"For Western MTV viewers to see Asian groups, even though the sound is right, it's a big paradigm shift. It will be hard. They don't look like the usual boy bands that dominate in the West."
Coming from Asia, many artists are also under pressure to differentiate their music from established Western acts such as 50 Cent and Grammy Award winner OutKast, especially given hip-hop's overwhelming association with American urban culture.
"I keep repeatedly telling Too Phat why don't you add some Asian sounds to it to make it sound a little different? It can still be hip-hop, but why not hip-hop with tablas or sitars in there?" says Varma, referring to two Indian instruments.
"Why do we have to be Asian and go onto the stage and go `Yo Yo Yo, what's up?'" he adds.
Varma points to the success of Panjabi MC, well-known for his tracks infused with drum-driven Bhangra folk music from Punjab, as a trailblazer for other Asian artists.
Panjabi MC won the joint award for UK act of the year at the Music of Black Origin (MOBO) awards in London last year. The MOBO awards celebrate the spectrum of music of black origin -- R&B, hip-hop, rap, jazz, reggae and gospel.
Another challenge is Asia's sheer diversity, from the Indian subcontinent to greater China, Japan and Southeast Asia. Different regions have their own languages, identities and musical styles, though hip-hop is proving remarkably universal.
Gary See, Singapore's managing director for Universal Music Pte Ltd, says the first step is to find success in Asia before going after a global audience.
"It's a long shot," adds See, who says Asian-based artists singing in English have yet to make a visible impact in the West. "They basically have to create a wave in Asia first in big markets like Japan, Korea and Taiwan before they can make inroads into America or Europe."
But Too Phat is confident its hip-hop style can find wider appeal. "There are no guidelines or rules in hip-hop," says group member Joe Flizzow. "It's really all about representing where you're from. We're from Malaysia and we are proud of that."
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