Burari’s hip hop counterculture keeps musical fire burning
RECENTLY IN THE NEWS FOR THE MASS SUICIDE, THE NORTH DELHI NEIGHBOURHOOD OF BURARI HAS A VIBRANT HIP HOP CULTURE WITH YOUNGSTERS AWAITING THEIR SHOT AT FAME
NEWDELHI: These days, the north Delhi neighbourhood of Burari is associated with the purported mass suicide of 11 members of a single family on July 1. It’s a rough place, with mounting civic woes, many unauthorised settlements and increasing crime.
But tucked away from the limelight is the side of Burari that is a thriving hip hop hub where youngsters with high top fade hairstyles, colourful loose T- shirts, caps and jewellery perform in its narrow, mostly unpaved streets, and music studios. Here they take part in underground rap battles -- contests in which two or more rappers compete and try to ‘diss’ their opponents, using improvised lyrics. In the best tradition of hip hop, the rap performances are political, covering issues such as corruption, poverty and gender rights.
From these streets, some have made it big. Bollywood’s well-known rapper-singer Ikka Singh hails from Burari.
“The suicides have brought Burari a lot of negative publicity, but there is more to Burari than the people of Delhi ever cared to know,” says Tarun Sharma, 19, who is better known as RDX-KING.
Yaansh Khanna, a rising rapper-singer, says it is unfortunate that Burari’s vibrant hip hop culture has been obscured by its many woes.
In February, Khanna produced a slick video titled Burari, celebrating the talented artistes of the neighbourhood and lamenting how they are struggling for recognition. “Burari has so much artistic talent, but no one cares,” says Khanna, who hopes to one day turn around the neighbourhood’s image.