New Delhi, March 15 -- In January 2020, Nepali rapper Balendra Shah-better known simply as Balen-released Balidan, a scathing, no-holds-barred takedown of the Himalayan country's political elites. In the song, he paints a desolate picture of a political landscape dominated by corrupt government officials, opportunistic politicians, dysfunctional governance and perennial conflict. "All leaders are thieves, looting the country and eating it up," he raps in Maithili over a sparse, shuffling beat. "They're all united in dividing and devouring the nation."

It's a classic bit of agit-prop conscious rap that struck a nerve with young Nepalis, who were just as sick of the corruption, nepotism and political instability they saw all around them. T...