'Bloodbath' Is A Statement Of Intent From Indian Hip-Hop’s Most Uncompromising Voices
Since its launch in 2017, Azadi Records has carved out a distinct lane for itself in the country's music landscape. It’s the label that gave us Prabh Deep and Seedhe Maut, two acts that have helped shape the face of modern Indian hip-hop. From day one, Azadi has been a space for artists to speak truth, dig deep, and push against systems that try to silence them. Whether it’s through bruising verses or genre-bending production, Azadi has always kept one foot in the streets and the other in the future. And now, they’ve returned with a new roster that’s just as unruly, just as sharp, with a new single as a mission statement.
Bloodbath is a distillation of everything the label stands for. Five distinct voices — Dizlaw, Tienas, Kim The Beloved, RANJ, and JELO come together for a two-and-a-half-minute showcase. The track features an iconic hook that we're not going to spoil for you, and unrelenting bars stacked one after another.
Dizlaw starts us off with a Hindi verse that cuts into authoritarian politics and social decay with. Tienas steps in with the kind of effortless menace that’s hard to fake. His bars are twisted and lethal, delivered with the cool detachment of someone who’s long figured out how to weaponise wit. Then there’s Kim The Beloved, whose verse feels like a fever dream; funny, strange, and devastating. His style is layered and surreal, pulling references from unexpected corners and reshaping them into something poetic.
RANJ, as always, brings clarity with precision. Her verse is an indictment of misogyny, gender roles, and industry double standards. JELO closes it out, barrelling through the final stretch with Northeastern pride and no room for niceties. His presence is commanding and his voice is gravelly and real; grounding the track in lived experience. Clifr's dynamic production shifts in tandem with every artist featured while still keeping everything together.
Shot in stripped-down black-and-white, the music video feels more like a backroom cypher than a glossy rollout. It’s minimal by design, putting full focus on what’s being said. It's more about the artist and their monent, rather than how it’s packaged. It’s democratic, unfiltered, and uncompromising.
And that’s really what this new chapter of Azadi Records is about. Their latest roster draws on many styles and regions, but every artist shouts the same powerful refrain: "No compromise." Together, they're taking the label's anti-establishment spirit forward into what looks like a bright future for Homegrown hip-hop.
Follow Azadi Records here and watch the music video at the top of the page.
