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Baggy pants, over-sized tees, gold chains and perched hats, Thaitanium look like hip hop cartoon caricatures come to life.
Although Thailand has claimed this hip pop outfit as their own, MCs Pcess (“Way” Prinya Intachai) and SD (Sunny Day, or “Day” Naymyo Thant) and MC/producer KH for King of the Hustle (“Khan” Kanngoen Nannual) all say they feel, “half-and-half” as in half-American, half-Thai.
“We think half-Thai and half-American, but we grew up there. [Our music] started over there too,” says Khan.
The group split their time up between the two countries and they rap in both languages. Their music, on the other hand, is entirely US rap. “I don’t like to sample,” says Khan. “And I don’t play any Thai instruments or music so it’s hard to include it into the music, but generally I love Thai music.”
Originally dubbed ‘AA,’ the group launched with a modest 20 copies of their first self-titled release in 2000. The artists admit they “talked a lot of trash” in their raw and uncensored debut album. 
“We’re still aggressive,” insists Way. “But we have more direction now because we reach more people… Music is always about growth and that’s what happened to us – we grew. Now, we rap about our lives, how we grew up to present days in clubs and girls…”
Day wraps it up: “Everything we put out is real.”
Now five albums and one film soundtrack later, wide exposure on music channels, a single with Tata Young, performances at Asia’s biggest events, a record company, modeling and acting careers and a fashion label, Thaitanium are clearly riding the commercial wave of success. As well as their MTV endorsement, they are being carried on the backs of an unrelenting fan base, most of whom are adoring women.
“Their fame hasn't dropped at all,” says 29-year old Kazira Dusitkittikul, an avid follower. “They’re still very popular among hip hop fans, even though there are lots of newcomers. They are also good at English too. Their songs are mostly mixed Thai and English. The kids like this.”
Inexplicably calling themselves “hustlers, not gangstas,” Thaitay’s mainstream stardom has met with some considerable contempt. The most outspoken anti-tanium activists will vent on internet forums, namely, ours.
“Copy book wanna be gangsta hip hop outfit,” scathed one BangkokRecorder.com forum-follower.
Another railed: “The music is weak, the lyrics are sad, the videos look like p-diddy rejects. Not a lot of originality here.”
While, “fake” and “utter shite” have been some other colorful adjectives used to describe this popular threesome.
 So what do Thaitay say to critics accusing them of mimicking US rap?
“It is US rap!” exclaims Khan.
“All those critics, they haven’t walked in our shoes!” says Way. “They have no idea what it’s like to be us.”
“Yeah, rock doesn’t come from Thailand but you don’t hear anyone complaining about all those rock bands copying American sounds,” argues Day.
While Thaitanium-bashers may have a valid point in their music and image being derivative and ‘try-hard,’ if you look at the wider picture, you will find that appropriation is intrinsic to Thai culture, not to mention, inherent in hip hop as well.
There are countless examples of how Thailand has mirrored ideas and styles from other cultures and had major success with it here. From 17th century classical architecture to the French influence in Thai cuisine, the Siamese have always especially emulated Western cultures.
So it’s little surprise that American hip pop culture is being Xeroxed for consumption by a more-than-willing audience. And just like photocopies, the outcome is somewhat inferior in quality and mass-produced through major outlets like MTV Asia.  What Thaitanium can be credited for is that they, along with Joey Boy, are viewed as the first to produce and enterprise on Thai hip hop.
“Hip hop has been exploding here for the past five years,” explained Khan. “The thing with Thai kids is that they don’t really understand or know about this genre, it’s just for fashion...”
“They’ve missed out on 25 years of history,” pointed out Way. “Thai kids have gotten all their information from the internet so they haven’t been brainwashed by record companies. But their characters are still unclear. The culture is still growing, but it needs more time.”
Even our cynical forum posters admit they are pioneers:
“The Thai rap scene is still in its infancy stage,” posted one reader. “Groups like Thaitanium or Joeyboy help to build a scene. They are quite popular and show that you can be successful with Thai rap.
“Others will follow and sooner or later there will the one with the flow and style we all wait for.”
by Karuna Gurung
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