Nepal, May 22 -- The Nepali Army's new rap video, Ranger, begins with force. Soldiers crawl through mud, run through obstacle courses, carry weapons, move in formation, and stare into the camera with the controlled seriousness expected of military men.

Rap carries histories of street voice, ego, humour, anger, and suspicion toward authority. In Nepal, Balen made that energy politically electric long before he made it electoral. Rap usually sounds best when it refuses to stand in line.

So there is something immediately funny, and revealing, about the Nepali Army releasing a rap video called Ranger and making the rebellious flow of rap report for disciplined duty.

The first thing to notice about Ranger is that its feeling arrives before...