United Nations. In a fiery missive accompanying the single’s music video, the collective wrote in Thai, “September 19, 2006. Do you still remember? Another page in Thai political history that proves the power madness, the madness of arms, the perversion of the people of the Thai military.”

Watch the music video for ’16 Years’ below.

The group recently shared their comeback single ‘Homeland’, which was released earlier this year on March 1. The track continued the group’s trend of addressing sensitive topics in their country, with the group sharing a statement on Youtube proclaiming: “Homeland does not belong to one person and it shouldn’t be used by one generation as a tool of patriotism to push people to see things differently.”

Prior to ‘Homeland’, they released the track ‘Kor Aye Kor Krub’ with PrachathipaType and Protozua. The track saw the musicians address the country’s stance on education, urging the system to stop focusing on memorisation in favour of critical thinking.

Rap Against Dictatorship’s strong political views has led to pushback from the authorities and supporters. In January last year, they announced that the music video for their November 2020 single ‘Reform’ had been blocked on YouTube for Thai viewers following an alleged complaint from the government.

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