Brodha V’s ‘Hengaithe Maige’ Shows Us Why He’s Kannada Rap’s King

Bengaluru hip-hop star Brodha V gives fans a dose of his inimitable Kannada rap on his new song “Hengaithe Maige,” with the music video featuring cameos from local heroes ranging from actor Danish Sait to rapper Rahul Dit-o and more.

The song, whose reflective hook “Hengaithe Maige” translates into “How are you feeling?” sees Brodha V bring his distinctive wordplay filled with pop culture references, turning a familiar theme of life’s journeys into a fresh new take, with help from lyricist Srikar Athreya.

The music video directed and shot by Sujish Das sees Brodha V in and around Bengaluru, talking his talk about the changes he’s manifested in his life. The rapper brings in fellow Bangalorean personalities such as comedian Danish Sait, hip-hop artists Rahul Dit-o and MC Bijju, YouTuber RaghuVinestore, content creator Poorav Poodup and more.

Brodha V says in a statement about using the commonly-uttered Kannada phrase for his latest song,  “The phrase is generally used to kind of flex on someone who is trying to show you up, and I wanted to give it a twist by giving it a more laid back tone because I feel like I have come a long way and I feel confident in saying there’s really no reason to sweat the small stuff, I wanted to be able to connect with my audience in that sense but also wanted to stay true to myself and where I’m at life right now, which is what inspired the phrase to become what it has become in the context of my music.”

With the music video, Brodha V says he wanted to “create something that resonates with the spirit and Bengaluru and Karnataka.” He adds, “This song and its video represent not just my journey, but also the lives of countless individuals who call this city home. It’s about celebrating our hustle and creativity. The music video further adds to that, it was a simple concept that came together through conversations with friends, we had a small crew and we went around the city meeting our friends which ultimately turned out to be the most fun I’ve had creatively, it was amazing to just be myself.”

“Hengaithe Maige” is the rapper’s first song of 2025, although he closed 2024 with “D.A.T.N,”  his collaboration with Tamil artist Paal Dabba in December. It’s a quick turnaround from Brodha V, who last released a fully Kannada song in 2022 with the socially-conscious “Aaraam.”

The artist adds, “I have been feeling experimental lately and have a few tracks up my sleeve, I am looking forward to my fans finally getting to listen to all the new work I have planned to put out for them. I have spent a lot of time reflecting and writing this year and there are a lot of surprises in store for my fans and listeners.”

Watch the video for “Hengaithe Maige” below. Stream the song on Spotify.