Malaysian artist Syed Ahmad Syed Abdul Rahman (Altimet), whose career spanned two decades, strongly believes in independence and protecting his intellectual property rights. With a parallel career in entrepreneurship, the rapper, actor, and composer owned his label and all the copyrights to his creations. He now follows a political career and co-manages a talent management agency, helping young artists find their way and protect their IP rights.
Ahmad started his career as a musician in 1999 when he formed a hip-hop group with some friends. The collaboration ended in 2007, when Ahmad, taking the name “Altimet,” started a solo career.
From a medical student to rapper of Teh Tarik Crew
“As a child, I was always interested in music,” Ahmad said, adding, “I was not much of a sportsman; I liked to read and listen to music. There were my two friends growing up.”
After high school, Ahmad received a scholarship to take his A levels in the United Kingdom, winning him a further scholarship to study medicine. However, Asia was in the grip of a financial crisis then, and Ahmad decided to head home and study medicine in his home country.
However, medicine was not to be Ahmad’s future after all. In the middle of his studies, he decided to drop out of medical school and become an entrepreneur in the creative industry.
Music, nonetheless, was always present in Ahmad’s life. In 1999, he launched a hip-hop group, Teh Tarik Crew, with a few friends. Back then, hip-hop was a newcomer to Malaysia’s musical scene and considered a poor revenue generator, so the group decided to launch their own label.
Altimet – A hip-hop artist inspired by folk music
Growing up, Ahmad would hear music that his parents liked to listen to, like pop music. However, when visiting his cousin, seven or eight years his senior, he would be exposed to heavy metal music. “I remember this one song, which is a collaboration between Anthrax and Public Enemy, Bring the Noise, mixing metal and hip-hop.” It seemed that it came from another planet.”
“Public Enemy would talk about social and political issues,” he said, adding that his attraction to hip-hop was rooted in the fact that songs can talk about anything and everything. “It reminded me of folk singers who talk about whatever they see.” “For me, hip-hop is a kind of folk music.”
When going solo, in 2007, Ahmad chose his artist’s name as Altimet. The name comes from DJ Premier, Ahmad’s favorite hip-hop producer. Altimet is the Malay version of the first, the premier.
Mixing hip-hop with traditional malaysian music
Ahmad explained that hip-hop has roots in musical heritage such as rock and roll, folk, and R&B. From 2007, Ahmad added local and traditional sounds to his compositions. “It comes with your understanding of yourself as a creative and understanding of the genre you are in.”
Contemporary Malaysian artists still use some traditional instruments, such as the gamelan (an ensemble of brass pots serving as percussion instruments) and the seruling (a small Malay flute made of bamboo).
Nowadays, Ahmad said, “many Malaysian singers release traditional Malay songs,” hoping there will be more traditional instruments in pop music.”
A record label for creative mainstream music
Upon starting his solo career, Ahmad also launched a new label company. However, being an entrepreneur and an artist simultaneously was no small feat. “Sometimes it is easy to confuse the two, think about how a song can be marketable and be creative at the same time.”
“When you are an entrepreneur, you are running a business. You are supposed to sell a product, not a piece of art. But when an artist creates, he does not think whether it can sell.” One of the biggest challenges of that dual role was balancing the two positions, he said.
This issue occurs with all labels. Artists are waiting for inspiration, while labels have deadlines, he noted. “Both sides want the same thing, but they have different objectives and need to get to a point where they can work together as smoothly as possible.”
Music platforms for independent artists
At the beginning of his career, Ahmad's main revenue came from digital ringtones. The channels have shifted to platforms. “I came to the market at the tail end of physical sales,” he explained. “We would sell physical copies to hardcore friends, and that is how we segmented the revenue stream.”
With the rise of social media, brands no longer invest in international artists to sell their products but rather hire local talents at a much lower cost who are closer to the market segments they want to reach, Ahmad explained.
With the disappearance of gatekeepers, such as record labels, artists can post their songs online anytime. However, writing a nice song is not enough, he said. “The challenge is how you stand out and get listeners' attention.” “The entry barrier seems very low, but the barrier is high in terms of volume.”
However, Ahmad remains optimistic. “If you know how to grow your fan base, you can make a decent living.”
Talent management agency lets artists do what they do best: music
Ahmad launched Svltan Management in 2021. The talent management agency provides management for musical creatives and beyond.
“I want to help people know themselves creatively and let them spend more time being creative.” “The agency identifies their strengths and weaknesses, and helps them decide what they are willing to do to monetize their art.”
Artists, in general, are aware of copyright protection and contracts but are not proactive, according to Ahmad. “It is a challenge to get them to actively participate in protecting their IP, and this is part of my work in the agency.”
Making it on your own as independent artists
The artist who has always been inspired by stories of people in his creations is a fierce advocate of independence. He said artists should not rely on government grants, charity subsidies, or record labels to create. “It is a question of power; whoever pays for your recording has a hold over you.” “I am lucky enough to own my master recordings, so nobody tells me when to release my songs, if I can release them, or if I can record more songs. Ahmad proudly noted that he “owns all of his IP.”
“All artists should be independent. If you are a creative, your number one service is to the art,” he said.
Ahmad sees being a politician as a challenge, a bit like launching into hip-hop when the genre was little recognized and appreciated.
He was a speaker in the 3rd episode of the WIPO Live Chat on copyright and music, in collaboration with the Malaysian Intellectual Property Office (MyIPO) and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea, which was held in Kuala Lumpur on 15 April.
