CelebsPick: Rap goes regional!

Badshah, Divine, Raja Kumari, Raftaar and Naezy, the top rap stars of the country, pick few of their favourite hip-hop artists who are rapping in regional languages

Divine recommends:

Badshah, Divine, Raja Kumari, Raftaar and Naezy talk about the rise of regional rap scene

Sikander Kahlon

From: Mohali, Punjab

Raps in: Punjabi

“Still very young, his unique flow and ability to spit bars set him apart.”

Meba Ofilia

From: Shillong, Meghalaya

Raps in: English, Khasi

“What sets her apart is the ability to explore both Rap and R&B styles.”

(Clockwise from top left) Sikander Kahlon, Meba Ofilia, Shloka, Siri, Bali, Cizzy, Ahmer, Island Warrior, Fejo, and Khasi Bloodz are few of the strongest voices in regional rap scene today

Raja Kumari recommends:

Shloka (Rahul Karn)

From: Darbhanga, Bihar

Raps in: Hindi/Bhojpuri

“I love his style of speaking Hindi and mixing it with local Bihari and folk influences.”

From: Bengaluru, Karnataka

Raps in: Kannada

“I love how proud she is to rap in a South Indian language.”

Badshah recommends:

Bali (Sachin Bali)

From: Delhi

Raps in: Hindi/Punjabi

“One of the best rappers in Delhi with game changing wordplay and punches.”

Khasi Bloodz (Band)

From: Shillong, Meghalaya

Raps in: English/Khasi

“Definitely capable of taking the genre to the world stage!”

(Clockwise from top left) Divine, Badshah, Raftaar, Naezy, and Raja Kumari reckon by the new breed of regional rappers

Raftaar recommends:

Fejo (Febin Joseph)

From: Kerala, Kochi

Raps in: Malayalam

“He makes me wish I was that well-versed in Malayalam!”

Island Warrior (Maan Borah)

From: Majuli, Assam

Raps in: Assamese

“He speaks about issues of his land via hip-hop.”

Naezy recommends:

Ahmer (Ahmer Javed)

From: Kashmir, Srinagar

Raps in: Hindi/Urdu/Koshur

“His is a fearless voice that talks about the realities of Kashmir.”

Cizzy (Rounok Chakraborty)

From: Kolkata, West Bengal

Raps in: Bengali

“He has a unique flow and always keeps it authentic.”

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From HT Brunch, February 16, 2020

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