5 Indian rappers who are not afraid of being politically incorrect
If you think about the rap music scene in India, it probably started somewhere in the mid-1990s with Baba Sehgal and Apache Indian taking over what was called Indipop. Sure they had some funny material and their rhymes flowed well, but if you fast forward to today, Baba Sehgal is known much more for his freestyle tweets rather than music. Today's widely-followed rappers - Yo Yo Honey Singh, Badshah, Raftaar, Hard Kaur and their ilk - are a lot more closer to emulating American rappers in the vein of bling, cars, girls, money, exotic locations and more money.
But here's a closer look at the other side of upcoming rappers - people who host rap cyphers to promote freestyling, play in clubs that can pack in no more than 200 people and definitely aren't going knocking on the doors of Bollywood music directors. And with good reason - they like to spit rhymes about politics, Dalit oppression, street life, economic inequality and homosexuality.
1. A-List - Muck Fodi
Released before the BJP leader Narendra Modi became the prime minister of India, Muck Fodi isn't exactly new territory for Mumbai-based rapper Ashwini Mishra aka A-List.
He has rapped about India's Section 377 (the law which criminalises homosexuality), being a beef-lover (and not just the kind of beef rappers get into) and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) ever since he picked up the mic in 2004. A-List is a total straight-shooter, his accent not even slightly aping any American or British influences like Nas or Mos Def.
2. Naezy + Divine - Meri Gully Main
Here are two Mumbai rappers Naved Shaikh aka Naezy and Vivian Divine taking to the streets in the most literal sense.
As much as the camera work for their latest collaborative single "Meri Gully Main" is a treat to the eyes of any Mumbaikar, it's their lyrics about the quintessential hustle and bustle between the narrowest lanes and smallest houses, which Naezy rightly says houses the people with the biggest hearts.
3. Feyago - Someday
The big deal built around Kolkata-based rapper Vik Sen aka Feyago is that he's Darjeeling-bred and got into the rap game straight after ditching an education in the UK.
But if you ignore his backstory and tune into his song "Someday", featuring Shillong R&B singer MelodyCrab and produced by Kolkata DJ Sunny Paul, there are some of the best hooks you'll ever hear. While MelodyCrab goes on about love and life, Feyago brings his American-style flow to the track, taking on corruption, greed and sexual harassment, and surprisingly, getting high. If you'd like to know he manages all that, listen to this track and more from his debut mixtape Initiation, which comprises songs such as "Shit I Gotta" and more.
4. Brodha V - Aathma Raama
Bangalore-based rapper Brodha V aka Vignesh Shivanand might have a more recently released hit by the name of "Aigiri Nandini" (yes, it samples the devotional song), but the artist made his first breakthrough with another prayer-sampling track that goes by the name of "Aathma Raama" back in 2012.
He raps about ambition and making it through tough times, but also about faith and religion, something that rap is surprisingly open to. Sample this: "One day, I wish to be like Eminem or 2Pac/And have a million people chanting, Brodha V you rock." With a few awards under his belt and Bollywood coming a-knocking, a million fans may not be an outlandish dream for Brodha V.
5. Borkung Hrangkhawl - The Journey
The Tripura rapper, better known as BK, rose to fame in 2013 for his track "The Journey", which was said to have crossed over one million views on YouTube.
While the music video had to be reuploaded and now stands at 82,000 views - still a commendable achievement - BK has gone on to have a few more hits such as "The Roots" and "Power". All three tracks centre around the theme of improving the condition of life in Tripura, drug abuse and other problems in the northeastern state.