Brodha V Scales a New Peak of Self-Discovery in ‘All Divine’ Video

Emerging out of a period of physical injury and mental stress, Brodha V gets introspective and delivers a resounding message of self-belief on his latest single “All Divine.” Joined by American hip-hop group Flipsyde’s singer-guitarist Steve Knight on the wispy chorus, the Bengaluru rapper-producer says the song’s origins date back to 2012.

Brodha V had a demo beat from a decade ago and a hook in mind. He reached out to friend and fellow artist Benny Dayal, which led to the Malayalam words of “All Divine” which complements Knight’s own lines. “I felt like it was one of those songs that would never come out, I never knew what to write. With the pandemic and recent times, the downer the whole world was feeling, it motivated me to take this up again. It was like writing a letter to myself,” he says.

In the music video for “All Divine” that’s shot and directed by Sujish Das, among the first things that catch your eye is the archival footage projected behind Brodha V. At one point, the words of the song are seen mouthed by a young version of the rapper from 10 years ago. “This was a lot of footage that I just happened to have, when I used to go hang out with friends and be at cyphers. It made a lot of sense for this concept now. It was just a reminder to myself,” he says.

The single follows Brodha V’s question-posing, complacency-shaking single “Aaraam,” which was released in 2021. Thematically, the rapper pushes himself into a new space of introspection rather than the tried and tested braggadocio attitude of yore. Ask him if Indian hip-hop needs more inward-looking rap and Brodha V empathizes with the number-chasing norms set today. “There was a time in between when it became more about beats and punchline rap. It made a lot of sense to people because it was getting numbers and visibility. I think a lot of people would question if they would still get the numbers if they put out this introspective kind of music,” he adds.

Through “All Divine” Brodha V takes stock of his journey so far and reiterates why he’s here to stay, persevering past mental health struggles, the pandemic-enforced isolation and most recently, a torn ligament. While Dayal helped convert the rapper’s English thoughts into Malayalam lyrics, Knight’s involvement dates back to 2012, emerging from a Twitter conversation back when Brodha V’s work with hip-hop crew Machas With Attitude (MWA) was receiving attention. “I first contacted them [Flipsyde] on Twitter and they were happy to work with me. When I picked this beat up again, it sounded so fresh to me. It just feels like it’s not dated.”

There’s a lot more in store through 2022 now that “All Divine” has kickstarted things for Brodha V. He says about returning after nearly a year, “I think for me it was about how I’ve been doing this for a very long time—14 years. I just wanted to take time out to figure out what I wanted to do and the direction I want to go in… not just put out songs for the sake of it. Now it’s all sorted and there’s a lot coming up.”

While touring was on hold not just due to the pandemic but also his injury, shows are back on the cards and a lot of “crazy collabs are lined up,” including a few with international artists and a “big South Indian name.” Brodha V adds, “This year is gonna be packed.” 

Watch the video for “All Divine” below. Stream on more platforms here.