Tenzin Younten wanted Tibetans living in the diaspora in Darjeeling, India, to speak in their native language. So, the 19-year-old rapper wrote a song about it.

“I saw two Tibetans in my neighborhood communicating in the local dialect [Nepali] and that just triggered me,” Younten, whose stage name is Youns BoB, told Radio Free Asia. “I then thought and decided that I must empower young Tibetans in exile to at least communicate in our own language. So, I went home and wrote the song ‘Speak in Tibetan if You Are Tibetan.’”

Rap music has become a creative way for Tibetan youths living in exile to assert their cultural identity and to communicate their stance on Tibet-related issues.

They say they believe their songs represent a powerful cultural framework to stand up for Tibetan identity, closely tied to Tibetan Buddhism, which has come under assault by the Chinese government in recent years as it seeks to maintain an iron grip on the restive Tibet Autonomous Region.

Many young Tibetan musicians like Younten say music is a powerful agent capable of arousing emotional and patriotic sentiments. They say their lyrics instill a sense of pride in being Tibetan and seek to unify and strengthen Tibetan communities in the diaspora.

Meanwhile, the music of the up-and-coming singer Younten and his song “Speak in Tibetan if You Are Tibetan” have become popular among some members of the Tibetan diaspora, and he now has more than 5,000 fans on Instagram.

Tsona’s songs have reached young Tibetans in western China, who have posted comments about them on the Chinese instant-messaging app WeChat. One listener thanked him for sharing such sentiments in his songs.

Tibetan rappers living in the diaspora have a duty to their fellow Tibetans inside China, Tsona said.

“living in a free country, I believe that we have the responsibility to be the voice for our voiceless people inside Tibet through mediums like music,” he said.