Iraj Weeraratne (born 21 February 1981), known professionally as IRAJ, is a Sri Lankan

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...

music producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

, and DJ. While recognized for introducing Sinhala and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

rap to the local music scene, his career has been overshadowed by controversies involving political affiliations, misinformation, and hate speech allegations.

Career

Weeraratne was educated at

Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo also known as; Royal Colombo, Colombo Royal College or Colombo Royal) is a Single-sex education, boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started by Joseph Marsh (priest), Joseph Mar ...

and later claimed to have studied at

Northumbria University Northumbria University (legally the University of Northumbria at Newcastle) is a Public research university, public research university located in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England, North East of England. It has been a university since 199 ...

, although this remains unverified. He won a best keyboardist award from Guildhall Music School at the age of 16 and formed the band Zealots with his schoolmates, including

Ranidu Lankage Ranidu Lankage (Sinhala language, Sinhala:රනිදු ලංකාගේ) is a Sinhala language, Sinhalese R&B and hip hop artist who raised the international profile of Sinhalese RnB/pop.Weerasuriya, Sanath. (2007-03-25Dance to the music of ...

. He composed music for the 2009 Tamil film '' Vettaikaaran'', but later faced legal issues during a trip to Chennai in connection to the project. In 2020, he was appointed to the Board of the

National Youth Services Council National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Namal Rajapaksa Lakshman Namal Rajapaksa (, ; born 10 April 1986; known as Namal Rajapaksa) is a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. He is the eldest son of former President of Sri Lanka, President and former Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Prime Minister Mahinda Ra ...

, a move that was widely criticized due to his lack of relevant experience. He resigned in 2021 citing "work-related commitments".

Political affiliations and backlash

Weeraratne has been a vocal supporter of the

Rajapaksa family The Rajapaksa family () is a Sri Lankan family that is prominent in politics. It was one of Sri Lanka's most powerful families during Mahinda Rajapaksa's presidency, when many members of the family occupied senior positions in the Sri Lankan s ...

, especially

Gotabaya Rajapaksa Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, (; ; born 20 June 1949) was a Sri Lankan politician and military officer who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his Resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, resignation on 14 July 202 ...

and

. During the

2022 Sri Lankan protests The 2022 Sri Lankan protests, commonly known as Aragalaya (), were a series of mass protests that began in March 2022 against the government of Sri Lanka. The government was heavily criticized for mismanaging the Economy of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan ...

, he used social media to defend the government and criticize protestors, which resulted in widespread public backlash. His residence in Kirulapone was vandalized by protestors in May 2022. He has been accused of participating in coordinated propaganda efforts and spreading disinformation. In 2021, Facebook removed his page over fake news allegations involving COVID-19 antigen test kits. In March 2025, Weeraratne was summoned by Sri Lanka’s Cyber Crimes Division over a video in which he alleged fraudulent donation requests related to the

Temple of the Tooth Sri Dalada Maligawa, commonly known in English as the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, is a Buddhist temple in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is located in the Royal Palace Complex of the former Kingdom of Kandy, which houses the relic of the tooth of ...

Recent controversies

In 2023, civil organisations in Australia petitioned against one of his concerts, accusing him of hate speech, political propaganda, and discriminatory views, particularly toward marginalized communities. In February 2025, Weeraratne took legal action against individuals who insulted him and his family on social media platforms.

Discography

Albums

* ''Iraj'' – MEntertainments (2010) * ''Chapter 02: Aloke'' – MEntertainments (2013) * ''Manamali'' (2017)

References

External links

Iraj Weeraratne
at IMDb {{DEFAULTSORT:Weeraratne, Iraj 1981 births Alumni of Northumbria University Living people Sinhalese singers Sri Lankan singer-songwriters Sri Lankan male singer-songwriters Sri Lankan hip-hop musicians