Karan Batta Taps Hittman and Bobby Creekwater for ‘Humble Hustle (Remix)’
Indian-origin artist shares common ground about struggles with the industry on the new song, which features Eminem and Dr. Dre proteges
Indian-origin artist Karan Batta. Photo: Danielle Maddox
Los Angeles-based hip-hop artist, actor and writer Karan Batta teams up with rappers Hittman and Bobby Creekwater to reflect on the state of the music industry on “Humble Hustle (Remix).”
Featuring samples of spoken dialog alongside rap that takes stock of their journey so far, “Humble Hustle” follows Batta’s previous 2024 single “Dream To Survive” with fellow West Coast rapper Young Noble. There’s clearly a leveling up in some senses on this new song, enlisting Hittman who’s best known as a protégé of Dr. Dre right from the hip-hop legend’s 1999 album 2001. The Atlanta-raised Creekwater, for his part, has been mentored by the likes of Eminem, appearing on the 2006 album The Re-Up.
“Humble Hustle,” according to Batta, is about three rappers speaking from the perspective gained by being in “different eras of their career” and venting about the “inner workings of music.” Batta adds, “I rap about how hard it is to break in, Bobby Creekwater touches on being signed to a major label for over four years and not having his content released, and Hittman talks about going multi-platinum/diamond and how stepping stones can be blocks from stumbling in his music career; and touches on his relationship with Dr. Dre.”
To mark the release of the song, Batta also spoke about the importance of working with Hittman in an Instagram post. Batta says, “When I was younger, I always felt like my favorite rappers were rapping to me. Twenty years later, I’m putting out records with them.” He’s all praise for his collaborators, calling Hittman “one of the most brilliant minds to ever touch hip-hop.” Batta adds, “Got a favorite Dr. Dre song? Chances are he’s on it and wrote it too. So thrilled he gifted me an iconic verse and even more so, his friendship. I’m excited to share this song with the world.”
On the acting and screenwriting front, Batta is currently working on a T.V. series based on his life called Stop Calling Me Karen! in Hollywood.
Batta, who has previously rapping under the moniker The Asoka, got a new lease on life (quite literally) when he received a liver transplant after battling a rare auto-immune disease in 2019. He told Rolling Stone India in 2022, “I had to relearn to walk and there were 300 stitches in me, 60 staples… they were like, ‘Your creative life is all over even if you make it [alive after the transplant]. So for me, it was like, ‘No. Watch me. I will be better than I’ve ever been before.’ I just had to have this mentality for myself to survive.”
Listen to “Humble Hustle (Remix)” below.
