Hear Xonarrate’s New Guitar Driven Hip-Hop Track ‘The Walk’

Before entering the world of hip-hop, Mumbai-based rapper Xonarrate honed his skills as a lyricist by writing poems. Eventually, his stanzas developed into fiery verses as he felt that hip-hop is very expressive. The artist was also heavily influenced by the 2010 collaborative album Distant Relatives by American rapper Nas and Jamaican reggae vocalist Damian Marley. He says, “Although that album is a reggae and rap fusion, it really hit me and that was when I decided that this is what I want to do.” Xonarrate recently put out his latest single, the emphatic and distortion-heavy “The Walk.”

According to the rapper, the new song is about one’s journey. The hip-hop artist also poses questions through the track such as the purpose of life, the significance of the human race, God and more. “As humans, we like to think we’re important and that has been and still is the force that drives so many people but what if we’re not so important?” asks Xonarrate. He adds, “The truth is that we don’t have a lot of the answers yet and we need to accept that if we ever want to find out.”

Xonarrate recorded the track at Mumbai’s Acoustriks Studio where he also works as a sound engineer. The rapper roped in guitarist Ishan Kochhar and bassist Indraneel Hariharan to give the song a crunchy rap-rock feel. Xonarrate then mixed “The Walk” himself before sending it to U.S.-based Kim Rosen for the final master.

Ask the hip-hop artist what he thinks about how the genre has evolved in India over the past few years and he says, “Indian audiences are starting to embrace hip-hop and a lot of people are putting out good music, artists are now getting sponsors and work opportunities.” Xonarrate is also a fan of the healthy competition between artists from Mumbai and New Delhi as well as the plethora of talent in the North East.

During the lockdown, he’s been working on mixes for a couple of artists and catching up on reading. “I’ve made a couple of new beats and I’ve almost finished production for two new tracks,” he says. The rapper is itching to get back to the studio though, to flesh out his ideas. Xonarrate also hints at a project he’s had in mind for six years, which is a sensitive topic according to him. He says, “I’m doing it next year, I’ve laid down the basic structure of the song and I’m working on lyrics right now.”

Watch the music video for “The Walk” below: