Ta Oi boy Pham Trung Hieu

“David Nop”’s real name is Pham Trung Hieu (born in 2001), a Ta Oi ethnic group (A Luoi). An energetic young man, after graduating from high school, Trung Hieu went to the city to look for job opportunities. The city was bustling but unfamiliar, Hieu started with manual labor jobs, such as being a shipper, a coffee shop waiter, a tea room employee… to earn a living and nurture his soaring dreams from his school days.

In 2020, Hieu temporarily stopped all work and returned to his hometown to join the army. In 2023, after completing his military service, Hieu "went down the mountain" again, continuing to experiment with different jobs but not very successfully. Then, by chance, Hieu "met" Highlight - a clothing brand from Hue through a humorous content creation project on Tiktok. With the charm of a highland boy and the witty content that Hieu brought, the name David Nop (nickname of Trung Hieu) began to be known to everyone on the internet. After that, he left Highlight but continued on the path of "creating content on digital platforms", mainly Tiktok and Facebook. Parodying the voices of famous singers and rappers in humorous but very real situations, always present in life, David Nop's clips attracted the attention of the audience. “When I saw the videos and results of my work being spread across many newspapers and major Facebook pages, my feeling at that time was quite difficult to describe, but it made me more motivated and serious about my work,” Hieu shared.

Currently, besides being a content creator and tiktoker, David Nop is being welcomed with a new stage name in the rap world: GNOB. Appearing on the Rap Viet program, GNOB has left many good impressions in the hearts of the audience. Coming to rap because Hieu was born and raised in the vibrant musical space of his family and the Ta Oi community in the countryside of A Luoi. A place where from parents to young people of the same age as Hieu, especially his relatives, everyone knows how to play musical instruments such as guitar, drums... and used to work as a band. Hieu always remembers the vibrant music nights, the captivating performances until each person separated and disbanded due to work, family... However, whenever there is a chance to gather, especially on Tet and holidays, the members of this "neighborhood band, village band" are jubilant and explosive as before.

Approaching hip-hop from a young age, Hieu grew up with memories of practicing bboy dancing with his older brother in the style of highland children. “At that time, my neighbors and I all had the same passion for hip-hop. We often gathered after school, watched hip-hop videos or movies together and practiced dancing together…”, Hieu shared. From the spontaneous hip-hop culture in the remote countryside, the young Ta Oi man was gradually attracted by the freedom, strong words, and skillful techniques that are unique to rap. Hieu caught up with rap not only with passion but also with perseverance, patience, playing rap and writing music like a real rapper.

At first, Hieu's family forbade him from pursuing rap because they were afraid that their children would choose a bumpy path in life, afraid that they would suffer and fail. But now, Hieu has asserted himself, creating peace of mind for his family and relatives, feeling the joy mixed with trust and pride of his parents for his choice. Hieu also realized that although his parents were worried, they still silently supported him throughout the difficult journey.

As a son of the A Luoi highlands, for Hieu this has never been a disadvantage or an inferiority complex, because according to him, no matter what ethnicity you are, you all have Vietnamese blood. As a son of Ta Oi, Hieu considers this the greatest motivation to rise up and assert himself. Hieu wants to convey to everyone the message: "What each person is like depends on their lifestyle and thinking, not where they were born."

Being a content creator, practicing rapping and composing music at the same time is a huge pressure for Hieu. However, "if I don't make content, I won't have money to support music". To pursue his passion, the young man understands that he must make more efforts and try harder to be successful in his artistic career. At the age of 23, Hieu has a burning desire to prove himself. "Be positive, no matter who you are. Life will definitely have times when it's not what you want, but the important thing is not to be afraid of collisions, not to be afraid of failure and always be proactive to seize opportunities for yourself when possible" - Hieu shared.

Pham Phuoc Chau