Notification101India brings its critically acclaimed #HipHopHomeland web series to life through a showcase event featuring the country’s finest underground hip-hop talent at one of Mumbai’s finest underground venues - the antiSOCIAL, Khar. The line-up features upcoming rappers MC Mawali, MC TOD FOD, Mumbais Finest and Delhi’s Prabh Deep Music. Headlining the event are the Mumbai-based rappers DIVINE, who recently took the country by storm with the release of his anthemic single ‘Mere Gully Mein’ (feat. Naezy) and Naezy, who's one of the most promising conscious rappers in the country today.
Ace aka 39 aka Abhishek Dhusia is the founder, Manager and the lead emcee for 'Mumbai's Finest, which is Mumbai's First Rap Crew. He is known both nationally and internationally and is the only Indian rapper to perform live with U.S Grammy winning artists 'Chamillionaire' and 'Flo-Rida'. Aside from his rap career, Abhishek works a regular 9 to 5 job to provide for his family.
Jogeshwari based b-boy Arif Chaudri is better known as Flying Machine, winner of India's Red Bull BC One. Starting from humble roots, with no formal training, classes or mentors, Arif learnt all his dance moves from watching professional dancers. Arif has been b-boying since 2009. His major influences are Kendrick Lamar and Joey Badass who can help reveal what they're thinking, through their physical manifestation of dance. He loves breaking to music by some of the local talent in India – Kinga Rhymes and Mawali. He got into Bboying because it represents freedom to him. It gives him wings to fly. His technique is very technical which is why he calls him self the machine – The Flying Machine. He has won more than 13 awards for his bboying.
Sahir Nawab (rising Hip Hop singer) is the son of a Bollywood lyricist Nawab Arzoo, who's taken to Hip Hop music as a form of self expression. His raps and lyrics is inspired by surroundings. He tries to convert speaking of mind in the form of musical lyrics. Known as Kinga Rhymes aka Cynical Phantom, his music features stories from the funkiest part of town - Millat Nagar. Choosing to rise above a life of drugs and hedonism, Kinga Rhymes channels his energy and creativity into the form that he loves: Hip Hop.
Zake is a pioneer of Mumbai’s graffiti scene. Tagging walls with his bag of spray paints, the city is his canvas. Graffiti artists are usually inconsistent and imitative, but Zake is highly promising and has benefited from the media exposure street art gets in Mumbai. A fine arts student, his constant experimentation has created an Indian style of graffiti. The European influences in terms of style are visible, but his work employs Indian scripts, such as Devnagri. The faces will be of celebrities populating pop culture. This contextualising of art is particularly important for graffiti, since it is the only form of art freely accessible to all people to experience.
Aklesh Sutar is MC Mawali, a revolutionary marathi rapper who writes songs about his life, and the people he encounters. With strong views about the westernisation of Indian culture, Mawali wants to stay true to his roots, and tell the story of truly Indian Hip Hop. From writing poems in the seventh grade, to his first Hindi Rap in the ninth, MC Mawali has come a long with with his lyrical skills. Many consider him to be one of Mumbai's most revolutionary Marathi and Hindi rappers around. He represents a crew called Swadesi and is the first rapper from Mumbai who Raps on Konnakol and took the Mumbai rap scene on another level lyrically and technically.
Dharmesh is India's first Gujarati rapper, coming straight from the streets of South Mumbai's BDD Chawl. Tod Fod believes Hip Hop is knowledge and movement. Heavily influenced by Rajeev Dixit and his swadesi movement, he believes that while the British might have left India, we are still in awe of them. We still are a little too heavily influenced by them. He isn't a stranger to controversy and his single 'Cows' about the Beef Ban - where he supports the ban - is testament to it. Still only in his early 20s, he has been featured by The Bandish Projekt in two of their albums.
