Indian Protest Rap Is On The Rise – Here Are 5 Artists You Need To Know
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Music has always been a reflection of how society and individuals function. Whether you prefer Britney Spears’ bubblegum pop lyrics of unrequited love or Metallica’s rock and metal on childhood fears and nightmares, you’re still privy to the human condition in the form of sound. Hip hop and rap, genres of music, have elements of literature, politics, and poetry, which make them immensely meaningful and perfect examples of how human lives and circumstances can be portrayed through music. Hip hop and street rap also have notorious reputations for provocative lyrics that don’t sugar-coat community struggles, whether with substance abuse and poverty or police brutality and racism. Indian rap is especially unique because of how intersectional and diverse Indian identity is. Indian culture differs from region to region, cuisine to cuisine, and language to language, giving birth to not only a stunning array of perspectives but also an environment very prone to conflict. So it’s no surprise that when activism and protest touches the music industry, it is most loudly and proudly vocalised through rap. The young rappers of India today are bold and irreverent, while fearless using their platforms to highlight issues and causes they believe in. Here is a list of the 6 voices in Indian rap you must know:
Ginni Mahi, a young girl from Jalandhar, Punjab, took to rap in 2016 to express her views on caste in “Danger 2,” and scored over 2 million views in the process. According to Livemint, although the Mahis– formerly known as Chamars– make up about 39% of the Schedule Caste population in Jalandhar, Ginni experienced caste-based bullying growing up. Livemint details such an incident: ‘When Ginni told her that though she didn’t believe in caste, they were from the community known formerly as Chamar, she says the classmate responded in mirth, “Arre Chamar bade danger hote hain, panga nahin lena chahiye (Chamars are supposed to be dangerous, I should be careful).”’ Using catchy, Punjabi music, Ginni raps, “Kurbani deno darde nahin, rehnde hai tayyar, haige asle to wadd Danger Chamar,” meaning that who are willing to sacrifice are the real “Danger Chamar.” Her lyrics in other songs like Fan Baba Sahib Di reclaim her Dalit identity and protest against the injustice rooted in casteism in Indian society.
For a video project, Sumeet tells Homegrown, “I think my identity as a hip hop artist is shaped by what I saw growing up,” and details segregation along caste lines in schools, villages, and water sources that he witnessed in his hometown, Tentulipadar in Odisha where English wasn’t a first language. After enrolling in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in 2012, he remembers being trolled for his English speaking skills when trying to rap, but that did not deter him. “When I joined JNU student politics, I became active... and thought there should be a better medium to articulate these politics,” he says. In his videos, he brings attention to atrocities and unfair treatment against lower castes. He talks about Dalit suicide, killings in the name of inter-caste marriages, and how underrepresented Dalit narratives are in Indian society.
Known as MC Kash, Roushan Illahi, is a rapper from Srinagar,Kashmir, who raps for Kashmir protest victims. His first video, I Protest, grabbed India’s attention because in it, he referred to the violence perpetrated against Kashmiris who were innocently exercising their right to protest in peace marches. In an interview with BBC News, MC Kash remembers his friend, Inayat Khan, who died in the violence. “I still remember walking up to his funeral among wails and tears. I still remember the scars all over his body. I still remember shouldering his coffin,” he says. His music is evocative. In his track, I Protest, he raps, “My paradise is burning with troops left loose with ammo, who murder and rape then hide behind a political shadow.” While his lyrics have caused a divide– some appreciate his candidness and some believe he ignites conflict– what’s obvious is that his work is impactful and starts an important conversation.
In July 2015, rapping about how Unilever’s dumping of toxic mercury in Kodaikanal poisoned the environment, Sofia Ashraf earned more than 4 million views for her “Kodaikanal Won’t” rap video. “After working in an ad agency, I developed a better understanding of how to use popular culture to reach a wider audience,” Ashraf tells The Guardian. She even adds that using a well-known pop song, Anaconda by Nicki Minaj, allows her audience to pay attention to the lyrics, which was the point of her video. The more viral Sofia’s video became, the more social pressure was being put on Unilever, which eventually lead to the CEO of the company taking to Twitter to make a statement. “Kodaikanal won’t, Kodaikanal won’t, Kodaikanal won’t step down till you make amends now,” Sofia raps directly to Unilever.
Through the medium of Hindi, 23-year-old Kekho Thianmkho uses rap to bring attention to racism experienced by north east Indians. A resident of Lower Chinhan in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tirap district, K4 Kekho says that his video, “I Am Indian,” is inspired by “true incidents and situations faced by North Eastern Indians in mainland India where they are often mistook as Nepalis or Chinese due to Mongoloid facial features that they possess.” He raps in Hindi to reach a wider audience and his lyrics discuss the everyday racism his community experience. His powerful video switches between clips of real life demonstrations and protests to him navigating deeply racist situations, from questions about him being Chinese to comments from strangers claiming northeastern communities are uncivilised. The northeast of India being severely underrepresented in mainstream media compounds this problem of racism. But K4 Kekho is attempting to change that narrative and bring power back to his people.
Feature image by: Homegrown and K4 Kekho’s Facebook page
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