Delhi hip-hop group J Block returns with Class on Netflix, love, and hatred for landlords

Valentine’s Day 2023 marked the release of Delhi-based hip-hop collective J Block's sophomore project after their debut mixtape Kho Kho. The new mixtape is titled Love Marriage Haldi Bangers (AKA LMHB). Intended as a playlist for the titular “haldi” ceremony of a traditional love marriage, J Block deems the experimental melodic rap record as “a celebration of the raving music in Delhi weddings”. 

The marriage and haldi element seems to be evident in the thematic photoshoot by Mohit Gambhir, complete with yellow kurtas and marigold flowers. But even before LMHB began getting teased, the Block started gaining publicity thanks to its producer-vocalist Faizan’s earlier track Keh Dena being featured in an episode of Netflix’s Class this January. 

The Hindi remake of Elite found the romantic ballad playing in a crucial scene that made Keh Dena one of the top 200 “Shazamed” songs in India. The Class feature might have succeeded at turning new audiences into J Block listeners for the Valentine’s gift that the Block’s fanbase received. 

Love is found (and explored)

A few days and many listens later, the nine-track mixtape comes off as quite more than just a compilation of love songs. Thematically merrier and as sonically diverse as their debut project, J Block plays around with relatable themes set against more livelier themes. The name of the mixtape itself bears testimony to this.

So, while the opening track Basi’s hook finds rappers yungwaris and Zinda Battery confidently proclaiming their love with lines like “tu basi meri saanso mei” (“you reside in the air I breathe” for a rough translation), there is singer and multi-instrumentalist Ishan who takes a more secretive approach to holding hands and finding love in Rasam. To quote Ishan himself, 

“It actually makes me quite anxious because the lyrics come off almost creepy with the haath lagana part but being the idiot I am, I was writing it from the point of view of secret lovers at a wedding on opposite sides. Haha.”

Love turns into hate (for the landlord)

The different stages of a relationship are further reflected with songs like the toned-down Pause that the group describes as a “flex in the courtship” but this so-called courtship evolves through mature stages of time in Villainous, one of the most introspective tracks on the mixtape. 

Produced by Lonekat who also sings the hook, Villainous delves into a relationship that can turn toxic when both partners end up staying together for a bit too long. Explaining the situation, Lonekat adds, “There's only each other to love and also hate plus there is the stress of the bills and utilities and other things that come with living together.”

Villainous is followed by a skit called Chashma Gum where a situation of someone losing their glasses plays out with the J Block’s adopted pet cat and mascot Joey also meowing for a second. Lonekat seems to find an underlying theme even here as he elaborates that the skit as “something that they are both looking for together”. This common cause and growing disdain for each other ultimately culminates in a head-bobbing finale titled F*** The Landlord. 

Going back a few months, I had first heard J Block alumnus Lil Kabeer chanting the words “F*** the landlord” at a free-for-all J Block show at Hauz Khas. Jokingly expressing his frustration at J Block’s previous landlords at Kishangarh and Sarita Vihar, Kabeer struck a chord with the audience who themselves harboured their own personal angst against their landlords. Chants of “F*** the landlord” were followed by “jh***tu zamindar”. 

Never could I have guessed that these two chants would actually contribute to a wavy hook to the closing track of LMHB. Lil Kabeer, who himself dropped an EP called Rog this month, helms the instantly catchy chorus on F*** the Landlord. Lonekat, who ends the track with a rap verse, explains how the song connects to the previous themes of Villainous, 

“In F*** The Landlord, they find love in hating the landlord together. They finally have something to unite for again.”

LMHB cured a member’s FOMO 

Much like the other bangers on LMHB, F*** The Landlord is laden with multiple members of the Block. Ishan, who also plays the guitar on it, adds that he hopped on the project at the last minute. When it came to the earlier mixtape Kho Kho, ishan couldn’t take out time for a single track owing to his academic pressure (he’s currently pursuing a Master’s from JNU). 

