Indian Hip-Hop Is Getting X-Rated and We’re Here For It

Let’s talk about sex. More specifically, let’s talk about Indian independent artists who are exploring sexuality in a pretty fun way that we’ve rarely seen. Bengaluru-based artist RANJ recently teamed up with producer-composer Adl aka Adiel Massar to release “Headrush” in late September.  

“There is nothing sexier than being with someone who makes you want to give and take equally and feel like you deserve it all,” the artist said in a statement. Often genre-defying and always one who’s got a hold of a slick vocal flow, “Headrush” is all about desire and the female perspective makes it even more refreshing. It’s not the first time a woman MC is singing about carnal pleasures, but more on that later.  

New Delhi hip-hop star Raga released “Badan” last week via Def Jam India, pushing further into his incorrigible playboy persona. Featuring a guest verse from hip-hop artist Harjas over a beat produced by Yawar, the music video and lyrics for “Badan” spell it all out, topped off with a hook in which Raga refers to his dick.  

There have been different prominent themes and lyrical obsessions among India’s hip-hop artists over the years. After all, we’ve seen everything from the parody rap of Devang Patel and the campy signature stylings of Baba Sehgal (who recently headlined Ziro Festival of Music in Arunachal Pradesh) being hailed over time.  

In more recent memory, the hedonistic, club ragers by Yo Yo Honey Singh and his ilk took Bollywood by storm, plying film soundtracks (and major labels) with expectedly half-cocked songs which blatantly objectified women and flexed superficialities. Thankfully, we also saw artists across languages – especially Punjabi – explore more hues of community, friendship and love stories to make sure we got just a tiniest bit of nuance.  

Elsewhere, independent artists brought hip-hop culture in (one of) its truest senses to India – stories from their gullies but also from their regular, often middle class lives and the anxieties which surround growing up in India. It was often socially and politically charged and never missed a chance to be foul-mouthed when it called out the powers that be.  

But over time, we’ve seen every side cross over without any inhibitions or rules – the independent artists have flexed their fame stories, the bigger stars have dug deep into personal stories and got introspective. A likely overarching influence would be what the chart-toppers and TikTok-famous artists in the West have been doing – Kendrick Lamar, Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat and more have stepped up to titan status.  

To that end, we’ve been seen more Indian hip-hop artists be a lot more in your face about sex and intimacy. Whether it comes from the style they draw from or their intention to break past any repressive attitudes lingering in modern Indian music, we’re here for anyone jumping over that PG-13 barrier to make everything X-rated.  

Although songs about getting hot and heavy are not new per se in the hip-hop world globally, we’re seeing more Indian artists talk about sexual liberation. Among the earliest instance I heard was on MC Manmeet Kaur’s “Made Love to J Dilla That Night,” which opens her 2014 album Hip Hop Bahu. Now, there are plenty more artists across genders who are reveling in the fact that they can talk about sex.  

Shane from Shillong is an all-out sensual charmer on his EP Love from 2021, getting all kinds of X-rated on “Late Night,” much in the vein of American R&B and hip-hop stars. Mumbai group Citimall take turns exploring their own situations with women on their recent single “She Know.” New Delhi’s D₹V aka Dhruv Rajpal fires off in a fashion similar to American rap stars on “Billo Bad” on his debut album from 2020. These are just a handful of artists among several more making in-roads in fun-filled stories from their bedrooms. 

There’s of course, the very obvious line between rapping about how fucking is fun and misogyny, though. Male rap artists like MC Stan regularly cross over to objectifying women and generally not providing any kind of respectful perspective in their songs, but that’s part of Stan’s persona and arguably, his calling card. The devil-may-care attitude that permeates his music lets him sidestep any kind of accountability for his lyrics, but thankfully there are plenty more in Indian hip-hop who are approaching the topic from an inclusive lens.