Rapid fire

Mona

It came as a big surprise when 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music went to Kendrick Lamar. The first rapper to be honoured thus, the new king of hip hop was feted for work that captures the ‘complexity of African-American’ life. He remains the quintessential rapper — grew up in Compton, Los Angeles, amid poverty and gang violence — and speaks of the struggles as well as society — a prototype that has been reinforced by the trailer of Gully Boy, young boy from the slums of Mumbai rapping away for Apna Time Aayega. The film draws inspiration from the ‘rap-to-riches’ story of Divine and Naezy, who shot to fame singing stories of the streets.

Success story

However, not all rap artistes have been shaped in street fights. Badshah aka Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia is an engineer from prestigious PEC, who probably, by his own admission, would have been a civil servant if not a rapper.  Yo Yo Honey Singh aka Hirdesh Singh studied music at the Trinity School in UK before breaking big in Bollywood.

The struggles are not just on the streets, points out Kanesh Chawla, who is better known as Rob C. This Masters in Mass Communications from Panjab University had a fairly middle class-life with parents in government jobs. “While the medium with its fast singing and thought-provoking lyrics is an excellent one for voicing rebellion, rap is also a lot of fun,” says the young rapper from tricity who featured on Manj Music’s Taur Sadi Desi. His latest, Chal Na, his 100th single, was released last Tuesday on his YouTube channel.  

Lyrical content

Baba, aka Gautam Sharma, part of band Doorbeen, fused some rap into his rather fun folk Punjabi number Lamberghini. “That was the demand of the song,” the lyricist says. “I did borrow a slice of rap for our song, but real rap is born on the street and stirs the soul,” he insists. 

Rapper Maddy, Anshit Sharma, who was rather thrust with this stage name, was in boarding in Doon School when he was bit by the rap bug.  An aeronautical engineering and mass communication degree later, he has stayed true to rapping. Rousseau, Marx and mythology are a part of his lyrics; he insists, “Anybody wishing to be a rapper must invest in studying for it’s the thought that counts the most,” says the artiste. 

It’s shayari

Bohemia, who is called ‘father’ of Punjabi rap, prefers being called ‘Big Brother’ and his is not exactly rap. He insists, “People do credit me with the birth of Punjabi rap, but I would call my work shayari.” Well, it’s the ‘thought’ that counts, is what they all agree with. From gangsta rap to conscious hip hop to Dalit and melodic rap, it’s the thought and expression that matters.