Community Board: Why I Can't Get KL Out Of My System

A lot can be revealed through the dynamics of a symbiotic relationship, a relationship where one can’t live without the other. Most of you, if you know me at all, know me from the song I wrote many years ago. In this song I wrote about a city, one that had captivated me in so many ways that not even a song could rightly express. People asked me why I came here, why Malaysia? And being that they still ask me that question, I’m quite happy to go into a degree of detail in this article that you may not get if you caught me on the street or in the club.

The story of one's life comes detailed beyond belief, coded in their eyes, acted through their movements and captured in their speech and demeanor. Keeping in mind that everyone is a result of their collection of experiences, my story is no different and should be interpreted with that in mind.

"The bright lights of the city reminded me of home / as did the smell of the street when I walked them alone / the local tastes were all to familiar / loving that hot climate with no sign of winter / a traveling man I am finding my way / sampling a land not knowing that I’d stay…"

If you’ve had the opportunity to travel to a different city you’ll find that aside from a few remnants of unique architecture and style they are all physically similar in so many ways.  What has always intrigued me throughout my journeys is what lies beneath the structures, the people. The people and their culture, values and who they are is one of the main reasons the attraction to Kuala Lumpur has remained magnetically strong over the past nine years.

My relationship to KL has lived to stand the test of time.  Put aside the fact that the culinary options are fantastic and the women are beautiful and what is revealed is the bare essence of the attraction, a mutually beneficial situation where I have the opportunity to live life the way I want, through my music, art and culture of the world.

I connect to this place in a profoundly spiritual way. discovering my true self in a fashion I would never have been able to anywhere else and because of this I am very grateful. To my many teachers, brothers and sisters… Thank you!

"Who’d have thought that this would ever happen / been here for so long but never felt trapped in / still rapping and making music with love / whether people truly understand where it’s coming from / big city of dreams and I cant stay awake / but don’t sleep on the wake of the sounds we create…"

Love can blind one's perception of the object of their affection, whether city, person or material item. When you strip that down and discover you’re in love with the core, the essence, it seems the deepness of this love is the strongest of all. What I’m attempting to convey is the way I feel about KL. Through all the ups and downs I’ve always had the support of my new family of friends and for that I’d like to take this opportunity to say thanks you, to everyone I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with, whether over a teh tarik, sharing a stage or more intimately. It’s you that makes my experience here worth having.

I come from Toronto, a place we like to call the “Screwface Capital” where people will pay $10 to boo you. Just kidding… There’s a strange dynamic at work here, one that has swept me up and carried me across oceans and continents to, at the time writing, 33 countries. Feel special now Malaysia? I’ve been truly blessed to have the chance to travel, it has changed my life in such positive ways I encourage everyone to share in my experience.  Come on, you know you want to! Here’s one thing that I’m going to share with you. Don’t be scared. Fear will deny you so many amazing experiences. Take that leap, if there is a passion which burns within you, risk it all knowing that whatever happens at least you tried. Open yourself up to the unknown and embrace it with open arms shedding the fear you might have. Trust me, it’s worth it, succeed or fail.

"KL, KL big city of dreams / but everything in KL aint always what it seems / you might fall in love if you come from outta town / worldwide representing for that KL sound / now when I say KL I mean Malaysia / Kuala Lumpur South East Asia / and I’m Vandal incase you didn’t / so YO! Here we go…"

Text Vandal

Vandal is a multi-talented artiste who has traveled the globe in search of hip hop and experiencing the many different cultures the world has to offer. Among many of his projects, he is best known in Malaysia for his hit singles "KL" and "Lalala".