It came as no surprise to rap artist Saint TFC when his trilingual anti-racism song I'll Not Forget (Aku Tak Akan Lupa /Marakka Maten) started widely circulating last week.

A mix of smart hip-hop rhymes, and a sung upper register R&B inflected chorus, it switches back and forth between English, Malay and Tamil with powerful lyrics of a man questioning why he’s been oppressed because of the colour of his skin, before reminding us that we share the same blood and will return to the same earth after death.

“I actually released this song nine months ago, but to be honest, every time there is a racial stir in our nation, this song makes its round as a...