Bollywood rap has come a long way from appearing merely as promotional tracks in the days of Yo Yo Honey Singh and Badshah but now it is pushing for a new narrative.
The hip-hop game has now earned a wider space in film music, with hard-hitting numbers often lending necessary momentum to a narrative, and a slew of recent projects including Blurr, Drishyam 2 and An Action Hero, attest to it.
It starts with filmmakers welcoming novelty, feels Mumbai-based rapper Dhaval Parab aka D’Evil, whose song with rapper Shah Rule featured in the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer An Action Hero.
“Filmmakers like Zoya Akhtar, Anirudh Iyer and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra understand the importance of rap in movies and give chance to something new. They look up to the youth. Also, those who are aware of the rap culture can easily adapt it to the narrative of the film. Hip-hop is here to stay”, says D’Evil.
The help of rap
He further tells us, “The filmmakers in the coming time will understand the value of it. Hip-hop has a great power to hold an audience. You can actually narrate the whole scene with the help of rap. It takes the not only the scene but the movie to a different level whether it is an action sequence or a soft romantic scene. In a nutshell, hip-hop fits everywhere.”
Gritty dramas and biopics, too, have leveraged the power of rap — for instance Liger and Jhund, which came earlier in 2022. Music director
, speaking on the same tells us, “Rap is elevating to a different level in the country right now.
Rap narrative
It is authentic and dedicated. There are a lot of stories to tell and a lot of things can be encapsulated in rap.” He adds, “Rap marries well with both- urban cinema and rural cutting-edge cinema- thanks to its local flavour. It conveys the message without diverting attention from the story. It is almost like someone is speaking to you. I also hope to see more narrative-based rap instead of commercial ones.”
Rapper and music producer Shah Rule too opines on the current hot trend. Ask if a lot of rap songs are being used to drive the narrative of the film, Shah Rule asserts, “We have the power to write the narrative at a time when rap songs can be pretty direct.” Rule agrees with the fact that rap is getting serious in Bollywood.
He tells us, “Earlier, I did some projects in Bollywood where I did not get the due credit but now it is not the same. The genres are coming closer. With Badshah making big moves and Gully Boy happening, rap has become a norm now.”
Underground rapper
Sun J, an underground rapper from the national capital feels it is the end of film music now. “Rap is clearly taking over the film industry. Bollywood mai hip-hop bajj raha hai ab and it is a big deal if independent rappers are getting to collaborate with stalwarts from the industry.”
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