Rap with the Gully G Divine and Raftaar

We get the low-down on what to expect as two of India’s best rappers head to Dubai for a hip-hop concert

michael@khaleejtimes.com

As a genre, rap is undeniably one of the most popular music styles today, with hop-hop artistes ruling mainstream pop. And as a culture, hiphop gave voice to a whole new generation – it provided them with a platform to vent their frustrations fearlessly. Even the Indian music industry is witnessing a major shift, current trends have relegated semiclassical based tunes into the background and modern styles like rap are now topping the charts. Movies like Gully Boy struck a chord with the audience and gave the genre a much-deserved fillip in India.

Now, celebrating the spirit of this hard-hitting form of music, two of India’s leading rap artistes, Divine and Raftaar, will be showcasing their infectious style at the It’s All About Rap concert at Za’abeel Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre on September 20. Ahead of the event, we chatted with the rappers to get a better understanding of this genre and to know about their plans for Dubai.

Divine: The real Gully Boy

Divine, whose real name is Vivian Fernandes, was the inspiration for Ranveer Singh’s character in Zoya Akhtar’s blockbuster movie Gully Boy. He grew up in the slums of Mumbai and is one of the top hip-hop artistes in the country today. His inspiring rags to riches story was recently showcased in the Discovery Channel documentary, Gully Life. Earlier this year, Divine formed Gully Gang Entertainment, a company that runs his record label, Gully Gang Records, which manages and promotes desi hip-hop talent. Divine’s raw and brutally honest songs draw inspiration from his life, including the runaway hit Mere Gully Mein, delivered by Ranveer Singh and Siddhant Chaturvedi in the movie Gully Boy. The song, in some ways, saw the emergence of hip-hop in the country.

Can you define hip-hop for us?

Hip-hop is a way of telling stories, it’s a way of life. It’s not just about the way you talk and dress, but it’s as much about what you choose to talk about in your music. Hip-hop grew out of the Bronx where life wasn’t easy. For me, hip-hop is about telling stories about society, which includes the ugly bits too. It felt great! I was honoured. I realised that people respect and relate to honesty a lot.

What plans do you have for Dubai?

I have always loved coming to Dubai and performing for my fans. I also love the shopping!

The movie Gully Boy gave people an insight into the

Hip-hop is a way of telling stories, it’s a way of life. It’s not just about the way you talk and dress, but it’s as much about what you choose to talk about in your music.” Divine

world of hip-hop. Do hip-hop artistes really have to go through such ordeals to gain recognition?

Absolutely! All rappers in India are self-taught, there’s no music school for us to study the style. No one understood what we were trying to do. Also, we had to change the perception of people who thought we rap about only women, alcohol and fast cars. My journey definitely wasn’t easy, but I will forever be grateful for the chances that