From gully chants to global collabs: The rise of Indian hip-hop

 For years, Indian rap simmered under the surface; misunderstood, sidelined, or reduced to comic relief in Bollywood dance numbers. Shunned and discredited by both musicians and music fans, the genre seemed doomed from the start. But today, it is a storm sweeping through India's cultural core, with both old and new artists riding its fierce waves.

 

Rap’s early foray into the mainstream came in the 1990s with Baba Sehgal and his iconic hits and parodies. His approach to the genre was comedic, featuring the most unpredictable Hindi/English rhymes set to funky beats, which gave the genre a curious head start. Around the next two decades, hip-hop remained a niche presence, often caricatured in cinema or limited to dance segments with minimal lyrical substance. Artists such as Baba Sehgal, Apache Indian, and actor Jaaved Jaaferi have often been credited as the pioneers of Indian hip-hop and rap.

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All of this would change in the 2010s when the internet, especially YouTube, became the underground stage for storytellers around the world. We would see artists like Naezy and DIVINE, who broke through with tracks that sounded nothing like the polished Bollywood fare. The duo rapped in the typical Mumbai street slang, chronicling daily struggles and dreams from the chawls of Mumbai. The song Mere Gully Mein became an anthem not just for a subculture but also a generation. The city would also see a surge in newer artists like Yashraj, Gravity, Emiway Bantai, and Sambata, who would propel the scene to new heights.

 

Around the same time, Delhi would witness the start of its own rap scene. This sound had a mix of both Punjabi and Hindi lyricism, and it was started off by artists like Ikka, Raftaar, and Badshah. A few years later, we would see artists like Seedhe Maut become the forefront of the new-age Delhi scene, with many other artists cemented as rap legends in the city and the country. With artists like KR$NA, Karma, Raga, and Fotty Seven, the city’s underground scene immediately rivalled Mumbai.

 

Like every maturing rap scene, India too birthed its own rivalries. One of the most explosive moments in Indian hip-hop came with the Raftaar vs. Emiway Bantai beef. Ignited in 2018, it set a new benchmark for public rap rivalries in the country. What started as a seemingly simple question led to an all-out lyrical war. It symbolised a deeper clash between the indie rap ethos and mainstream recognition, drawing millions of fans into the fold and pushing Indian diss culture into the spotlight. This might not have been the first rivalry, but it sure was not the last. Such rivalries, far from derailing the scene, energized it. Rap became a sport where skills, backstories, and alliances mattered. Suddenly, every bar was a statement—and every track had a target.

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The tipping point would then come in 2019 with Gully Boy, Zoya Akhtar’s ode to India’s underground hip-hop scene. The film did not just feature well-known underground rappers; it centred them. The soundtrack, penned by actual street poets like DIVINE, Naezy, Kaam Bhari, and MC Altaf, and the character arcs based on real lives gave rap a legitimacy that Bollywood had long denied. It was not just entertainment anymore; it was testimony. After Gully Boy, hip-hop was no longer “underground”; it became a movement.

 

As the genre gained traction, its borders dissolved. Punjabi rap surged to the forefront with artists like Bohemia, Ikka, Diljit Dosanjh, and Sidhu Moosewala. Later on, the soundscape would be reshaped by artists like Karan Aujla and AP Dhillon. Mixing trap beats with bhangra rhythms and diaspora swagger, Punjabi rap not only dominated streaming platforms but also crossed over to international stages.

 

Simultaneously, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam rappers began integrating regional folklore, caste critique, and local slang into their rhymes. In Chennai, The Casteless Collective and artists like Arivu fused social commentary with irresistible rhythm, proving that hip-hop could be both party and protest. Across the state border, Kerala too saw a rise in social messages pushed through rap. Pioneering the scene was the iconic group Street Academics, who would voice out the various injustices people were going through in the state. Kerala’s scene would explode not much later with the entry of artists like Dabzee, MC Couper, Baby Jean, and ThirumaLi. Their songs would create a revolution in Kerala’s music scene, varying in terms of moods and messages. Now is an era when almost every major Malayalam movie is incomplete without an accompanying rap record.

 

Amid this sonic explosion came Hanumankind, a rapper who broke nearly every norm. Originally from Kerala and rapping in English, his early tracks like Kalari and Damnson drew attention for their ferocity and finesse. His style evoked the rage of American acts like Denzel Curry and JPEGMAFIA but always carried local undertones: ancient Indian martial arts, southern Indian rhythm, and dark, industrial textures.

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He had become an established name in the Indian underground scene. He collaborated with various artists from Kerala as well as from outside the state. His feature on Yashraj’s “THAT’S A FACT!” propelled him to fame in the North, and he also gained fame from his work on artist KSHMR’s album. His biggest break, however, would come in 2024 with the release of his single Big Dawgs. With visuals from his hometown district, Mallapuram, and the infamous “well of death”, the song blew up on streaming platforms and brought him to the eyes of the entire globe. His newfound global fame would boom further with the release of his next single, Run It Up, a catchy street anthem backed by Kerala’s signature chenda (drum) beats as well as culturally rooted visuals.

 

Released earlier this month, Monsoon Season is Hanumankind’s latest, most ambitious, and emotionally vulnerable project yet. It balances high-adrenaline bangers like Reckless with introspective reflections in tracks like Cause, where he processes grief and spiritual doubt. A voicemail from his mother is stitched into the project, grounding it with tenderness amid sonic chaos.

 

Featuring collaborations with many international names like Roisee, Maxo Kream, and even Denzel Curry, the mixtape explodes across genres: trap, alt-rock, industrial, and southern percussion. All these sounds were fused into a soundscape that mirrors the violence and calm of monsoon weather. Monsoon Season is a record only someone deeply rooted in India, yet aware of global currents, could create.

 

Indian hip-hop is no longer a borrowed style; it is a language, a protest, a party, a legacy in the making. From underground YouTube uploads to major film soundtracks, from Delhi cyphers to major stadiums across the globe, and from Malayalam protest rap to Punjabi bangers, the scene is thriving in multiplicity. This isn’t just the evolution of Indian rap. It’s the forecast of its reign. And the storm, it seems, is only getting started.

 

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