India's fastest b-girl Shawty Pink overcame harsh realities to follow her dreams. Shawty Pink (Preeti Tiwari) had to drop out of school at an early age due to financial difficulties. But she saw her dream through till the end, and is now one of India's top b-girls.
What does it take for a female rapper to break to the top in India? Dee MC lays it out. Dee MC aka Deepa Unnikrishnan raps because it lets her be who she wants to be. Writing about real issues like gender inequality that affect her, she's part of Mumbai's blossoming underground hip hop movement.
"Beast Mode is not just a crew. It's a family." An urban collective of Mumbai's hip hop all stars, Beast Mode consists of rappers, MCs, skateboarders, BMX bikers, b-boys, b-girls, krumpers, and graffiti artists, covering the entire spectrum of hip hop.
Bob is a 12 year veteran of the Mumbai hip hop scene, with his work featuring even in Hollywood, Bollywood and Tollywood films. Originally from Kenya, Bobkat has been a part of Mumbai's #HipHopHomeland scene since its inception.
Put three acapella vocalists in a room with two beatboxers, and Voctronica walks out. Avinash Tewari, Raj Verma, Arjun Nair, Warsha Easwar and Clyde Rodrigues talk about their hip hop roots, and what's next for the all vocal ensemble. Hip Hop Homeland is the most in-depth look yet at the burgeoning Indian underground hip hop scene. A series of raw, gritty profiles about a fast emerging youth trend, Hip Hop Homeland covers the growth of hip hop movement in Mumbai, spanning the entire scope of hip hop subculture - from rap to other forms of self-expression like dance and visual art. This new trend is coming through the slums and the chawls, and the rappers covered in the series speak in a street ‘bhasha’ that draws on local languages.
Political strife turned Kashmiri Rapper MC Kash to the hip hop life. Taking his stage name from his homeland - Kashmir, MC Kash is an up and coming underground Hip Hop artist. Determined to express himself fully as a street poet, this 22-year old rapper is fast emerging as a lyrical storyteller with a distinct voice. Simultaneously engaging the world of Hip Hop, urban beats and indigenous Kashmiri sounds and cultural influences, Kash’s rap songs mix diverse beauty to orchestrate original sounds of unity that support his clear-hearted and exacting lyrics. Kash took to Hip Hop to render a voice to his thoughts and feelings and to paint a picture of his streets and give a voice to his people, both of which have been misrepresented by petty politics and a biased media.
They've been performing their take on desi hip hop in the gullies and bylanes of Mumbai for years. They've built a hardcore fan following in the chawls, rapping about the things that affect their lives. On 27th April, 2016, they finally made it to the stage.
The Underground rap star from Mumbai, performing LIVE. Divine performing his hit single Jungli Sher, LIVE at antiSOCIAL Khar, Mumbai on 27th April, 2016. They've been performing their take on desi hip hop in the gullies and bylanes of Mumbai for years. They've built a hardcore fan following in the chawls, rapping about the things that affect their lives. On 27th April, 2016, they finally made it to the stage. And they blew it up. Performing to a packed audience at antiSOCIAL, Khar in Mumbai, desi hip hop stars Divine, Naezy, MC Todfod, MC Mawali, Prabh Deep and Mumbai's Finest dropped the mic on the biggest underground musical movement brewing in the city. Performances out soon on 101India.com
Mumbai's first rap crew performing at Mumbai's first mainstream Hip Hop gig.
MC Mawali, MC Todfod and Shakahari represent Swadesi - Mumbai's multilingual rap crew.
Bringing his special brand of conscious rap from the streets to the stage, Mumbai's hip hop star Naezy brought the verse from the streets to the stage at #HipHopHomeland LIVE at anti SOCIAL, Khar on 27th April. Here he is performing the hit track which is the theme song for On Air With AIB - Tragedy Mein Comedy.
Up and coming Delhi-based MC Prabh Deep Sagar brought the beat to antiSOCIAL, Khar on 27th April, with his track Murder, performed LIVE at #HipHopHomeland.
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