But Ishan wasn’t the only J Block member who couldn’t make his way into Kho Kho. Currently a Master’s student from Jamia Millia Islamia, Yungwaris went through a case of massive FOMO (Fear of Missing Out for the boomers) when the rest of the Block members had assembled for the two-day-long creative spree that was Kho Kho’s recording session. 

Well, the young rapper and singer’s wish came true as he lends his laidback voice and witty lyricism to seven out of nine tracks on LMHB!

Experimenting with fun, hyperpop and new sounds

On personal observation, all of the J Block members come off as artists who respect each other with enough camaraderie. And yet there’s something about Yungwaris’s artistry that makes him perfect for duos. Whether it be trading verses with Battery on Basi or just relaying with dr chaand on Ao Milo Shilo Shalo (yes as in the childhood game that many Indian kids might have played), Yungwaris seems like ideal “collaborator material”. 

In fact, Ao Milo Shilo Shalo is reminiscent of frootie, a single that Waris had dropped with Chaand and Faichan (Faizan’s producer alter ego) a few weeks before LMHB. Both make for wholesome moshpit anthems and find the trio playing around a hyperpop sound. Fun fact: Ao Milo Shilo Shalo even ends up featuring J Block’s manager Saqlen Hasan Khan on the ad-libs!

Solely analysing Ao Milo from Dr Chaand’s perspective, she seems to have gone through a creative evolution of her own. The last we heard her on Kho Kho was with a hauntingly graceful hook on Quietly. But now, she seems to have amped up her hyperpop sound with her verses on Ao Milo, and IDK. While she drops in for a verse or two in the other “bangers”, IDK features a standalone performance by her with Faichan returning as producer. 

“On LMHB, my headspace was much more oriented towards masti than talking about my trauma. Talking to some people from the Delhi hip-hop scene, I understood that music doesn't always have to be about a message or a deep sense of expression, it can also be about random fun things at large, literally sasti masti kar sakte ho lyrics mei..”

And this stepping out of comfort zone is indeed reflected in a party anthem like IDK that comes off as disco-style banger to dance to during a love marriage haldi. Talking to Chaand also made it clear that even if LMHB might come off as more joyous than Kho Kho, its making was way less “random”. 

Dipanjan Ganguly, a self-professed J Block fan who also runs an Instagram account on Indian independent music called @nallasur, has  asimilar observation when it comes to how they have changed from Kho Kho to LMHB. “J Block is less scared to experiment now. I won't say scared but they're not that anxious to avoid trying out new sounds.” 

Jokingly referring to the Block as “Chattarpuria sangeet mandli”, Ganguly adds that what draws him to LMHB more than the previous mixtape is the sheer diversity. “They went all out, they had mosh tracks, simp anthems, landlord disses.” 

What’s next for the Block? 

When asked about the future plans of J Block, Lonekat indicated a “tape season”. Many of the members are working on projects within themselves. For instance, Faizan and Kabeer have their own mixtape in progress while Lonekat plans his own multiple projects. Bengaluru-based producer Circle Tone who was one of the sound engineers on LMHB seems to be constantly exploring his limits with the city’s alternative rap group DLT Mob (which also includes J Block alumni and Kho Kho contributors Adam Bo and AKX). 

Continuing the energy of Ao Milo Shilo Shalo, Dr Chaand is working on her own debut EP where she plans to incorporate more nostalgia-driven hooks from games like “oonch neech ka papda ghade ne maara jhaapda or like poshampa bhyi poshampa”. 

Everyone seems to be working on something or the other, managing to take time from their daily chaos. All of the individuals that make up J Block are either freelancing, attending college, or making ends meet with their day jobs. But it is their music which is not only bringing them together, providing an escape, but ultimately, leading to their own creative progress. 

“I think the coolest part is seeing how people progressed in this mixtape. Everyone worked on more songs since Kho Kho and I think it's truly showing in this mixtape.” Faizan says.