Son of Ra: How Ramesses Reezy is rewriting Sri Lanka’s hip-hop story

Sri Lankan rapper Ramesses Reezy (Original name Minru Silva) is seen performing for an audience 

• “Rap is knowledge. It’s wisdom and it definitely is so much more than noise,” he says. “It has much greater value as an art form, so I believe that rap artistes in the country should keep making good music & help take this industry to another, classier level”

- Minru Silva, Rap Artiste 

• Minru Silva is acutely aware that he exists at a pivotal moment for 

Sri Lankan hip-hop

“I’m here to spread light through my music” - Sri Lankan rapper Ramesses Reezy

By Aakil Riyaz

There is a certain level of courage it takes to walk away from a steady job, leave your parent’s house and stake everything on a dream that your country has barely seen before, which is what Minru Silva, better known by his stage name Ramesses Reezy, exactly did. 

This Colombo-based rapper, now firmly grounded as one of the most singular voices in Sri Lanka’s emerging hip-hop scene, speaks with the confidence of someone who has been faced with his fair share of adversities within the industry. 

“When I quit my job, I was like, this is what I want. This is my life. This is my purpose. I’m here to change people. I’m here to change the world,” Silva says. 

Coming from most people, this might sound like bravado. From Reezy however, it sounds like a mission statement, one that also reflects his unshakeable ethos as an artist.  The path that Minru took was no yellow brick road. Sri Lanka’s music industry, particularly in rap was a seedling when he first committed to it. 

“It was a risk. There was no roadmap and most importantly we had no support,” he recalls.

Over the past four years, Silva has hustled and poured himself into his craft, channeling an almost superhuman drive into his art. 

“I’ve slept on couches. I left my home. But I never quit. Whatever happens, I never quit,” he says.

Name that changed 

the game

Before becoming Ramesses Reezy, there was just Minru Silva and like every serious rapper, he needed a stage name. Interestingly, the one that found arrived, through family. His brother initially suggested ‘Ramesses’ after the Egyptian Pharoah and at first, Minru wasn’t quite sold with the idea. 

“I didn’t like the name at first, so I sat with it for a while,” he admits.

What he discovered when he dug deeper, what he found was far more valuable to him than anything; much akin to a treasure hunter coming across the untold riches within a period. Ramesses in essence means, ‘Son of Ra’ (Ra being the ancient Egyptian Sun God). For someone who had long felt the tug towards ancient civilizations, the resonance Silva felt was instant. More so because Ra and the Sinhala concept of ‘Surya’ (the sun) share the same solar root.

“I’ve slept on couches. I left my home. But I never quit. Whatever happens, I never quit”- Ramesses Reezy

“When I discovered the connection between both names I knew that I needed that name because I’m here to spread light through my music,” Silva says.

As for the second part changing his name to Reezy, it mainly came out of practical necessity. Silva understood that the name Ramesses alone was proving tricky for local audiences to spell and pronounce aloud. So, taking notes from the rap genres greatest abbreviators; Carnivus to Ye, Lil Wayne to Weezy, Silva created a shorthand: Ramesses Reezy. And just like the artist himself, the name was here to stake its claim in the Sri Lankan music industry. 

From dope gang to 

solo pioneer

Silva’s earliest musical steps were taken as part of collective, mainly in the form of a school-era crew by the name Dope Gang, co-founded by his brother. His first solo track, “Heenasakwala,” was released in 2021, marking the beginning of his journey as an independent artiste.  

He released his debut album ‘Iconography’ in two parts a short while ago, with 11 songs each and 22 tracks in total. The feedback and response received were quite significant. But perhaps more significantly, the album triggered something unprecedented in the local scene: a full blown album tour. 

The first phase of the album rollout began with its initial release on August 16, 2024, marked by a launch event titled Iconography: Green Room. This event served as the official introduction to the project and set the tone for a broader tour concept built around the album.

Following the launch, the tour continued in Kandy under the banner Iconography: Angels Grand Tour, maintaining the same thematic and experiential framework. The series then moved to Hikkaduwa, further expanding its reach and audience. 

The next scheduled stop on the tour is Anuradhapura on May 16, 2026. Shortly after, on May 22, a spin-off event will take place in the form of his first-ever solo concert, at the Boiler Room. This sequence of performances forms part of the larger “Iconography” phase, which will conclude with a final show planned for November or December later this year.

The Artiste Sri Lanka’s scene needs

Silva is acutely aware that he exists at a pivotal moment for Sri Lankan hip-hop. The genre although holding itself strong, is fragile in some ways & is still fighting to cement its legitimacy in the eyes of a wider public that has over dismissed it as imitation or street noise. Reezy pushes back on that notion quite firmly.

“Rap is knowledge. It’s wisdom and it definitely is so much more than noise,” he says. “It has much greater value as an art form, so I believe that rap artistes in the country should keep making good music & help take this industry to another, classier level,” says Silva. 

It is a call to arms, but a generous one on his part. He doesn’t simply position himself above the scene he’s trying to build, rather Silva positions himself within it, as both example and advocate. 

Looking ahead, 2026 promises to be Silva’s biggest year yet. Collaborations with major artistes (names he wishes to keep close to his chest, to build up the suspense), are in the pipeline. 

“I have some features with major artistes, some of whom I never imagined meeting in my life,” he says.

For an artiste who once had nothing, but conviction, the list of firsts, from first album, to first album tour is quite remarkable! 

But ‘Ramesses Reezy’, the Son of Ra, the never-quit kid from Colombo, is clearly just warming up!