Hanumankind

When Hanumankind came in hot with his song “Southside” in 2019, off the EP Kalari, it became an anthem for South Indians not just in the country, but around the world. Songs of resilience like “Genghis” and “DAMNSON” made Hanumankind aka Sooraj Cherukat the rapper who tells it like it is.  

For that, he’s cemented his reputation in Indian hip-hop as one of the few prolific English-language rappers to blow up in recent times. Whether it’s acerbic takedowns of authority or introspective vulnerabilities, Hanumankind has flexed his pen game and then proceeded to get down into the moshpit when his favorite artists are playing. Over the years, the rapper says he’s gained a stronger sense of purpose, one that he’s channeling into his upcoming debut album.  

In an interview with Rolling Stone India, Hanumankind talks about the journey so far, new material and clears up the different ways his moniker can be pronounced (Hanuman-kind or Hanu-mankind).  

Rolling Stone India: You’ve had singles and a couple of EPs come out. Has an album been on your mind? 

Hanumankind: An album has definitely been on my mind. The album has actually been the only thing on my mind right now. I’ve been on that headspace. That’s why I haven’t released music in a bit, because I took a step back when I dove into the idea of doing more than just one song, putting together a sequence of emotions, a sequence of perspectives, and creating an album, which is more than just a quick two to three minutes. 

I’ve definitely taken some time in order to do this because the last actual release that I had was ‘Go To Sleep,’ everything else had been features and collaborations popping up here and there.  

When I initially got into making the whole album, I think it required me to take a step back and really do some deep diving into myself as well as the art and in accordance to that, it kind of shapes up. It’s been eventful, to say the least. It’s still being finalized, but there will be 10 to 15 tracks. That’s an ideal number.  

You got to link up with JPEGMAFIA, Kenny Beats, YG and a few others when they came down to India. What was that like? 

In a way, I think things like that… it just gives me perspective. Because in the end, everybody’s just their people, bro. They’re just human, too. We have this perspective of people being like, ‘Oh, my God, man.’ The music is larger than life and so also the person, that there’s got to be something special going on. But in the end, it’s just people and their desire, their drive to make something of themselves and be better on a daily basis.  

If anything, it inspires you more just because of the common ground that you are able to see firsthand, you know what I mean? And I think that’s a beautiful thing. 

Is that something you carry forward when people come up to you after the show, but they might be intimidated by how they saw you on stage?  

Yes, absolutely. I think you’ve seen this, too. Go have a regular conversation with people. Let them know how much of an idiot I can be myself. And ain’t nobody immune to anything, right? We’re all susceptible to the same range of emotions and ups and downs that life throws at you.  

The world always first knew you as Hanumankind and then maybe got to know your real name. At the start, you were also doing different things, outside of music. When did you get secure about your identity as Hanumankind? Was it a day one thing?  

No, man. Look, if there’s anything that I can attest to is that you can’t be sure of anything. Life is super unpredictable, and you have to come to terms with the fact that change is the only constant and that there’s always… no one can be so sure of what’s going on to where it can’t be taken away from you, especially the way that I live and the experiences that I’ve been able to see.  

So to come to terms with or be comfortable with my identity, it’s a process. It’s still a process, man. I still don’t know. There’s still more for me to learn. There’s still more for me to pick up and feel, but I have definitely become more comfortable with the idea of it. I have a stronger sense of my purpose and what I’m supposed to do in life. I have a much stronger sense of destiny, of fate that courses through my blood. That took me time, because when you live on the day to day, when you live fast, it’s hard for you to make decisions for the long run.  

I’m not gonna shy away from the fact that I live fucking fast. I like fast shit. So when you live for the moment, things become momentary. I do think that me getting comfortable with it was also me being like, ‘Hey, man, let’s try and build something that lasts.’ And if you’re doing that same thing, it ties in with the album.  

As I was saying it, I was thinking about how some people pronounce Hanumankind in different ways. What do you think about that?  

