Watch: Bengaluru’s All OK Returns With Shimmering Reggaeton on ‘Don’t Worry’

Last year, it seemed like a big deal that Kannada rapper and producer Alok Babu R. aka All OK had over 66,000 subscribers on YouTube. Today, that number has nearly tripled, with over 178,000 people tuned in to the Bengaluru-based artist’s songs. He says with a laugh, “The journey has been slow but amazing. We’re educating people every day, we’re reaching all corners of the state. We’re getting that kind of love and support.”

His latest is “Don’t Worry,” a buoyant track co-produced by DJ Lethal (not the one you’re thinking of), featuring All OK walking down Bengaluru’s well-known Church Street, as well as scenes from his shows and visiting Karnataka’s public personalities, including environmentalist Saalumarada Thimmakka, actor Abishek Ambreesh, Shanvi Srivastava and Sriimurali. The rapper says about calling on celebrities, “We had celebrities supporting the [Kannada] scene as well, just like [actor] Ranveer Singh did with [Bollywood hip-hop biopic] Gully Boy. It’s amazing progress.”

They all have one message in mind – positivity. All OK says, “A lot of people try to reach their goals and still fail, but you have to keep trying. It was about spreading the good vibes through this song. I’d written the lyrics and slowly we started jamming and then thought of using a reggaeton beat for this. It has such a positive vibe, reggaeton music. You feel like dancing but also listen intently.”

The video also features a glimpse of All OK’s debut at Bacardi NH7 Weekender in Pune last year, alongside his crew. He calls it one of the best gigs he’s done outside of Karnataka. “When we started performing, there were less people, but by the end of it, we had a lot of first-time listeners of Kannada music. They learned that music has no language,” he says.

It’s this understanding that All OK wants to build upon next, as he and his crew prep a song called “Maramman Disco (M.D.),” set to release in four different languages. He adds, “It’ll have guest appearances in each particular language. The whole point was to expand our boundaries.”