The Creator is a rapper’s dream come true, appearing with artists like Tyler, Skepta, and Kendrick Lamar.
And for Sliime, whose most recent song has been playlisted by 1Xtra, it is the truth.
In 2023, he made his debut with the viral hit Lehenga, which received millions of TikTok streams.
The lyrics of his most recent song, Bengali, which references his ethnicity and background, build on his first success.
Hearing himself on broadcast among some of the hip-hop industry titans is a significant moment, Sliime tells BBC Asian Network News.
He states, “As a South Asian, I would have never anticipated to actually be appreciated, by the wider audience.”
“But it just shows that it’s possible.”
The huge success of Lehenga was “very daunting” at first, according to Sheffield native Sliime, who keeps his true name under wraps and is never seen without his trademark face veil.
However, he realized that Lehenga was hitting a chord with people when he performed the song at major events like BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend and got feedback from fans.
Sliime says he wanted to truly showcase his Bengali ancestry after that accomplishment.
“I was not really targeting the South Asian audience with my music prior to that.
“But then I realized what I wanted to accomplish after realizing how much the song meant to South Asians.”
According to Sliime, whose mother immigrated to the UK from Bangladesh, he “did not really grow up around a lot of South Asians” and only lately began to learn more about his heritage.
At the time of the most recent census in 2021, little under 650,000 persons in the UK identified as Bangladeshi, according to government data.
About 200,000 respondents said that Bengali was their primary language other than English in the same survey, making up around 1% of the total population.
Sliime states, “We have been here for like half a century.” “I simply think it is not receiving enough attention.
“But it is my purpose for being here.”
Bengali mentions some of the stigma that still persists from South Asians coming to the UK decades ago.
“The stereotype people say is that we take jobs,” he says. “But really and truly we’re making jobs.
“We’re looked at as the complete opposite. I just really felt like people need to know that.”
‘We had to fit in’
In addition to introducing Bengali culture to a new audience, Sliime believes that his inclusion on the 1Xtra playlist would encourage upcoming rappers to pursue similar careers.
“I am caught between demonstrating to the rest of the world what we stand for and ensuring that those who are growing up similarly to me do not feel excluded.”
“Because we all grew up feeling like we had to fit in, which is typical among South Asians.
“My goal is to prevent our children and grandchildren from having to do that.
“People find great meaning in seeing others who share their appearance and upbringing.”
