SMOKE’s Underground Tour Proves Hip-Hop’s Heart Still Beats The Loudest In The Streets
In 2019, Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy brought Indian hip-hop to the mainstream, with major labels and streaming platforms rushing to package and polish the scene's most marketable voices. But this increased visibility, mainstream acceptance, and increasing commercialisation came at the risk of eroding the grassroots grit that birthed the Indian hip-hop culture. Delhi-based MC SMOKE's recent tour was a push against that tide, and a return to the underground counter-cultural roots of hip-hop.
The Where Is SMOKE? tour — spanning six cities in as many weeks — unfolded in bookshops, basements, parks, and abandoned rooms. There were no VIP lounges, no green rooms, no lighting rigs. Fans stood inches away, turning every set into a raw cipher. Word of mouth did the heavy lifting; in an age of algorithmic discoverability, SMOKE went rogue, old-school, and analogue. With no label, no sponsor, no promoter, and no budget — just one mic, one backpack, and a mission — it wasn't the most glamorous. But it was one of the most intimate explorations of what it means to be an Indian hip-hop artist now.
A battle-tested MC, SMOKE's calling card is razor-sharp Hindi and Urdu lyrics laid over cinematic trap beats. Since his 2022 debut album VENI VIDI VICI — which crossed a million streams — he's dropped Baggage Claim with Qaab, the introspective He Raps Like, and the high-impact EP Khel-Kood. SMOKE's collaborations with Sez on the Beat, Sikander Kahlon, Encore ABJ, and Ahmer have also cemented his credibility as an emerging voice in Indian hip-hop. He has also made a mark on JioCinema's hip-hop web series Khalbali Records.
The Where Is SMOKE? tour exemplified SMOKE's commitment to authenticity, rejecting the hyper-polished, studio-produced, brand-sponsored hip-hop economy. It proved that hip-hop's heart still beats loudest in unmediated spaces. After years of being told to “wait his turn," SMOKE decided he was done waiting. This tour became a thank-you, a statement, and a disruption. At every stop, he flipped the industry script by performing unreleased tracks, meeting fans face-to-face, and demonstrating that you don't need permission to start a movement. Where is SMOKE? — a short documentary about the tour — is now streaming on YouTube.
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