A Visit to J Block: How an underground hip-hop group creates an inclusive artist retreat in rented Delhi flats

Based in Delhi but with members hailing from other Indian cities and towns, J Block has been garnering praise for their recent mixtape Kho Kho which dropped back in July. This is the story of how they recorded it and continue fostering a self-sufficient artist culture through a flat that is their safe haven.

Prologue: The first visit to J Block’s flat

Sweat. A whole lot of sweat was shed on the cramped stage of Jor Bagh’s Raasta Cafe on the night of July 14. The hip-hop/pop collective known as J Block had just performed a set of songs from their then-upcoming mixtape Kho Kho. 

Once the gig was over, some of the members headed back home while the remainder take me to a flat in Kishangarh, or just "the block" to be colloquial in their language. 

So, what even is J Block? The music collective christened themselves after the area where the remaining members spent the remainder of that night: a flat in the J Block of Delhi's Sarita Vihar neighbourhood (after which they shifted to the one in Kishangarh). Tiptoeing our way through a lift, we reached one of the top floors. 

“The landlord is quite an ass.” The group’s manager Saqlen Hasan Khan, says in a hushed voice. 

As Saqlen knocked on the door, we were greeted by a figure who would be at least six feet tall. A look at his legs revealed a cat with orange fur. The former was Circle Tone, a music producer, and the latter was Joey, the equivalent of an animal mascot for J Block. 

Like a bouncer with few words, Circle guided everyone to a central space layered with an assortment of everything, ranging from worn-out socks to cat food to even a book of psychology. Further inside, the gang assembled in a room adorned with a keyboard, a guitar with one string missing, a TV screen, and a whole lot of people lethargically laying on a pile of mattresses.  Beer cans were being opened and tobacco was in the air as the ‘panchayat’ sat down with the topic of discussion being that night’s concert. 

“We killed it.” One of them said while another asked, “If you see us as Odd Future or Brockhampton, who would be who?” For the unacquainted, Odd Future and Brockhampton are both successful American hip-hop collectives with the former even yielding mainstream talents such as Tyler The Creator, Frank Ocean, and Earl Sweatshirt. 

The conversation eventually proceeded to banter and appreciation of the current “scene” in cities such as Delhi with some even bringing up a healthy dose of gossip and laughs. Saqlen finally sighed with a yawn of defeat and walked out to another room to sleep. Slowly, everyone else followed suit as the sun started rising. And then there were none. 

The survivors of the night include Circle and Joey. “Imagine all these theme songs of the dubbed Hindi versions of Doraemon, Kochikame, and all. Imagine somewhere the audios and stems of these songs might still exist. If I get my hands on them, I can sample them somewhere.” The producer got his creative juices flowing even when he was half-asleep. 

Joey, on the other hand, surveyed the flat of sleeping corpses like a dutiful watchman, occasionally nibbling on cat food and lapping up water from a bucket. 

And just like that, the night ended. Within two days, J Block’s mixtape titled Kho Kho dropped. 

How were Kho Kho’s songs recorded in just two days? 

“So, I was working in my home at Bareilly, and Kabeer called me. He told me that the guys have completed an entire mixtape worth of songs, and they are planning to name it Kho Kho because of the entire recording process and how similar it was to the exuberant sport of Kho Kho, no one resting for even a minute and changing places in the studio.” The Block’s manager Saqlen offers the story behind the name and the recording process.

In more ways than one, Kho Kho’s recording is reminiscent of the hip-hop documentary Dreamville Presents: Revenge. The 30-minute-long clip depicts the intense 10-day process in which hordes of artists and producers made music from scratch for a compilation album under rapper J Cole’s record label Dreamville. 

The creative atmosphere was similar in Kishangarh when all members just decided to brainstorm and record a set of songs within the span of two days. The recordings were eventually mixed and mastered in the months to follow with the end result being Kho Kho. 

