It’s Raining Hip-Hop: Here’s Our Rap Recap of Releases and Tours to Check Out

As we near the end of February, we’ve seen a fair share of desi hip-hop artists breaking new ground across sub-genres and styles, from mainstream heavy-hitters like Karan Aujla’s Four You EP and Badshah’s 3:00 AM Sessions tape, plus DIVINE’s video for “Baazigar” to New Delhi artists like DRV and the crew J Block having their songs placed in episodes from Netflix’s drama series Class.

As is the case with hip-hop in India these days, there’s always room for more action. We round up more recent announcements and releases that are keeping the desi hip-hop flag flying high.

PRAA EP by Raftaar & Prabh Deep

It would perhaps be only those in the know who would’ve predicted a collaboration between Raftaar and Prabh Deep. While they’ve often spearheaded very different music in completely different directions, their team-up on the EP PRAA is one of the most surprisingly solid collabs in hip-hop this year. Raftaar gets Prabh Deep to party down, while Prabh Deep encourages Raftaar’s more experimental side as a rapper, songwriter and producer. The result is in the four tracks that hop genres, kick ass and throw a party like no one else.

“Ruhbaru” by Yungsta and Sez on the Beat

New Delhi emcee Yungsta has been teasing an album for a while now and the first taste of that comes with the grandiose, autobiographical lead single “Ruhbaru,” made with Sez on the Beat. The album is called Meen and it’s going to be the Full Power co-founder’s debut full-length, in the sense that it’s a fully concept-driven work, as “Ruhbaru” signals in terms of Yungsta’s journey so far.

“Holi Re Rasiya” and “11K” by Seedhe Maut

It’s only in the world of the newly-launched Coke Studio Bharat that we’d get to see New Delhi duo Seedhe Maut on the same stage as the likes of actor-singer Ravi Kishan and sarod brother duo Aman and Ayaan Ali Bangash, that too for a song about Holi. “Holi Re Rasiya” gives them ample space to shine with a more celebratory rap, but Seedhe Maut followed it up super quick with “11K,” a surprise single that plays to their strengths as badass wordsmiths.

“Bags” by Qaab and Smoke

The icy, trap-leaning latest collab between New Delhi artists Qaab aka Shoaib Ahmed and Smoke aka Rahul Jaluthria isn’t just a single, but a run-up to a full-length album called Baggage Claim. The Hindi trap song “Bags” sees the artists play to their strength, staying on the same level energy-wise as they trade bars. The melodic rap tune addresses the “shift that they saw in people around them after they started getting recognition in the music scene and also is a proclamation of what they want to achieve in the long term,” the duo say in a statement.

“Cypher for Equality” by Tracy De Sa, Gravity, Pratika, Muhfaad, Hashtagpreeti, Neerajomatic, and MC Mahila

Fresh from her performance at Lollapalooza India in January, Tracy De Sa rounds up the best in the business across genders and language as they take turns on “Cypher For Equality.” There are socially-conscious raps all the way through, coming from De Sa, Pratika, Gravity, Muhfaad, Hashtagpreeti, Neerajomatic and MC Mahila. “The single discusses and challenges social injustice and patriarchy, fighting together as one united voice,” a statement says about the track.

MC Stan’s Basti Ka Hasti Tour 2023

Pune’s (and now, after winning Bigg Boss Season 16, the country’s) favorite hip-hop artist MC Stan returns to the stage after his reality show stint and he’s understandably drawn up a big plan. The Basti Ka Hasti tour is slated to hit 10 cities so far between March and May. Kicking off in Pune on March 3rd, Stan travels to Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Indore, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Kolkata and New Delhi in the span of two months. Get details here.

KR$NA’s The Dollar Sign India Tour 2023

Among the other big draws in desi hip-hop, KR$NA recently featured on Pakistani rap duo Young Stunnah member Talha Anjum’s new album Open Letter (on the song “Touch Base.”) Testament to his continued versatility, KR$NA is taking his show on the road as part of the Dollar Sign India tour. Currently including seven cities in March and April, the rapper will perform in Goa, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and New Delhi in the coming weeks. Get details here.

“Aare Jiyare” by Sayonara Philip, Varkey and Rap Kid

Kerala artists Sayonara Philip and Varkey create a sultry and playful new song “Aare Jiyare” as part of song release series Kappa Originals. While they add a twist with Hindi lyrics, Rap Kid India aka Aditi R. Nair takes centerstage with her English rap over the club-friendly beats about sleepless nights, showcasing a formidable cadence over choppy rhythms.