Here's How The Indian Hip-Hop Scene Emerged & How New-age Desi Rappers Are Making Sure It Stays
Indian rappers from the indie scene are sharing how they have been making a mark and how hip-hop culture in India has truly emerged.
When you think about Hip-Hop and rap now, you'll see how it has boomed across the nation. The genre, already a hit outside the country since the '70s, grew popular much later in India.
Initially, the line between hip-hop music and Indian pop was quite thin. People could hardly differentiate between the two and that may be because independent music outside Bollywood was something which was rather new.
How it actually started?
Back in the 2000s, a man, not from India, named Bohemia (Roger David) ignited the Hip-Hop fire. He along with his Hip-Hop producer Sha One (Seth Agress), released his debut album 'Vich Pardesan De.'
However, that was not what made him popular. The Hip-Hop star got proper recognition for his music once he released his first full-length Punjabi rap album 'Pesa Nasha Pyar' which broke a lot of barriers for Hip-Hop in India.
Soon after that severe Indian-origin artists in England like Hard Kaur, Panjabi MC and many others started showcasing some Indian-based Hip-Hop that actually got quite a bit of attention.
When did independent desi hip-hop come into existence?
While artists like Hard Kaur were doing a good job making desis recognise Hip-Hop, it was still pretty much categorised under Bollywood music. The real deal started when five talented artists, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Lil Golu, Badshah, Raftaar, and Ikka, together known as ¡°Mafia Mundeer,¡± came crashing into the Punjabi rap scene. This group surely did make some stellar Punjabi rap music and got its fair share of recognition in their times.
However, as we all know now, the group broke up since all of them wanted to go ahead independently. Starting from early 2010, Punjabi rappers like Yo Yo Honey Singh tasted a lot of success with their music and that is how we know rap music was here to stay.
The rise of street rap
After a lot of Punjabi rap came the rise of street rap. This started when Naved Shaikh (Naezy) a young boy, emerged from the streets of Mumbai. The man randomly shared an entire raw album of his on YouTube in 2014. The album caught a lot of attention and people started to get the taste of real hip-hop music.
Along with Naezy, Vivian Fernandes, better known by his stage name Divine, started gaining popularity with his hit single 'Yeh Mera Bombay,' which he released on his YouTube channel in 2013.
Soon, after Divine's popularity, the rise of original indie rappers grew. Hip-hop became the in thing and what has made it more exciting is how it has finally gotten the recognition it deserves. Several amazing rappers have emerged and we tried to know a little about how the hip-hop culture is booming.
We talked to some of the top new-generation desi hip-hop artists including Prabh Deep, Rebel 7 managed by Azadi Records and Sez On The Beat, Yungsta managed by wethemvmnt, and they shared how it has been for them in this industry.
How and when did you know that the rap scene was booming in India?
All these profound rappers had some very interesting answers to this.
"I¡¯ve been a part of this community since the very beginning and have seen it rise from ground zero. The arrival of our culture and music as a major player in the Indian cultural landscape was never in doubt - it was a question of when not if," said Prabh Deep.
According to Yungsta, the 'scene' was majorly brewing at an Orkut community called 'Insignia'. "Personally when we and more artists like us started doing gigs and releasing more music actively and saw the audience understand the sound and develop the interest to understand this foreign style of music and culture for what it is rather than just have it as a diluted filler kinda vibe in movie songs, is when I truly realized that yes, the gap between the artists & their music, and the audience is being bridged and this rap music thing is really booming in India."
With so many new and upcoming rappers, how is your music different from the rest?
All four rappers believe that having one's unique style and evolution is the key to being different from the rest.
"Reinventing yourself is the key, not just the beats, but also the lyrics, for that matter. There is nothing new under the sun. You need to realize that and know how you can present yourself in a way that you are most comfortable in. Instead of trying to be something you are not," said Rebel 7.
"There¡¯s always something fresh - be it sonically, be it thematically, the completion has always been global for me so my main aim is to keep building on my craft every day to make sure every time anything drops, it¡¯s super fresh and better than what came before that, said Sez On The Beat. "I don¡¯t survive off formulas or trends or algorithms, the art I create exists in a space of its own and as such will leave an imprint of its own that is separate from my peers," added Prabh Deep.
When it comes to the audience and what they like, these rappers praised them. They thought that the audience is the best judge and they come to their gigs only because they like their originality. "If there¡¯s someone who¡¯s new to our music, it¡¯s easy for them to connect most of the time because the music we are performing is generally about what¡¯s happening around them or something along the lines of 'relatable content,' maybe not for everyone - but everyone who does with that - they make sure to come again and vibe with us," said Sez On The Beat.
The four rappers had a different take on why more people are choosing to be rappers. Rebel 7 and Prabh thought it may seem like a 'trend' or more ' accessible.' They thought that people underestimate the amount of work it takes to become one. "Rap music is considered more ¡¯accessible¡¯, especially since the rise of regional hip-hop and more people choosing their vernaculars as a mode of expression. But on the hand, people underestimate the work it takes to hone the skill and make music that matters," said Prabh.
Sez and Yungsta thought that it is all about connection. It is about the true stories that are conveyed via the lyrics that attract more people to become rappers nowadays. "Something the audience can connect with, it's maybe something which might be affecting them on a daily basis or maybe something they witness around them. It¡¯s usually that one-to-one connection between the artist and audience which connects them," added Sez.
As for finding a good venue to have a great gig, all artists thought that in India finding an apt venue for their music is just one aspect. Thanks to the audience, the vibe and environment always are top-notch.
The rap scene surely is at an all-time rise in India and it is definitely here to stay.
Building, coordinating and crafting engaging content for lifestyle brand 'Evolve' at Indiatimes. Successfully revamping the lifestyle section including topics such as mental health, relationships, self, skin care, music etc. I collaborate with experts from various fields to gather insights and create well-structured pieces.
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