Rapper Shreyas on His New Song ‘Uddhat’: ‘Marathi Hip-Hop is at the Foundation Stage’

When hip-hop artist Shreyas Sagvekar and producer Vedang Deshpande launched their new Marathi rap song “Uddhat” in Mumbai earlier this month, it was more than just a song served up braggadocio. After all, being in Marathi, it was spiced with specific cultural references over a hectic, groovy beat that saw the collaborators go from strength to strength.

Shreyas and Vedang – who go by their first names as artists – previously scaled highs with songs like “Paristithi” in 2022, which was part of their tape Stop Bullshittin’ The Fans Vol. 1. And “Uddhat” was their way of confidently rolling out the rap on the back of putting in the work to give Marathi hip-hop a name.

In an interview with Rolling Stone India, Shreyas talks about the new release, their launch show and what’s next. Excerpts:

How was the “Uddhat” launch show in Mumbai? What was your favorite part from the gig? 

Man, The Uddhat Launch Party in Mumbai was something else. I was born and brought up in Mumbai and have started performing in my initial days in Mumbai itself, so for me, it was too much excitement and too many feelings, everybody showed up to the gig from my new listeners to my old friends to my cousins. It was the first time Shreyas & Vedang were in Mumbai and I believe we definitely leveled up considering stage performances and shows. 

My favorite part was after the show when we spent a good 30 to 40 minutes catching up with the fans and talking and taking pictures and documenting these beautiful moments.

-You two have worked together pretty often but not always exclusively, so what would you say draws you two to work with each other and just vibe together as artists and people? 

I think Vedang and I met each other in our developing stages as artists, so we contributed a lot to each other’s style, I believe Vedang is very formative to me finding my own voice and style. In addition to it, we have similar influences when it comes to the music we have grown up on i.e. traditional music, bhaktigeete and similar regional songs that were always playing in our homes. I play harmonium, Vedang is also trained in tabla, so we come from a similar set of people, which draws us to work with each other and have fun together as artists and as people.

What did you want to do differently on “Uddhat”?

We want to reach our people with “Uddhat.” This is the song that puts us out there, where we reach each one of our target audience, the Marathi people who get the nuances of what we are talking about in the song, rather than aiming towards our hip-hop listeners, we are trying to go back to our roots.

We want to level up everything, sonically, visually and release management-wise. We reached out to Akash Shravan, who is an excellent producer and sound engineer, for mixing and mastering “Uddhat,” and he is vital to making “Uddhat” sound as good as it is.

Another thing happening differently by itself is we are reaching an audience who don’t even understand Marathi and they are loving every bit of it they are listening to. ‘Bhai mujhe Marathi aati nahi hai but sunte hi jo maza aata wo me kya hi batau’ [I don’t know Marathi but hearing this song is fun] being the most received compliment for “Uddhat.”

What do you think about where Marathi hip-hop is right now, in India?

Marathi hip-hop is at the stage where Indian hip-hop was in 2012. To be more specific, it’s at the foundation stage where a lot of artists are figuring things out, there’s a good amount of Marathi rap songs coming out, there are a few which are great, there are few which are heavily influenced by the West and we can see Marathi artists struggling to find their authenticity. I believe this also stems from the overall market not being too receptive towards the Marathi language.

So we are at a point where we have to prove ourselves, which can only be done with putting out good music constantly, and Vedang and Shreyas are here to be that change. 

What else is coming up through 2023 for both of you? 

Ah yes, this what I would love to tell my fans the most – you can expect two more singles from me, one with Vedang and another with Devonian – whom I have worked with previously on many occasions – right before Shreyas & Vedang drop the Volume 2 for Stop Bullshittin’ The Fans towards the year end. Stop Bullshittin’ The Fans Vol. 1 completed one year this June.

Listen to “Uddhat” below/