Rappers are poets, we are not suriley singers, says Star Boy LOC
Life is not easy for rappers in India, feels Delhi-based rapper-composer Lokesh Kumar aka Star Boy LOC. The Dilli Se Hu hitmaker says that rappers are often looked down upon by trained musicians for their lack of ‘sur’.
“There are two kinds of trained musicians in the industry. One, who look down upon rappers and make our work suffer, and the other, who like working with us and praise the hip-hop culture,” says the rapper, as he goes on to explain how rapping has nothing to do with sur. “We are not trained, suriley artistes. We are poets. We write poetry and sing it straightaway. That’s what RnB and rap music is all about,” he shares.
The musician, who has a few Hindi film projects lined up, says he has often lost work in Bollywood due to the influence of trained musicians. ”I was supposed to have a song, Laila Bhand Ho Gayi, in the Hindi film, Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se (2018), but it was dropped randomly just three days before the film’s release. I was told that a new musician had been roped in overnight and their song is replacing mine,” he says.
But the artiste is proud of the genre he is associated with, as rap numbers “give out a message”. He says, “Jab bhi koi humara show dekhne aata hai, wo humare sur sunne nahin aata. Wo humari poetry aur messages sunne aata hai.”
He adds that rappers in India lack unity. “Not all rappers are united. Whenever one shines, everyone starts showing camaraderie with him. Lekin sab back bitching karte hain. Hierarchy bohot hai. Par do bande jo in sabse alag hain wo hain Bohemia paaji and Yo Yo Honey Singh. Ye talent ko value karte hain aur naye artistes ko chance dete hain,” Star Boy LOC ends.