The Rise of Indian Hip Hop
by Abhimanyu Malhotra, The Sonic Arts Co.
The hip hop storm that had been brewing for nearly a decade in pockets around India was certainly pushed into the limelight thanks to Zoya Akhtar’s Gullyboy film. It spurred a nationwide movement, where dozens of MCs and writers released their dream of reaching the big stage could actually be-come a reality here in India. Growing up in the era of Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Eminem our Indian artists were always enamored by the sounds of the west, and idolized these iconic artists who had stories of rags to riches, and nothing but their talent and skill to carry them from one to the other. Gullyboy cemented this dream as a reality for Indian MCs, and if that wasn’t enough, the Indian hip-hop scene got its biggest sign off from none other than legendary rapper NAS. Realizing the potential the Indian market has, NAS co-founded Mass Appeal India, with the objective to provide a platform for the best MCs in our country. This month’s column is a look at the Mass Appeal Cata-logue and the artists they’ve signed, at music that is being represented by one of the biggest names in Hip-hop, and the homegrown teams who are writing, rapping, producing and engineering this music.
The jewel in the crown is none other than Divine. The poster boy of Indian Hip Hop, Divine was in fact Mass Appeal India’s first signing, and they had released his debut album Kohinoor in 2019. Following it’s smashing success, Divine has since released a number of singles and collabora-tions, including ‘Rider’, featuring Lisa Mishra. Produced by Kanch and Stunnah Beatz, mixed by Shah Rule and mastered by Charles Wakeman, Rider is a story of childhood sweethearts told through a modern trap beat with catchy hooks and melodic, almost tropical top lines. The lyrical work takes the cake, with a blend of Hindi and English from both artists. This is definitely not un-derground in any form, and is very much commercial songwriting with the intention of representing Indian hip hop on the global stage, and it does a great job of executing the same. The song and video are strong milestones of India’s rise in the global hip hop world.
Indian artists were always enamoured by the sounds of the west and idolized iconic artists who had stories of rags to riches and nothing but their talent and skill to carry them from one to the other. Gullyboy cemented this dream as a reality for Indian MCs, and the Indian hip-hop scene got its biggest sign off from none other than legendary rapper NAS.
Our next track is Hooked/Khara Sona by Shah Rule. A talented rapper, writer and producer, Shah Rule is a part of Divine’s Gullygang. Mass Appeal has released his debut EP Hooked, and this song is very representative of the special sauce that Shah Rule brings. He is the perfect example of fusing the West with Indian hip hop. His music and flows are contemporary and cutting edge, and he effortlessly blends Hindi with his melodic style. What I like most about this track is how he flips essentially two songs into one; a trend highly popularized by Drake and Travis Scott. His un-derstanding of flow and how to switch it up is a pleasure, knowing how to keep his audience listen-ing in. The track was produced by Xplicit & Stunnah Beatz, mixed by Shah Rule and mastered by Hanish Taneja.
Next up is one of my favourite MC’s in the scene, MC Altaf, who is simply a poet in rapper form. One of Mass Appeal’s latest signings, he is the goldenly of our scene. His track ‘Soch’ resonates with his loyal fans and his fanbase is growing rapidly. Consisting of modern trap, Altaf’s poetry is a superfluous and spontaneous flow of thought, taking you through his mind and daily life experienc-es. His words motivate and resonate and the simplicity of the video allows his words to shine through. Produced by Saif and The Loud Pack, Soch was mixed by Skiddy and mastered by Stunnah Beatz. Soch is a testament to the fact that you don’t need big budgets, cars and models to reinforce your image as an MC in Hip hop. It is testament that pure poetry and flow can deliver as much of an impact, if not more.