Hip Hop in India: 5 artists who have made waves in the rap scene

Hip hop music was created by Afro-Americans and Latin Americans in the 1970s. Hip hop music, which can also be referred to as rap music has been on the rise in India. The film Gully Boy, inspired by the underground rapping scene in Mumbai, has driven a lot of attention to the rappers. While DIVINE and Naezy have been the front-runners of the rapping scene after their collaboration on Mere Gully Mein, let’s take a look at 5 other Indian hip hop artists who are making waves in the genre.

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1. Brodha V

Vighnesh Shivanand, popularly known as Brodha V started rapping at the age of 18 via rap battles on Orkut. The Bangalore based rapper has collaborated with acclaimed music directors like Raghu Dixit for “Dheaon Dheaon”, Vishal Dadlani for “Ready Steady Po”, Benny Dayal for “Round and Round” among others. He also featured in the film Gully Boy, before collaborating with Raftaar, who had shot him to fame amongst the Hindi audience. One of the veterans of the Indian hip hop scene, Brodha V appeared in rap reality show MTV Hustle, where he performed his latest single, Vaishnav Jana To.

2. Prabh Deep

While the likes of DIVINE and Naezy run the hip hop scene in Mumbai, Prabh Deep is the real deal in the North. Prabh Deep rose to prominence after collaborating with Sez On The Beat for his debut album Class-Sikh. Prabh Deep’s distinctive voice along with the real-life incidents of street thuggery, drug addiction, and unemployment made his album, one of the best releases that year. He is represented by an independent label Azaadi Records.

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3.  Ace

Ace, also known as Mumbai or 39 is one of the pioneers of the rap and hip hop scene in Mumbai and India. He is the founder-leader of Mumbai’s finest, one of India’s leading hip hop crews. Ace has collaborated with the likes of AR Rahman, Salim-Sulaiman, and Flo-Rida among others. He has also featured on the cover of Rolling Stone India. He released his highly anticipated solo album Second to None, exclusively with Apple Music.

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4. Seedhe Maut

Hip hop duo Seedhe Maut represents the quality of talent that is on the streets of Delhi. Encore ABJ and Calm, who are collectively known as Seedhe Maut, perform bi-lingual raps following the footsteps of international hip hop collectives as Run The Jewels, Clipse, and more. The duo, who are represented by Azaadi Records, having collaborated with the likes of Prabh Deep and Sez On The Beat, have shown that they can be one of the best in the business.

5. Swadesi

Swadesi is a hip hop crew from Mumbai led by MC Mawwali, Todfod, and Mayavi. The crew raps in 4 different languages- Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, and Hindi. Swadesi has collaborated with Viveick Rajagopalan on the track “Ta Dhoom” which adds an element of Indian traditional music- the Konnakol, to rap music. Swadesi’s tracks are focused on the socio-political issues in the country. They’re well known for their Aarey Forest Festival series.

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