“It was an impulsive ‘in the moment’ decision. Everyone was in town and we felt that this calls for something. Beats got produced. Sampling began. Verses got written. And everyone just started hopping on the mic however they wanted.” Rapper Siddharth Sengupta AKA Lonkeat looks back at those two days of chaos. Belonging to Guwahati, Lonekat works at an ad agency in Delhi.

“The so-called problem with a collective like J Block is that everyone is so equally talented that you almost feel competitive. I remember when Kho Kho was being recorded, I was also balancing my day job. So, obviously FOMO was hitting me whenever these folks were jumping on every beat!” Lonekat adds. 

A musical and thematic breakdown of the songs

“Kho Kho is extremely diverse in my opinion cause we were openly discussing some influences in the days leading up to it in just normal conversation. There were talks of listening to Bollywood, folk music from the 60s, rappers like Keem and Future, stuff like that, and what struck me was how stylistically different everyone's approach was, and at the same time how open everyone was to exploration.” says producer Circle Tone. A Lucknow native, he shifts cities like his fellow members occasionally juggling between Delhi and Bengaluru. 

While over eleven rappers and vocalists lend their voices to the mixtape, Circle handles most of the production along with rapper-producer Faizan and Yung Satya.

Bearing foreign influences such as modern drill and grime with Indian sonic inspirations like Rajasthani folk and southern film music, Kho Kho is a blend of several sounds that are expected from a pan-Indian collective of ten artists. The mixtape is named so after the outdoor game chiefly because of the chaotic two-day process that went behind recording the eleven songs at the aforementioned Kishangarh flat. 

Most of the verses are in Hindi with rapper Lonekat and vocalists Kofi Kofi and dr chaand transitioning to English. While Kofi is more like an occasional collaborator of the block rather than a full-fledged member, chaand is a psychology student and tattoo artist. For both Kofi and chaand, Kho Kho proved to be their musical debut. 

“I think it was the third visit to the Kishangarh flat when [Lil] Kabeer told me to just get over my initial fear of singing in front of people. I sang and it wasn't great. I got so nervous that as soon as I reached home, I realised I got my periods. LMAO.” Chaand says in a text message, describing their first-ever recording experience. “But had he [Lil Kabeer] not been so kind about it, I wouldn't have tried singing. I owe a lot to Kabeer and Faizan because they have constantly shown support.”

While the mixtape’s bilingual nature adds some diversity, the actual diversity in the mixtape comes out through the multiple themes the songs explore. 

So, if the introductory 7 Peti touches upon familiar themes such as hustling hard and booking more shows for that cash, there is a more introspective picture of the so-called “modern artist” in Apprentice which finds the wordsmith Lil Kabeer reminiscing on how hard it is to make ends meet when music streaming services such as Spotify and Apple just pay peanuts. 

Folk-pop enthusiasts are also in for a treat with two standout tracks bearing influences from local harmonies and instrumentals without succumbing to the familiar fusion cliches that plague Indian electronica and pop these days. The first case in point is Dil, a Rajasthani-inspired track that follows the chill rap ambiance of the preceding track Aakash. 

The other song that charters a more “Indianised” territory is Sawariya with Kofi and MCs Akx, Faizan and Zinda Battery, displaying their melodic rap influences. The chorus and the bilingual epilogue add a soothing sing-songy tone that bears certain neo-Indian classical influences.

And straying away from the artistic introspection and materialistic goals explored in the other tracks, both Dil and Sawariya are ultimately romantic ballads that are more poetic in nature, delving into themes of finding and helplessly falling in love. 

But if listeners need a less dramatic take on modern love, there’s Quietly which starts off with dr chaand’s hook asking the listener to stray away from all the chaos and move to a more flowery, dreamy world. Chaand’s collaborator, rapper Adam Bo follows it up with his nonchalant verse on what seems like a toxic relationship. Faizan’s bluesy production on this track is reminiscent of the calming vibes of Mac Miller’s latter discography and in fact, Adam Bo even name-drops the late American rapper in his verse.

