Artiste raps about Malaysian heroes, lyrics penned by death row inmate in S'pore

Saint TFC (far left) and Angelia with two other people at the launch of the song.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian rapper Saint TFC had always written his own lyrics to his songs.

However, that changed when he read the lyrics penned by Pannir Selvam, a Malaysian on death row in Singapore, about his love for his home country, Malaysia.

Saint TFC, whose real name is Samson Thomas, said Pannir's sister P. Angelia contacted him in 2020 about a possible collaboration.

He was initially sceptical about and uncomfortable with using another person's lyrics, but decided to hear her out during a zoom session.

"What lured me was how she was talking about her brother's case and something inside me moved," he said in an event here on Monday (Sept 13).

After reading the lyrics and learning more about Pannir, Samson agreed to be part of the project.

"I loved the lyrics," he said adding it was amazing to read what a fellow Malaysian had penned how he felt into words.

The single, Bukan Sekadar Hikayat, reflects upon the sacrifices of our predecessors and heroes to create the nation that we call today Malaysia.

It will be made available to the public on YouTube and all major music streaming platforms from Thursday (Sept 16).

He said 90% of the lyrics was written by Pannir.

Samson said it took him about three weeks to compose, record and mix the song.

"I have been in this industry for almost 16 years and Pannir's level of writing is as good as any professional I have worked with. That someone with that much talent is behind bars hurts me and makes me question a lot of stuff," he said.

Previously, Samson had sung the hit song I'll Never Forget, which touches on racism.

He thought that he would never top that effort as an artist, but he said that Bukan Sekadar Hikayat has made him think otherwise.

This is the second song which has lyrics written by Pannir.

In April, singer Santesh Kumar released Arah Tuju, a rap single that urges Malaysians to have mercy on death row inmates and to forgive them.

Both songs were initiatives of NGO Sebaran Kasih, which was founded by Angelia.

They have been supported by the European Union, Ensemble Contre La Peine De Mort (ECPM), the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network (ADPAN), Sri Velan Store, Amnesty International Malaysia, and Lawyers For Liberty.

Angelia said that she got the lyrics of the latest song from her brother when she visited him in Changi Prison in August 2019.

"I was impressed how my brother could write this. I didn't realise his potential before," she said,

"He reminded us all that though we are different, we are one, we are united under one flag and one country – Malaysia," she added.

The Ipoh-raised Pannir is a big music fan, and cites artistes such as Tupac Shakur and Malique as his influences.

Pannir, 33, was convicted in Singapore in 2017 of trafficking 51.84g of heroin at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Sept 3, 2014.

He was due to be executed in May 2019 but received a last-minute reprieve after the Court of Appeal granted a stay for him to file a judicial review over the clemency process.

Singapore President Halimah Yacob had previously rejected a clemency appeal from Pannir's family.

Pannir's appeal for leave to commence the judicial review was heard before the Court of Appeal last month after the High Court dismissed it last year.

After hearing submissions from lawyers, the Court of Appeal reserved judgment on the appeal.