Sez on the Beat: It was a dream to see hip-hop at this level

Music producer Sez on the Beat talks about the growth of the genre in India and how his work in Gully Boy acted like a catalyst .

Music producer Sez on the Beat aka Sajeel Kapoor, who has produced several hip-hop numbers, including Mere Gully Mein and Sher Aaya (both Gully Boy; 2019) and collaborated with artistes such as Divine, Badshah, Ritviz, Naezy, Ikka and Zaeden, recently released his first independent song, Dev Nagri. Proud to call himself a hip-hop artiste, Sez on the Beat is proud of the way the genre has grown in India. “It’s a part of our lifestyle now, something that’s cool and that’s happening all around you. It was a dream back in the day to see hip-hop at this level,” he says.

Sez on the Beat: It was a dream to see hip-hop at this level

Ask what he loves about the genre that turned 50 recently and the music producer shares, “For me, the soul and the be-real aspect of hip-hop are two virtues of the genre that I love.”

Though he’s proud of the way the genre has grown in India, he feels a lot of hip-hoppers still aren’t getting their due in terms of recognition: “It’s just a matter of who’s out there more and who’s silently grinding in the background to increase the face value [of the genre].” So did he ever feel insecure as a musician associated with the genre? “Not really. I know what kind of work I do and the impact it has had and will have. Plus, it’s a passion for me and a dream scenario playing out in real time (the success of the genre),” he shares, adding that his song “Mere Gully Mein was the catalyst behind Gully Boy, which made it (hip-hop) huge in the country. After that (the film’s release), almost everyone wanted to become a rapper”.