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Indian hip-hop has always thrived on contrasts — regional voices colliding, genres bleeding into each other, and artists finding new ways to assert their individuality. Only Uparwala Can Judge Me is born out of that ethos. Bringing together Ahmedabad’s Dhanji, Meghalaya’s Reble, and Mumbai producer CLIFR, the track channels the creativity of artists who have carved their own lanes in a crowded space. Each comes from a different corner of the country, carrying distinct influences and perspectives, yet here they meet on common ground: a shared unwillingness to compromise on sound, intent, or identity.
Across only two minutes, the track shifts through multiple phases: the drums swing from an alternative rock-like sound to brisk breakbeat flurries layered with trap rhythms, while samples cut in like electric jolts. The basslines land heavy but never weigh the track down — instead, the production pivots constantly, refusing to settle into a predictable loop. It’s dynamic in a way that keeps the listener alert, with each transition sharpening the next.
Lyrically, the track brims with self-possession and defiance. Both artists frame their verses around resilience — the refusal to be diminished by critics, clout-chasers, or an industry quick to anoint without merit. There’s pride in skill, but also an insistence on authenticity: music as both art and truth-telling, not just performance. The title’s invocation of a higher power is another declaration of autonomy. Judgment from peers, detractors, or the scene doesn’t matter — only something greater than all of them can pass verdict.
Dhanji, from Ahmedabad, has spent the past year and a half on an almost relentless run: over a hundred shows across 45 cities, his sharp and often satirical writing carving him a place in India’s hip-hop underground. His verse here is as layered as ever, toggling between humour and critique, pulling back the curtain on industry façades.
Reble, hailing from Meghalaya, channels a different kind of intensity. Her flow is surgical — precise, unhurried, but carrying enough force to make every bar land. She raps like someone who knows the cost of being underestimated, folding that experience into a delivery that cuts clean through the beat.
CLIFR’s production acts as both anchor and accelerant, pushing the track forward while letting each voice breathe. His background as a multi-instrumentalist comes through in the tactile feel of the arrangement — drums that subvert the genre expectations, and a sense of space that keeps the chaos intentional.
Only Uparwala Can Judge Me is brief, volatile, and entirely self-assured — a track that wastes no moment in making its presence felt. With sharp and witty verses by Dhanji & Reble over a really inventive production, it’s a snapshot of three artists meeting in full command of their voices, letting the track carry their conviction in style.