I mean, it’s cool, bro. Hanuman is a powerful entity in itself. And I think Hanuman symbolizes a lot of stuff that people can agree to. They symbolize something that people would strive to also have within their lives, like honor and loyalty and power and courage. So these things, when they say Hanuman-kind, it’s absolutely fine with me. It’s one and the same. Again, there’s a difference when people are saying it in a bad way, in a good way, you know what I mean? [laughs]  

Have you been accused to being blasphemous because of it?  

Yeah, man. India is a sensitive place. They got some sensitive people. I think it comes with the territory, especially when you say things, when you try and make statements. I want to bring change to the world, but not everyone likes change. People enjoy their comfort of what they know and what they’re accustomed to. 

“Go To Sleep” explored this inner turmoil and showed this vulnerable side to you. What kind of stuff are you writing about now that maybe you didn’t have the confidence or willingness to explore before? 

That’s a good question. I think I was just able to see [that] when you do something as direct, it’s rap and hip-hop. Now, when I mean direct, it’s poetry, right? A lot of music conveys emotions [but] they limit the words or they limit the elements that are in it… it’s different. Rap and hip-hop, you can elaborate on how you feel. You can really get down into the nitty-gritties and conversations through your words. So I think I’ve been just able to explore really getting into some topics that people don’t necessarily talk about. 

‘Go To Sleep’ was just brushing on the surface. It’s just what people see on the outside. But a lot of what we deal with on the inside is stuff that I’ve been tapping into while also coming to terms with the person that you are, the flaws that you hold and also the journey that you’ve gone on and how far you’ve come and trying to find that to relate to everybody. I think that’s important because I love making random shit and also just having fun. But I do want to be able to relate to people, because there’s this emotion that, if you manage to tap it, it really creates a beautiful connection between people. So that’s what I’ve been working on and trying to get a hold of. 

It’s like they say, no man is an island. 

I mean, I could definitely say I did a lot of vacationing on islands, man. I was islanding for a while, but I feel better now. I feel more connected.  

You’re not just at rap gigs, but you go to rock and metal gigs too and the electronic ones. What do you take from different genres and put into your own music? 

Honestly, anything I like. Ever since I was a child, I was traveling and I never really stayed at one place for too long. That allowed me just to find a bunch of shit that I like and have a bunch of tastes that overall I picked up over time. And I think that’s also very relatable in terms of how I perceive music and art in general. If I like it, I’m not going to be like, ‘Oh, man, but it’s not hip-hop. Oh, shit. It doesn’t fit into the category of the theme’ or whatever the fuck.  

If I like how these drum and bass hits makes me feel a certain way, I’ll see if there’s something I can do with it. If not, maybe for another time. And metal? I grew up listening to it in middle school. I’m just like, any moment that I can find the right place, I do want to be able to tap into that little boy that was full of angst trying to cruise through life on a skateboard. But I do understand also that there’s a time and place for things. I’ve come to realize you can’t just throw everything at everyone all at once because it can confuse people, man. 

What excites you and what worries you about the future of music?  

What excites me is that I think at this day and age, anyone can make music anytime. There’s also such acceptability to bending styles and not conforming to one particular space. So we’re at a point where there’s a lot of evolution that’s happening and I think that’s going to produce a lot of really cool stuff. 

Also the fact that people are becoming more aware of their capacities within the current online and creative diaspora. The people are realizing what they can do, what they’re entitled to, what they shouldn’t overthink. It’s just accessible.  

What worries me? Everything just becoming more corporatized. You know what I mean? I’ve heard things about major corporations and large entities that are coming and looking into buying just monopolizing music, right? Which I do understand the pull of money, because when artists or companies are offered large sums of money, it feels good in that moment and they make momentary decisions.  

That sometimes worries me, because you can see that overall, everything is becoming, you see bigger and bigger entities that tend to swallow up entire ecosystems. It puts a restriction on so many things.