Abstract
Tibetanness (bod pa'i ngo bo), as a set of shared "fundamental cultural values", has no single universal medium (theg pa). Due to the extraordinary diverse nature of Tibetan diaspora, neither language nor religion (the usual "suspects" and cornerstones of any culture) can be in this case regarded as "singular", much less "universal".
However, popular culture, which builds on the foundations of its direct ancestor, folk culture, is now not so "local" anymore (thanks to social channels like WeChat, YouTube, and Facebook), thus being the perfect candidate for such medium. And one agent of pop culture particularly stands out in this context - music, the only "truly universal language".
In such orally-oriented culture as Tibetan, music had always a prominent position. It is thus surprising, why contemporary popular music is still such a neglected research subject in the field of Tibetan studies.
Let alone, when a new phenomenon of Tibetan hip-hop has recently emerged and now genuinely "taps into the existing linguistic anxiety to tremendous effect", as Timothy Thurston once pointed out. For circa ten years, a vibrant urban subculture of Tibetan youth has been forming around this adapted trend.
It successfully blends together elements of the global hip-hop culture (including fashion, dancing, rapping, video production etc.) with various classic features taken from Tibetan tradition(-s). This paper aims to introduce selected aspects of bod kyi gzhas ma gtam, thereby indicating its current role, possible prospects, and challenges too.
These linguistic, religious, political and sociological features will be illustrated using examples of lyrics, video clips and biographical records of the artists. Special attention will be paid to the "cross-over" nature and the identity-awareness encouraging function of the subculture and its different movements.