UDAY KAPUR, 24
Music Journalist, Artist Manager, Co-founder Azadi Records
There is a lot of unfair stigma attached with the word azadi. The mere use of the word tends to demonise all agendas. Azadi Records, a Delhi-based independent record label, was founded in April 2017 and intends to nurture and support artists from the overlooked and under-represented parts of the South Asian society. When Chandigarh-based music producer Dub Sharma created a dubstep mix of the azadi chants from Kanhaiya Kumar’s speech at JNU, we knew what we wanted our label to be.
Azadi Records represents artistes such as Sun J, a hip hop musician who grew up poor in a Delhi slum. His lyrics describe the life and times of a social segment that most Indians choose to ignore.
This label is for the culturally conscious. Our philosophy is to bring into limelight artists that are ignored by mainstream media. We intend to do that with progressive and powerful lyrics. We are creators of stories, the explorers of new sounds, new visuals and new mediums that initiate dialogue between different communities around the world.
We’re a privileged lot, so it’ll be unfair if I still look for complete freedom. Instead, I would want to bring these same privileges, rights and opportunities to people who haven’t tasted it.