This movement began in the mid-1980s, influenced significantly by Singapore's role as an international port that facilitated cultural exchanges, notably with the United States where hip hop originated.
[citation needed] Rap music is released in Singapore mainly in English and in different languages such as Chinese, Malay and Tamil.
[1] Malay language hip-hop made among the aforementioned Malay population is the most notable and famous subculture within Singaporean hip-hop whose fanbases extend beyond them– one act from this, Ahli Fiqir, is well-known even in neighbouring Malaysia and Indonesia.
[2][3] Singlish surfaced from the earliest hip-hop music liberation of Singapore from a nonexistent band called "Kopi Kat Klan".
[citation needed] In the 1990s, rap duo Construction Sight, consisting of Sheikh Heikel and Ashidiq Ghazali, after winning Asia Bagus Grand Championship, a talent show, was credited as "Singapore's first ever rap group".