More than just a collective, J Block is a safe space and an artist ecosystem

“I feel seen and heard by J Block members. I think the members have really developed my understanding of so many things at large.” says dr chaand when asked if the group is inclusive.

This level of inclusivity might be the bare minimum but it is definitely worth noting especially in a hip-hop scene that is mostly dominated by male artists with young “dudebros” for fans. In a city like Delhi, the gigs find the audiences often jumping around in “moshpits”. However, with everyone just pushing each other frantically, these moshpits are obviously populated by just the male fans. Often held in cramped venues, these claustrophobic shows are also not the safest place for women. Just take a case from last year when a woman was groped by an audience member at a concert of Delhi-based rap duo Seedhe Maut. 

“Everyone at the Block has a story; an experience that built a perspective that made them kind and accepting individuals. Being inclusive might be a word for corporates to throw around but J Block makes conscious efforts into being inclusive and aware.” Chaand continues. 

Not only is J Block a safe space for artists, Lonekat adds that he and his peers are also attempting to turn it into a viable artist ecosystem. In the underground scene, there are many artists who aim to “change the scene” or “bring a revolution”. Lonekat, however, doesn’t make such claims when he talks on behalf of the Block. 

As is common knowledge, it is obviously not easy being just an artist and expecting to get consistent paychecks. This can be easily explained by the multiple jobs that the J Block members dabble in. Waris started out directing music videos even before he actually held the recording mic. Lonekat has an ad agency job to pay the bills. Circle Tone doubles as a sound engineer and a freelance beatmaker for other artists. The list goes on.

And with most of them not even belonging to Delhi (only visiting the flat in the city when it comes to recording, performing, and shooting music videos), the sense of coming together as a collective under one roof gives them a sense of stability. 

To quote Lonekat as he explains J Block’s business model, “We aim to turn J Block into an artist ecosystem with a stable revenue model, a way through which not only can we just record songs but also help in each other’s careers. So, if one of us needs finance for their music video or distribution and promotion costs and other such things, we want to be self-sufficient as a collective. In fact, we aim to make a collective fund within J Block to which all members and collaborators can contribute.” 

Epilogue: After shifting three locations, the concept of J Block is more than just a materialistic building

Even before the house at Kishangarh, there was a 3BHK in the J Block of Sarita Vihar. Back then, Lonekat and Adam Bo had rented the flat allowing their creative friends to visit and record whenever the occasion demanded. This was, you can say, the first stage of J Block as an artist workspace with both Lonekat and Adam being the founding fathers of the collective.

When the environment got noisier and tussles with the landlord increased, they eventually moved to the Kishangarh flat. 

Waris, who originally hails from Lucknow, was appreciative of this change. “When the block shifted from Sarita Vihar to Kishangarh, we saw a huge shift in the dynamics of the place. Close-knitted, densely populated colonies remind me of back home in Lucknow, with good food, and ease of availability of things. I would call the Kishangarh flat an incubator of sorts for us.”

Alas, like a Pokemon, J Block went through another stage of evolution. A day after my post-gig tour of the flat, even the Kishangarh landlord issued an eviction notice leading the members to set up shop at a new 4BHK in Chattarpur. For now, this Chattarpur flat is the new J Block, regardless of whatever alphabetically-named block it would lie in. 

It would be a little corny to insert a Marvel reference here but J Block’s residential status is bound to remind one of a crucial scene in Thor: Ragnarok. When Thor’s homeworld Asgard is destroyed, he is still glad that the Asgardian people are still safe. As he plans to resettle his community in a new home, he says, “Asgard is not a place. Never was. This could be Asgard. Asgard is where our people stand.”

Maybe, J Block is like Asgard. The building keeps on changing but it was never a building. It was and is always about the people that it accommodates, and, of course, the music that it creates…