In India's growing hip-hop scene, 'Hanumankind', has quickly established himself as a standout artist, with his hit track ‘Big Dawgs’ soaring past Kendrick Lamar's ‘Not Like Us’ and Eminem's Houdini on international music charts. 31-year-old Sooraj Cherukat, also known as Hanumankind, from Kerala, spent his childhood crisscrossing the world - mostly because of his father who works with a leading oil company - and has lived in France, Nigeria, Egypt and Dubai. The rapper’s latest hit has been appreciated by music lovers across the world and the song is nearly 10 crore views.
Nathan Mendes, known by his stage name Tsumyoki, is an Indian rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. In 2023, he won 2023 Best India Act for MTV Europe Music Awards for his single, ‘It's Aight’ ft. Prophet Joegus putting Goa on the map of world Hip-Hop. With Hanumankind giving a push to the hip-hop and rap genre, he says, “Even though rap music is pretty big, it's getting bigger all around India. ‘Big Dawgs’ by Hanumankind is one of the first English rap songs that went super big. Other than that, English rap has always been very hard. Seeing Hanumankind's success is really inspiring. But still in Goa, the rap scene is definitely very small and it's growing very slowly. Goa pop music is still a big thing compared to rap music. But we are seeing new artists emerging from Goa very often and there's potential in some of them. As long as the scene is growing, that's a good thing.” Tsumyoki is looking forward to releasing his next single next month.
Daniel Sequiera, also known as Kidd Mange is a rapper and member of the group Goa Trap Culture. “I feel like Hanumankind has brought in a lot of new listeners, both foreign and domestic and shown them what’s possible for English rappers coming out of India to produce. But I still would say it's hard for any artist in our current generation to get a lot of recognition due to the fact that there's so many people trying to make music and most of them will be willing to spend money to gain streams and views online, not really doing it for the music but just to make a quick buck off of it", says Kidd Mange, who is working on songs that will be out this month.
Merces-based Konkani rapper, songwriter and musician, Bongisio focuses on rap on varied themes but completely in Konkani. He says, “There is still a need to understand rap music and hip hop culture, even by our new rappers as well as the others who have been doing this for a while now. There are many artists who put out music, some do well while some struggle to get to the listeners. It requires planning or patience, you can't expect everyone to have that good luck charm or a very good manager to push your art to the world. There is proper planning and development of one skill to get your work to be recognised in your region or country. I make music to voice the truth and speak about what happens in my life rather than being fictional about someone else's life. I'm more about what I have right now and what I will do with my language, Konkani, and how it will help me grow more as a Konkani rap artist in Goa.”
Amit Naik, popularly known as ‘Waking Grunt’ from Bicholim, has been rapping in Konkani since 2015 and his songs are based on current topics and social themes. He was one of the first artistes to begin rapping for the Goan audience. “Rap culture in India is booming and evolving. However, rap is still underrated and easily forgotten when it comes to recognition. While rap artists aspire to hit the charts, to produce a track that gets clicked globally; only a few make it happen. These chosen ones cannot retain that stature and become one-time wonders if they fail to be consistent. I believe rap is dying a slow death (reality rap). Indian rappers are influenced by a lot of foreign things, and they feel that way since the legends of Indian rap scenes are busy dissing each other or claiming to be the greatest.”
Speaking his heart out about the struggles of a rapper, Waking Grunt says, “India is a country of youngsters – middle-class families slog their whole lives working like slaves to make ends meet. A youngster in such a family cannot buy a musical instrument or learn about music anywhere. What can he/she do then? Here, rap music opens its door to them, where they express their anger, frustration, and aspirations in whatever way they can. They hang out together, take jam sessions, and perform for free in the hope that somehow these rhymes will lead them to the doors to glory. Indian Rap scene does not need recognition from the world, it is an emotion – felt, lived, and nurtured by all the hip hop artists. In all this chaos, news of any Indian hip-hop song going viral globally is just another motivation for the rest of the aspirants to grind a little more and try until they make it happen.”
Goa’s only female rapper, Sharlaine Menezes from Margao, is optimistic about the future of rap music in Goa, “Rap in India and Goa is experiencing great progress and of course, still faces significant hurdles. Hanumankind’s recent success has definitely helped shine a spotlight on the genre, but there’s still a long way to go before rap is fully embraced and recognized. One key challenge is the need for broader acceptance and understanding of rap as an art form. Rap is inherently about originality and personal expression, and this contrasts with the common preference for cover songs and familiar melodies at various events", says Sharlaine, whose latest single was ‘I Don't Care’ ft formalzone.
She further adds, “For rap to gain more traction, current rappers and musicians must continue to champion and promote the genre. We need to create more opportunities for performances and showcase original work, as this will help shift public perception. Interestingly, I’ve noticed that older audiences often seem to appreciate rap too now, at least with my tracks. They find it unique which a good step forward is. They key here is also educating people about the genre. To move ahead, it’s important for us to nurture this interest and build a stronger, more supportive community around rap music.”
Born in Bicholim but was brought up in Mumbai, Sushant Gad, who goes by his stage name ‘Dimaag’ took advantage of his fluency of Hindi to rap in the language. However, even Hindi rap is still finding its roots in Goa which makes it difficult for Dimaag. “In Goa, I don’t know how many years it will take for rap to gain the much deserved recognition. Many people from the hip-hop industry, both from in and outside Goa, have told me to get out of the box and move to Mumbai. As a Hindi rapper from Goa, I’ve asked many people to collaborate with me but when I tell them it’s rap in Hindi, they reject it. Tsumyoki has helped many underground artistes to come up, but for me as a single artist doesn't work", says Dimaag.
He was the only Goan artiste to be selected for MTV’s ‘Hustle 4’ Mumbai audition. Unfortunately, he couldn’t afford going for the auditions. “Many music producers and rappers who were good, have left it and got back to 9 to 5 jobs for the lack of opportunities. I didn't go for the auditions as I didn’t have money and a laptop which were essential for the auditions. I will prove myself, compete and win in the future when the time is right", says Dimaag, who recently collaborated with Damandeep, a voice over artist from Mumbai who has worked with numerous movies and as known as Da Man in the music industry. They collaborated on the song ‘Khapp’.